Structured Cabling Testing – what you should insist on

Why you should insist on Structured Cabling Testing and what you should insist on

How do you test a data cable?

A data cable can be tested in a variety of ways. However there are certain standards of testing and reports that should be insisted on otherwise you will not know that the data cabling installed is actually working or will support the hardware it is supporting for data cabling transmission

1)     Multimeter

This will test individually for continuity that connector 1 goes to connector 1 at the other end. This is an unsuitable test as it doesn’t test for any performance standards

2)     Network cable tester (Mod Tap device)

This device will plug the data cable in each end and check all 8 connectors are connected correctly end to end with no shorts or breaks. However it will not test for performance or interference

3)     Cable certification testers (Level 3 testers)

The first 2 testers will cost under ￡100.00 and in contrast a certification tester will be priced in the thousands showing that the level of testing is vast and a lot more technical

What is a level 3 tester or Cable Certification Tester?

These testers will test the data cabling links to provide operational assurance by testing a unique set of network tests to a certain standard of tests and requirements

These are the only tools that give you a guaranteed “Pass” or “Fail” results after the tester tests to a certain set of industry standards. This can be a test to a certain regulatory body or for a specified category of cable. It will test of you installed Cat6 cable is operating to the standard of that category of cable and not just connected correctly

How do you test a data cable with a Cable Certification Tester?

The testing unit will have a main unit and a remote head. The units are plugged in either end of a structured cabling link and then a operational test will be run down the cable and back along it for analysis

A few examples of the tests it carries out are

·        Length                      - How long the installed cable is and is it within the 100m max

·        Wiremap                 - Are all 8 cores wired correctly with no shorts and crossovers

·        Attenuation              - The reduction in signal loss along the data cable

·        NEXT                           - Interference from the transmitted signal coupled back

·        DC Lopp Resistance     - Total resistance of 2 conductors at one end of a link

·        Return Loss                   - Loss of power in the signal which is returned or reflected

Structured Cabling Testing – What is the reason for testing installed cables?

• If it’s not tested you won’t know if the installer has

1. Terminated the data cabling correctly end to end
2. Terminated the network cabling correctly in the right methods
3. Terminated the structured cabling to the correct standards

• It checks that an acceptable quality standard of cable, panels and connectors have been installed

1. Not all data cabling manufacturers adhere to the required standards for manufacturing cable and connectors and poor materials and construction can contribute to poor performance and terminations and these are picked up by the tester if they are not to standard
2. Cheaper non-conforming materials will be highlighted as being inferior

• Not all cabling terminations are equal. Poor terminations can result in the following

1. Slower network speeds (i.e. only running at 100MB instead of 1 Gb)
2. Interference on the data cable
3. Interference onto neighbouring data cables
4. Drop outs (i.e. phone calls drop or lost connection to servers)

• Structured Cabling Testing checks that the correct patch panel ports go to the correct data module location. If the system isn’t tested this issue won’t be highlighted by the data cabling installer to rectify. Your system is then unusable from a management perspective
• You have accountability! If you receive test results, it shows at a point in time that everything was installed correctly and working to the specified standard. This eliminates the blame culture later on
• Testing checks that all the elements of the installation have been installed correctly

1. Data cabling has been pulled in correctly, away from power, without and kinks and twists
2. The minimum of exposed cable has been allowed for when terminating
3. The cable is terminated in the correct format
4. The modules are good and snugly fitting
5. Without these steps done correctly the structured cabling link won’t pass

• Structured Cabling Testing shows that the materials used are to standard as well as the data cabling installation. Poor modules, panels and cable will fail every time regardless so the quality of installation

What is a Fluke Test in Networking?

Fluke is one of a few manufacturers of cable certification testers. The above below is from a fluke tester

Fluke make a range of testers for structured cabling, fibre optic cabling and coaxial cabling testing

What you should insist on from your Data Cabling Test Results

There are many different types of standards on each individual cable test and some of these are explained below

However if you are insisting on test results from a cable certification tester than the main thing to check is the “Pass” or Fail” emblem in the top right hand corner. A green tick signifies a pass and a red cross signifies a fail

1. That Structured Cabling Testing is done with Data Cabling Cable Analyser and not a cheaper mod tap tester

Without 1 of these test results PER CABLE you are taking a risk that your data cabling installation is not fit for purpose.

For further articles please visit https://www.nmcabling.co.uk/knowledge-centre/