Is your CAT6 cable a dog?

[Sky-Knight]

@timeshifter, you don't...

You plug stuff in and hope it works and fix it when it doesn't.

 

[nerd2u]

If I didn't install it and it's not marked it's not my problem.

If your installer is installing stuff with no indication of its category you have a bad installer.

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

 

[timeshifter]

So in a hypothetical reality where the jacks aren't marked CAT5e, CAT6 or whatever, no markings on the patch panel. You can't see the horizontal runs. You're new to the site. How can you tell if it's CAT5e or CAT6?

If I didn't install it and it's not marked it's not my problem.

If your installer is installing stuff with no indication of its category you have a bad installer.

I said hypothetical. I don't have such a network where nothing is marked. Just for discussion purposes.

Let me try again. If it's not marked, how does one tell the difference between CAT5e and CAT6?

 

[nerd2u]

If it's not marked the cable you can look at the twist rate and the cable diameter.

As for jacks and everything else it's hard to tell I would assume it's cat5e unless I can tell otherwise

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

 

[Mercenary Roadie]

So the bottom line is there is no way to know if your CAT6 infrastructure is really installed to CAT6 spec without using a $10,000 test device... and since no one here has done that we just make sure it runs well 1 Gbps and call it a day?

What about getting a couple of 10 Gbps cards and test a PC link point to point?

No, there are new testers out that "certify" the cabling speed, these fit in between cable Qualifiers/Validators and true Certifiers.

One thing about true certifiers is they don't tell you if the cable under test can pass the data speeds. The new speed "certifiers" are designed to hammer the cable under test with real-world data loads.

Ideal Networks Signaltek CT is one of these new speed testers. It has an MSRP of $1654.00 and provides hard copy reports on the test results (note: I have not used this product). Several other testers do the same.

 

[mr m]

Let me try again. If it's not marked, how does one tell the difference between CAT5e and CAT6?

The RJ45 connector for Cat 6 is a slightly different design than the one for Cat 5. Hold the jack so you are looking at the business end. This is the end you insert into a NIC or switch port. On Cat 6 the wires should be staggered where Cat 5 they are in a straight line.

While looking for pics to post I find that Platinum Tools makes a staggered jack for Cat 5e. Who is not even more confused now?

Also note that RJ45 connectors are designed for solid cable, stranded cable or both.

Cat 6 is on the left.

 

[timeshifter]

So assuming we don't have a tester that is truly CAT6 level, couldn't we run some of the advanced tests.

If you look at the actual specifications

On page 25 of that spec the list channel insertion loss.

So one could safely assume that if you get a value higher than 21.3 at 100 MHz then your cable is not meeting the CAT6 spec?

 

[Markverhyden]

Ideal Networks Signaltek CT is one of these new speed testers. It has an MSRP of $1654.00 and provides hard copy reports on the test results (note: I have not used this product). Several other testers do the same.

Part of this discussion is about Cat5 vs Cat6 testing. The spec sheet for the model you mention does not do 10gb, like other models in it's class, only 1gb. My NT1155 will say Cat6 but I have no idea how/why it arrives at that result since it only supports 1gb.

So assuming we don't have a tester that is truly CAT6 level, couldn't we run some of the advanced tests.



On page 25 of that spec the list channel insertion loss.

So one could safely assume that if you get a value higher than 21.3 at 100 MHz then your cable is not meeting the CAT6 spec?

Yes. But the tester needs to make that type of measurement. dB is a common unit of measurement so it can actually mean many different things. Kind of like quoting a force in PSI. I checked my NT1155 and it reports dB for SNR. In that case the higher the SNR value the better it is. The tester says a minimum value of 20 and usually it's 30+

 

[PaulTech]

Check out the Pockethernet. It's $200 ish and it can run TDR and BER among many other useful tools.

 

[timeshifter]

Check out the Pockethernet. It's $200 ish and it can run TDR and BER among many other useful tools.

Yep, I’ve got one.

 

[Markverhyden]

Check out the Pockethernet. It's $200 ish and it can run TDR and BER among many other useful tools.

Yep, I’ve got one.

I've contemplated getting one of those. Have either of you all had a chance to compare it to something like an NT1155, CableIQ or similar?

 

[mikeroq]

You have to remember that there is a difference between certification and qualification.

There are basically 3 types of testers:

• Verifiers - This can be as basic as the cheap light up tester showing the pairs are correct. Or can have more features, but doesn't qualify a link can run something (like gigabit, 10gb, POE).
• Qualifiers - Newer category of tester. Usually has basic verification tests like a verifier. Adds ability to qualify that a link can support something. Like gigabit, 10gb, POE, VOIP, etc. Typically used on existing cabling. "Speed Testing"
  
• Certifiers - The top end. These test the link to determine if it meets specs (like TIA/ISO standards). Tests for things like return loss, insertion loss, near end cross talk, etc.

Verifiers range from the most basic light up tester to multi function tools that do more like network testing
Fluke Microscanner = verifier.
Ideal LinkMaster/VDV = verifier.
Platinum Tools Cable Prowler = verifier.
Plantium Tools Net Prowler = verifier.


Pockethernet = qualifer.
Fluke CableIQ = qualifier.
Ideal SignalTEK = qualifer.
Plantium Tools Net Chaser = qualifier "speed certifier"


Fluke Versiv = certifier.
Ideal Lantek = certifier.
Viavi Certifier = certifier.
JDSU NT1155 = certifier.

 

[timeshifter]

JDSU NT1155 = certifier

Are you certain about that?

I had one in my possession for a few days, borrowed from a friend, but didn't put it through the paces as I was wanting to certify CAT6. I could only find tests that would push a file over a 1 Gbps link and give you a pass / fail. @Markverhyden says that it's not a certifier, he has one. I think I agree with him.

I pointed this out to my friend but he thinks it's a certifier.

In the manual it states that it certifies Ethernet speeds. I didn't see where it certifies to TIA/ISO standards.

 

[mikeroq]

Certify report tester:
Step one:
- First line tests;
- NEXT, Return Loss, Insertion Loss, Propagation Delay, SNR, PSACR, SKEW.
Step two:
- IP connection over Ethernet;
- BERT-test over IP;
- Over IP test performance and speed to 1 Gigabit.

I can't find a good sample report. Only one I could find was in Italian. Maybe it's more of a "psuedo certifier". But it does list many of the tests on the list below.

Wikipedia defines these tests for copper cable certification:
Test Parameter TIA-568-B

• Wiremap - Pass/Fail
• Propagation Delay - Pass/Fail
• Delay Skew - Pass/Fail
• Cable Length - Pass/Fail
• Insertion Loss (IL) - Pass/Fail
• Return Loss (RL) - Pass/Fail (except Cat3)
• Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) - Pass/Fail
• Power Sum NEXT (PSNEXT) - Pass/Fail
• Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT) - Pass/Fail
• Power Sum ELFEXT (PSELFEXT) - Pass/Fail
• Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio (ACR) - Information only
• Power sum ACR (PSACR) - Information only

 

[Markverhyden]

The NT1155 is definitely not a certifier. It only does bit error rate (BER), SNR, and skew tests. But for the price it does the job.

Over the years I don't think I've ever seen a real certifier for anything less than 8k.

Beware of buying a used real certifier if you need to do real certifications. Doing real certifications means you have to be able to prove your device is compliant with the test standards. Which in turn means you need your device calibration certificate(s). Those certs have expiration dates which means you have to send in the device for a recal and recert periodically which isn't cheap.