Cable testers

[Ric_]

From what I've been reading, some people aren't lucky enough to be able to spend money on 'proper' equipement.

This article may be of interest to those people wanting a cable tester but can't warrant spending the money on one - you can prob make it out of parts that you have knocking about.

[tarquel]

nice....

Although I'm sure we all can afford one of these:

http://uk.insight.com/apps/productpr..._id=BELLA00PP5

http://uk.insight.com/apps/productpr..._id=BELF4F3150

(I've got the latter - it works fine and with edu discount, its cheaper than advertised price)

Wish fibre cable maker tools are as cheap as catx/rj45 crimpers lol

Anyone use fibre ones and have any recomended equipment for making them?

(also, as a small side point, I'd like to know any switches with builtin fibre modules in them anyone can recomend? ...did i forget the word 'cheap' there? lol 3com, hp, netgear, etc style brads are preferable)

Cheers,
Nath.

[Ric_]

It's still cheaper to nick the bits from the Tech department (i.e. free) - they could even make it for you!

Originally Posted by tarquel

(also, as a small side point, I'd like to know any switches with builtin fibre modules in them anyone can recomend? ...did i forget the word 'cheap' there? lol 3com, hp, netgear, etc style brads are preferable)

Planet FGSW-2402 is a 24-port switch with 2 gigabit module slots which will take fibre/copper modules. The basic switch is £89 from Qual (Abi - 0117 373 0017). Not sure about the modules but I can't see them being expensive. I inherited loads of these things from my predecessor.

[ninjabeaver]

Or wait until some people come in and install some more networking cable and leave their tester behind.

[RobC]

I managed to pick up two cable testers on Ebay for 1p each. Check this one out...

Ebay Cable Testers

Simply do a search on ebay for Network Tester. You end up paying around a fiver with postage, and it takes a week or two as it comes from Hong Kong, but it works fine with RJ11 & RJ45 terminated cables & doesn't break the budget.

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by ninjabeaver

Or wait until some people come in and install some more networking cable and leave their tester behind.

I think they would notice I have a £14.99 set which is fine for most stuff but I miss being able to get my hands on the £5k set I had at my old job to help diagnose those really awkward cable problems.

[ninjabeaver]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

I think they would notice I have a £14.99 set which is fine for most stuff but I miss being able to get my hands on the £5k set I had at my old job to help diagnose those really awkward cable problems.

Well, it's been nearly a year and its still in my tool box with the other one I purchased when I started.

I'd love one of those Fluke testers that totally map out the whole network for you and finds all the faults. That would be a dream.

[ChrisH]

In my old job we once went to fix a fault with a network point because some guy had come out to fit something or other and couldnt get it on the network. He then apparently proceeded to test it with his nice expensive Fluke tester and left the site saying that their was a problem with our cabling within the first 2 metres and it was probably the terminiation at the back and that he wouldnt touch it.
So I tested it with our £100 tester we use for most stuff... I then swopped the 2 meter fly lead over and it suddenly worked . Shame nobody taught him how to use his nice expensive tester properly :P

[tarquel]

Originally Posted by ninjabeaver

Or wait until some people come in and install some more networking cable and leave their tester behind.

lmao - doubt thats ever gonna happen.

We havent had a fibre link put in for years lol (except the one that was "finished" last year or so and works extremely slow but it has been suggested it could be the RJ45 <> Fibre Converter on one of the sides )

Its a nice idea tho lol but anyone around here leaving one behind is gonna miss it lol

Cheers,
Nath

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by tarquel

but it has been suggested it could be the RJ45 <> Fibre Converter on one of the sides )

Surely thats easy enough to check to see if thats the case then go raise some hell?

[tarquel]

Aye - a looong Cat5e cable, tho I'm not sure who did what with this link i.e. so I dunno if they installed the Cat5 <> fibre converters (is sorta my reason for just using switches with fibre modules in them ) or even the fibre link itself. They may have just come in to "terminate" the ends.

If youre wondering why the other job wasn't finished by the other party involved, so am I lol I think we f''''' them off for that very reason lol

But all of this is another topic really

- like by using these rj45 <> fibre converters, is it making the fibre a bit pointless i.e. follow this in a connection way:

- [10/100 port on switch] > [10/100 port on Fibre converter]
- Fibre runs to other area
- [10/100 port on Fibre converter] > [10/100 port on switch]

Is it not better to have them directly into the switch with a fibre module in the switch? Would it make the link a tad faster?

Cheers [@mod's: split the topic if you like ]
Nath

[ninjabeaver]

Originally Posted by tarquel

- like by using these rj45 <> fibre converters, is it making the fibre a bit pointless i.e. follow this in a connection way:

- [10/100 port on switch] > [10/100 port on Fibre converter]
- Fibre runs to other area
- [10/100 port on Fibre converter] > [10/100 port on switch]

Is it not better to have them directly into the switch with a fibre module in the switch? Would it make the link a tad faster?

Cheers [@mod's: split the topic if you like ]
Nath

Ouch, yeah, direct linking makes it a hell of a lot faster. You are basically causing a bottle neck there. Reducing the 1gb down to 100mb. Try re-imaging a room at that speed!!

I have when we had some 'cowboys' come in and attempt to install a fibre network. They said the upstairs suite was done, so I tested it by re-imaging. I was going to take 8 weeks to complete the image I think. I realised it was not quite finished then!!

TIS was the company (Technology Installation Systems). Do not touch these guys. They got kicked from the job here and Elonex was called in instead. We even found one guy asleep on a computer desk. TIS even started calling in sparkies to install networking.

[tarquel]

Originally Posted by ninjabeaver

Ouch, yeah, direct linking makes it a hell of a lot faster. You are basically causing a bottle neck there. Reducing the 1gb down to 100mb. Try re-imaging a room at that speed!!

hmmm I thought as much. Notice I am not causing anything tho - other cowboy installs unfortunately.

I'd like to be able to do the fibre links myself but fiber cabling and the tools needed are too damn expensive aren't they?

hehe We (schools in powys) should chip in and get one to share so all of us techies in powys can use one

I notice that the fibre converters are only 100Base-FX connections. Forgive my lack of fibre cabling knowledge but aren't these only 100M then? Surely using fibre at 100M is pretty pointless as its cheaper to use Cat5e (or am I missing something here lol) right?

Also, is there different actual fibre cable you can get or is it all the same but depends on the unit it goes into? - If fibre is fibre, couldn't I upgrade the fibre units or preferably get some switches with fibre converters builtin?

Sorry if that sounds a bit long winded... but I cant help it lol

Ta,
Nath

[StewartKnight]

Fibre is basically fibre, it's the boots at the end that change. Getting hold of the kit to terminate fibre / boots is harder than finding an ICT teacher that actually knows about IT!!!

[ninjabeaver]

I've always found doing my own fibre is a complete pain. Like you said it's expensive, fragile and it involoved gluing and polishing and testing and I HATE DOING IT. That was a good 4 years ago though now.

I've got HP 2425 Procurve switches installed here with the fibre modules on the front. This then gives 1GB Backbone and breaks down to 100MB when it hits the switch. The switch then goes to the wall points, and into the computers.

The HP 2425 Procurves are all managed switches and have a web interface if you need to access them. Give them fixed IP's though.

I'm not sure if fibre comes in different types. I know it comes in 'cores'. So you have a 16 core for example and that then splits into two paths to two switches. This 8 core can then be split again all the way down to 2 core I believe, but don't quote me on it.

All in all bin the fibre converters ASAP.

I know you are not causing the bottle neck personally, it was not meant to be read that way. The 'you' is meaning a generic person, or the network.