Network Tester and Verifier

[soveryapt]

Ok, so I seem to be hitting a number of issues which I can only assume are more network based than anything else due to the fact I've eliminated pretty much every other aspect of the situation.

 

Now, the cabling in the school is getting a little dated, and I think was probably put in by some mob handed monkeys rather than people with a decent amount of knowledge on networks (there are some tight turns in this place and what not) so I'm looking to find the best way to verify the various network points through the school and see which could do with replacing and which are ok, etc. So, it would seem I need to invest in either a dedicated cable verifier / tester or some software that will do the same from my laptop (Apple Mac, but I do have Windows Bootcamp which also runs through parallels so it's not too bad).

 

Any suggestions are more than welcome, though the cheaper the better as whilst I like spending my money on new gadgets, I also like to spend it on things like food and bills to make sure there's still a roof over our heads! lol.. (despite the fact I have a number of people who think I live in the internet itself).

 

Thanks

Andy

[plexer]

NT1155 ValidatorPRO-NT

 

Ben

[soveryapt]

NT1155 ValidatorPRO-NT

 

Ben

 

Well that seems to do an awful lot of stuff .. no price on the page makes me wince a bit (quick Google and I see it's about £3k's work of kit? that about right?)

[plexer]

Netshop - NT1150 Testum Validator Pro Network Cable Tester slightly different model I think.

 

Ben

[plexer]

Homestead - NT950 Test-Um Validator Network/Cabling Certifier

 

Ben

[soveryapt]

Any of these ones you've got / used?

[plexer]

No I haven't but they are cheaper than the fluke kit. Otherwise you could hire some fluke kit to do it.

 

Ben

[plexer]

For example Equipment Specifications - Testerhire.co.uk - providing hire of the Fluke DTX1800 cable analyzer

 

Ben

[synaesthesia]

We got a cheap Test-Um kit and it's revolutionised the way we test things. Found and fixed so many problems as a result, and it was bought on eBay sillycheap. (bought for £80 including all the addons, worth £400-500 new)

[pete]

We have one of these: NT750 Network Testing Kit and it was money well spent. Caveat is that while it's a very good kit for certain problems, it'll miss things that the NT950 will pick up. IIRC our kit was circa £400.

 

What would it cost you for a decent cabling firm to come in and Fluke the whole lot?

[synaesthesia]

Ah, its the 750 we've got then

[m25man]

Fluke LinkRunner AT 2000 Kit - at £2k its a bargain LRAT-2000-KIT - FLUKE NETWORKS - KIT, AUTO TESTER, NETWORK, LINKRUNNER | Farnell United Kingdom

 

I never leave home without it.

[plexer]

I do have the 750 kit as well and it's great for checking out problems if you want certify cable runs then you need something else.

 

Ben

[Ric_]

+1 for the Validator - much cheaper than the equivalent Fluke. You don't need the pro though (it basically does ping and traceroute over the standard one and I'm sure you have a laptop that can do that).