Just wanted to put in a plug for a relatively inexpensive TCP/IP cable tester I've been using for a few months now to verify that our Cat5e / Cat6 cable actually meets specs - something that's kind of important when you're depending on a skinny cable to carry dozens of channels while risking lots of physical abuse.
Black Box TS580A Cat 5/5e/6 Lan Performance Verifier - it's only a few hundred bucks, but it will verify actual category speeds. Looks like it was made by Fisher-Price, and the operating menus are very clunky, but it's been doing a solid job making sure our Dante cables are up to snuff. Even found a bad batch of wire from a supplier!
The only real annoyance is that it doesn't have Ethercon jacks, so I either have to use jumpers and adapters (risks compromising the test) or pull the shells off each time I test a cable.
Black Box TS580A Cat 5/5e/6 Lan Performance Verifier - it's only a few hundred bucks, but it will verify actual category speeds. Looks like it was made by Fisher-Price, and the operating menus are very clunky, but it's been doing a solid job making sure our Dante cables are up to snuff. Even found a bad batch of wire from a supplier!
The only real annoyance is that it doesn't have Ethercon jacks, so I either have to use jumpers and adapters (risks compromising the test) or pull the shells off each time I test a cable.
I just took delivery on a new Fluke! This one seems more like one I can send out with a tech and not be waiting by the door for it to come back, like it's my daughter out on prom night. How is the durability in the hands of the gorillas?
