Invest in a Cable Tester: Page 3 of 4

If you are not the one who scans the cable, have a sit-down with a rep from your installation crew to define what you need in a tester to fit your specific setup. This is also a good time to check that your installation crew knows how to use the tester.

Early Adopters, Take Note

A number of cable manufacturers started selling

Cat 6 cable long before the standard was ratified, hoping that the promise of increased bandwidth and headroom on the wire would rally customers to take a chance--and many of us did. The problem is that much of this cable was installed before the availability of test equipment that could accurately measure cable performance at Cat 6 specs. Even worse, some cable manufacturers may have guessed wrong about what the final Cat 6 specification would be. If you were an early adopter of Cat 6 when only Category 5e cable testers were available, consider retesting your cable with a post-standard Category 6 tester. And heed this warning: The same phenomenon is beginning to occur with respect to Category 7 (and the distant Category 8, for the truly adventurous)--a standard that may never see the light of day. Know the current standards and be wary of those marketing something that does not yet exist.

The tools don't stand by themselves, as many of us have learned the hard way. When it comes to bandwidth and speed, the wire, jacks, patch panels and patch cords are far from the whole story. In addition to having the appropriate tools, make sure you have trained installers with knowledge of standards to test and certify the wiring plant for rated performance. If you have the tools and the know-how, you'll be able to rest easy.