Questions about cable testing

addylad · 18 Feb 2016 at 01:10

Hi all

Hope this doesn't come across as a series of stupid questions as this is new to me.

We had a BT engineer round the other day who has diagnosed our router with a high resistance issue. This got me thinking about getting hold of a testing kit so I could verify the problem and hopefully prove that it disappears when our replacement router arrives.

We are using DSL which comes from a BT master socket, and I'd also like to test RJ45 connections since the network appears to be a bit slow too.

I am guessing I need some sort of multimeter to identify the high resistance fault, and a cable testing kit with a few different adapters. I'd appreciate any input you could provide so that I have all the bits I need!

Thanks!

MissChief · 18 Feb 2016 at 02:06

Not sure you could successfully test a Router with any type of kit TBH?

bremen1874 · 18 Feb 2016 at 02:10

And any network cabling kit that'll test much more than basic continuity will cost a serious amount of money.

bledd · 19 Feb 2016 at 08:46

As above, the tester that BT use isn't something viable for a home user to have/need.

To do a basic test at home of ethernet cables and ethernet wall ports. Unless you're speding over £250, there's not much point spending more than £2-3.

Basic £2 tester

Warning : Do NOT connect this up to live equipment. ie, your PC or router.
-Should only be used for testing cables and wall ports.

They send a few volts down each wire and the other end of the tester will light up in sequence. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. If they all light up, then the cable should be fine. It's the most basic test you can do with a network cable, doesn't guarantee that the cable is fully working.