In most scenarios where structured cabling is installed, some kind of cabling certification will be needed. The end client may want external confirmation that the cabling has been installed properly, or another party (such as the IT equipment installer) may require it before they begin their own work.
Most cabling contractors & certified cable installers engage in a process called copper cable certification to warranty their work. Cat 5E, Cat 6, Cat 6a and Cat 7 are all examples of classes of Ethernet cables that can be certified. The higher the class of cable, the more stringent testing will be applied.
Methods of Ethernet Certification Testing
There are two ways to test twisted 4-pair Ethernet cable. There is a quick, inexpensive method that provides basic information (but not fully documentable results). If you need detailed, documentable results there is a more involved approach.
The Quick and Inexpensive Approach
An inexpensive handheld tester and a remote can be used to do a quick test. This method will not yield any documentable results, but it will test for cable lengths and correct wire terminations, such as the 568A and 568B wire-mapping schemes.
In other words, wire map tests confirm the physical connections have been done correctly, but there are other details (such as noise levels) that these tests don’t evaluate.
The More Detailed, Documentable Approach
The second certified cable testing method to certify an Ethernet cable is with a Penta Scanner or similar certification testing tool. This test measures cable pair lengths, continuity, wire-mapping and noise. In each area of testing, the tool will provide a PASS or FAIL result. These detailed results can be saved and then downloaded onto a PC. From there, the results can either be emailed or saved on a thumb drive and given to the customer for record-keeping.
Most IT companies want to know that the Ethernet cabling infrastructure has been certified before they install their switchgear. Requiring data cable certification before beginning their work will save the hardware installer time should they need to troubleshoot equipment issues. With the certification in place, IT hardware installers can rule out the cabling as the issue.
Conclusion
Whatever your reason for wanting or needing copper cable certification, we can help. Copper cable certification is one of the many services that Voicecom Plus offers. Contact us today to get started with a quote on network cable certification for your remodel or new build project. You can reach us by phone at 201-512-3900. Explore our other cabling services such as structured voice and data cabling and fiber optic cabling!
