Paladin Tools 70025 RJ45 Network Cable Tester Kit
|
List Price: Our Price: $23.99 You Save: $2.00 (8%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $18.09 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Paladin Tools 70025 RJ45 Network Cable Tester Kit
Customer Review: Could Be Just Enough
Summary: 4 Stars
This simple tool was just what I needed to slap my diagnostic process back on track when a router went belly-up and a portion of the home network seemed to remain dark after replacing it. All I needed was a reminder that when I last thought hard about the topic, I figured I wanted CROSSOVER cables connecting house to office and router to router. More than enough time had passed for me to forget all about the distinction. (That put me back on the trail of reconfiguring the Apple AirPort using the Windows version of the administrative software, and overcoming -4 and -6375 errors; but I digress. If that's part of what you're up against, know that it can be done.) When I plugged the tester in to a wall plug at one end, and the dongle in at the other, and saw the dongle's lights displaying in a scrambled sequence, it was a forehead-smacking reminder.
While I was at it, I double-checked every store-bought and homemade Ethernet cable within reach, just to reduce the risk of other nuisances and surprises in the near future. Holding the tool in my lap and tugging at a suspect homemade patch cable where it entered the RJ45 connector, I was able to see how different stresses caused intermittent connectivity failures.
A note for the unwary: When I first turned the tool on, I got nothing. It felt so light that at first my suspicion fell on whether or not the 9V battery had been included. The designer apparently worked in environments where lost and stolen 9V batteries are a real problem, because he elected to secure the battery compartment with a Phillips head screwdriver. After rummaging through my toolbox for that screwdriver, I was able to open the compartment and establish that the battery was in fact there. Was it so cheap it had already gone dead while the box sat on a shelf? No; it had been stuffed into the battery compartment still wrapped in cellophane. Probably a good idea, but an even better idea would have been to tell me what to expect. I had to debug the tool before I could debug my network.
The tool needs few instructions, but comes with none. You won't find any more on the manufacturer's website. The blurb on the box and these reviews are the most documentation you'll find.
It looks and feels cheap. I'd much rather have a tool with some heft and a dozen or so neatly labeled ports, buttons, and LCDs, along with the manual required to understand them; something with winking and blinking lights, to impress my friends and confound my enemies. For several times the price, I could get one. To use every five years or so? Once a year, if I tell everyone I know that I have such a thing? I couldn't convince myself that would be a good investment. This saved me more than what it cost, in heartburn and wasted time. I'm just lucky the electrician who helped me before retired, or I would have gotten him to come over and tell me what this tool told me, for several times as much. If the tool works the next time I need it, so much the better.
Customer Review: DataShark is Perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
A great product for the money if what you want is to be able to identify your home network wire feeds. It is simple to use and does what it says.Customer Review: Easy and accurate tester
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a reliable tester. It has never mis led me. It is tough, it gets dropped and banged around like most tools, yet it continues to work.Customer Review: Got a home network? If so, YOU NEED THIS.
Summary: 5 Stars
My home network has grown into two wireless routers, two switches, three DVRs, an Xbox, four computers... Geez, it didn't seem complex until I thought about it. I've been having occasional issues with the network, causing me to reset routers and switches, maybe try unplugging and replugging and rebooting devices... Just enough to be annoying, as it worked most of the time.
I spent an hour with this simple device and loved it. It doesn't get easier; the source lights up lights 1-8 in order, and if all is well, 1-8 on the box (if a patch cable is plugged into both holes) or dongle (if checking an installed cable) will light up in sequence as well. I discovered 4 of 11 wires and jacks had issues, including a commercial cable I never would have suspected. Let's just say I now have tremendous respect for the magic boxes' ability to work even with messed up cabling; having had this network for years, I now don't know how it ever worked.
Now, all is well with my network world, thanks to this device. If you're going to buy a crimper and RJ-45 blanks, your next step should be to buy this. Now, I won't even use a commercial cable without testing it with this device. It gives both great results, a tested network, and peace of mind for a reasonable price.
Customer Review: Great Network Tester.
Summary: 5 Stars
The DataShark RJ45 Network Tester (70025) is an incredibly simple but essential tool. You can quickly and easily test everything from short patch cables to long through-the-wall data runs. This tester continuously pulses each of the 8 wires in succession and successively illuminates each of the 8 LEDs one at a time on both the sender end and the remote units. If there is a bad connection, the LED will not illuminate on the remote unit identifying the bad wire. If there is a cross wiring problem, the LEDs on the remote unit will illuminate out of succession so you can tell which wires are crossed. This makes it very easy to identify and fix any wiring problems.