top of page

Network Cabling Testing

Data cabling testing is carried out to verify the network cabling performance in accordance the industry standards this means using specialist test equipment from leading test manufacturers, engineers need to be trained correctly to ensure they are carrying out the test correctly, some of the leading test equipment include:

​

  • Fluke DTX/DSX

  • Psiber Wire expert

  • Lantek II

  • Meggar SCT

​

For warranties to be applied cable manufacturers will insist the network is tested before they will issue a warranty on a cabling system, they will also stipulate which test standard is to be applied to the tester.

There are many tests that can be carried out and they have different standards to ensure the performance of the data cabling, some of these include the following:

​

  • 1.ISO/IEC 11801

  • 2.EN 50173

  • 3.TIA 568.B2

​

So which is the standard we should test to, this depends on the country you operate in the UK, we tend to test to EN 50173 or even the highest test standard ISO/IEC 11801, if we test to the highest standard you can use the software issued by manufacturers to recertify to a lower standard.

​

At TNS we always test network data cabling to the highest standard and send the raw test files to the client and manufacturers this adds extra validation to our work, compared to other installers, test equipment needs to calibrated and in date to ensure the tester performance.

​

TNS carry out full in-depth testing on all data cabling installations and our engineers can quickly identify potential issues and are trained to use the specialist test equipment and know how to interpret the test results. A marginal pass is not a good pass and it means there is a potential issue and needs to be looked at.

​

Our trained professional engineers know which data cabling tests to carry out depending on the customer/manufacturers requirements. They don’t just turn the tester on and press the green button and hope for the best, they know if a cable has been installed incorrectly or has had damage to it. We are experts in our field.

​

TNS are often called in to carry out third party data cable testing or witness testing on behalf of clients/installers and manufacturers. One common mistake that untrained installers are unaware of is that no two cables are the exact same length and if you spot in your test results a cable in the same terminal outlet being the same length it probably means one of them has failed and they have retested a different port and renamed it.

​

Another issue clients face is they receive a spreadsheet telling them the Port, length and Pass or Fail, this means the cable hasn’t been tested against any standard and a cable verifier has been used. These test results can easily be manipulated and we have seen many different variations in testing from simple port and pass to port, length, transmission speed and pass. Don’t be fooled by the cheaper data cable installers.

​

If you have any concerns over your network and require network data cabling testing then please feel free to contact us, we are here to assist, we don’t charge for providing helpful advice to clients, end users or even installers. Call us today on 01782 914001 we are here to help.

bottom of page