Customer Reviews

Paladin Tools 70025 RJ45 Network Cable Tester Kit

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

DataShark 70025 RJ45 Network Cable Tester Kit

This RJ45 Network Cable Tester kit is essential if you need to make your own patch cables for connecting a home or business network. It is a must to the technicians networking tookkit. The Tester was used to determine if all conncetions were made correctly and or just how many of the wire connections you had right. If all the wires are not corrected in the same order on each end ot the patch cable, you will not have a successful connection. A good product and at a good price. Thanks DataShark for a tester that is practical, useful, and enconomical.

This tester works great for the money. I tried to test my Cat 5e runs with a laptop and my router, but I had enough issues with the connectors that I needed one of these to figure out what I had done wrong. I had a couple of connectors that I cut the wires too short to get a connection and a couple where I did not get the wires inserted in the right order.

You really don't need more than this to verify data runs. Save the money versus the more expensive testers and use a multimeter to test your Coax runs. You can test Coax by checking continuity (or resistance) for a open circuit between the center wire and the outer wire on one end. Then short the other end (an alligator clip works) and test for continuity. You don't need any special adaptors to test coax with a multimeter.

This wont be an extensive review.
There isnt much to say about the product other then it does what it says it does. I've used it in the field without any problems. If there is a non positive about the product then it is the design. I would of liked to see the two seperate parts lock/fit together. That way there is less of a chance of loosing any parts. Now i just have to make sure i keep everything in the carrying case which comes with the product.

I had previously bought a crimp/strip tool and some RJ45 connectors wanting to fix some broken cables. I wasn't successful fixing even one, and I was frustrated because I didn't know if the problem was the cable, the connectors, the tool, or my technique.

So I got one of these Cable testers. Within about 2 minutes of opening the box, it already helped me figure out the problem I was having with my first crimp work (two wires switched, but NOT a crossover cable).

Now the tester is helping me confirm the health of my patch cables, figure out which ones actually are crossover cables, and check my work on my crimps. A great tool to have; I recommend it.

I wired the lower level of my house with Ethernet cables. This tool made connecting the heads a breeze.

For the nice low price, this does the job quickly and effectively. Drop your cable in and it will quickly rotate through, checking connectivity on each pin. As I would imagine is the case with all cheaper cable testers, this isn't *entirely* idiot proof, but it's close enough.

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.

Tool is as described (continuity checker only, no performance testing), and quickly confirmed some good cables in a new installation, as well as one bad one which had been wired as 568A on one end and 568B on the other. The cable worked fine, though, since the switch was autosensing. Was a little disappointed to see the same unit at Home Depot for less money, even taking tax into account, but it's still a lot easier to walk to the mailbox than it is to drive to HD.