What data cable industry standards are you testing to?

As installation and integration of data cable becomes increasingly common in residential premises, it’s important to select a performance tester that measures against the right industry standards.

You’ve probably heard that you need to buy a qualifier. However, you might be surprised to know that qualifying data cable does not prove performance to relevant international standards.

Qualification testing standards are vague

Qualifiers do not test to a rigorous, universally recognised standard. The measures of qualification are simply what the manufacturer of a qualifier deems them to be. It is left entirely to the manufacturer to decide how their product will ‘qualify’ a cable so the measures of performance can vary between different cable tester brands.

Although the term ‘qualification testing’ appears in the TIA-570 standard for residential cabling, there is no definition of what a qualification test must actually entail. This means that qualifiers do not measure or report the same parameters and can give completely different results on the same cabling link, damaging the credibility of the test.

This is vastly different to the TIA-568 series of standards for non-residential installations, which specify exactly what cabling is tested, and how this should be done.

So how can you prove the performance of a residential data cable installation?

Test cable to a recognised standard with IDEAL Networks

IDEAL Networks has a unique network tester range that goes above and beyond the minimal cable qualifier standards set out in TIA-570 to make sure installations are performing to the highest level.

We use the detailed IEEE 802.3ab standard for gigabit Ethernet as the guideline for our data transmission testers. Using this standard eliminates the inconsistent pass/fail limit that cable qualifiers provide. Our network and cable testers send a specified amount of data through the cable or active network link and report results and errors in line with the measures detailed in the IEEE standard.

Flexible and accurate data cable performance testing with SignalTEK NT

By meeting and exceeding the TIA-570 requirements, the SignalTEK NT network transmission tester helps installers and integrators to ensure that copper and fibre installations are delivered to an exceptional standard.

SignalTEK NT goes beyond qualification. If a job requires installation, maintenance or troubleshooting data cabling, or Ethernet networks, this network transmission tester provides proof of performance up to Gigabit Ethernet transmission rates. Whether you’re an electrical contractor, cable installer, network technician or systems integrator, with test reports generated to the detailed requirements of the IEEE 802.3ab standard, SignalTEK NT is an efficient and thorough solution to performance testing.

New SignalTEK NT software is also now available ensuring that IEEE 802.3ab test standards are confirmed on the test reports, giving your customers reassurance that the test results comply. Visit https://www.trend-networks.com/support/ to download the update for hassle-free network transmission testing.

For more information on performance testing standards, visit www.idealnetworks.net or contact our expert team on +44 (0)1925 444 446.