2

We had a contractor wire up our office with all the cables leading back to a central location. The only problem is that he didn't label anything, so we have no idea which cables go to which room. One end of the cable is terminated in a wall-jack (in the rooms), the other end is un-terminated and will be punched to a patch panel. Is there a way to identify the cables without having to terminate them? We'd like to group the cables on the patch panel by room, but I don't want to crimp/punch each cable twice. Thanks!

Jon Tackabury
  • 540
  • 1
  • 7
  • 14

2 Answers2

8

Get a tone generator (http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-PRO3000-Tone-Probe/dp/B000FTADX0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383596496&sr=8-1&keywords=tone+generator) and plug that into the terminated end and use the probe to find the cables on the other end.

And anytime a cable is pulled make sure the installer plans to label them cables in a manageable way (I've done site visits before even accepting a bid for work to make sure the installer does quality work)

Jake H
  • 96
  • 2
  • Agreed. The scope of work should include labeling of both ends of the cable being installed. It should also include certifying the cabling. – joeqwerty Nov 04 '13 at 20:26
  • I agree, and I missed this when arranging the installation. Let's just say that they did the minimum amount of work possible. – Jon Tackabury Nov 04 '13 at 20:33
  • A tone generator is definitely the way to go. I'll have to grab one at Home Depot or something to finish this job correctly, thanks guys. – Jon Tackabury Nov 04 '13 at 20:41
0

Instead of punching down the entire cable, just punch down one wire (of the 8 in the CAT6 cable), e.g. the orange one, then cut open a patch cable, plug it into one plug and then electrically test that connection (using testing leads, a 9V battery and a little lightbulb/buzzer.

Tobias Timpe
  • 245
  • 1
  • 4
  • 8