Are you using the correct tool setup? The high impact settings don’t seem to work as expected.
Are you using the correct tool setup? The high impact settings don’t seem to work as expected.
I bought one of these cheap network testers that just light up an LED if there's a connection on both sides. It works because I used it multiple times. But on the last cable, it has weird behavior: Light number 2 only turns on when the orange and striped-orange wires are connected together. So if I'm now removing the striped-orange, Light 2 won't light up, and if I remove the solid orange, Light 2 won't light up as well. What is it? Bad cable? Bad keystone? Ty
The tester operates by applying a current to one end, which then sends it back through the other wire in the pair. This means that if only one wire is improperly connected or misplaced, it can disrupt the functionality of the other wire in the tested set. To begin, I recommend re-establishing both connections and testing again, ensuring you adhere to the same standard (T-568B). Doing this might prevent many problems!
I've noticed some videos advising against loosening the pairs inside the keystone, even though it's quite brief. Does this really count? Right now I have two keystones: one I kept as tight as I could and another I loosened before the punch-down. The difference in look is minimal since both are short.
According to the Ethernet standard, no more than half an inch should remain untwisted. Both of these appear to be close to that limit, though I'm just estimating. It should work as long as you go with the simplest option.
It seems designed for those familiar with phone wiring that often has loose, untwisted cables over long distances. Many assume phone wires aren't twisted since the twist pitch is minimal.
Thanks! It looks like the measurement is under half an inch at Alex Atkin in the UK, as noted in the videos. They mentioned it's meant to block internet interference, not affect phones—like protecting the twists designed to stop such issues.
I'm having trouble punching down the CAT6 cable to keystones. The tool doesn't respond with a click when using high impact settings. It only clicks when set to low impact, which seems insufficient. The cable is a solid 550MHz UTP Cat6, rated for riser use, and made of pure bare copper. I'm using it with the Cable Matters keystone jacks and the AMPCOM punch-down tool. I've tried different approaches but haven't achieved the necessary click.
The guidance on keeping the twist as tight as possible applies mainly to those who have spent years working solely with phone lines before Ethernet became widespread. Now that Ethernet is common, they still use it even for phone tasks. The level of twist matters most at 10/100 Mbps, less so at 1Gb, and critically at 10Gb. The “half inch” refers to the exact tolerance during design and testing—any deviation was strictly limited because in high RF conditions every bit counts. In a low RF setting, the difference is negligible.