In most instances where structured cabling is installed, it will need to be certified. This certification will test your structured cabling and ensure that the cabling has been installed correctly and is working properly. If you want to learn more about getting your cabling certified, keep reading.
Methods of Ethernet Certification Testing
There are two ways to test twisted 4-pair Ethernet cables.
The Quick and Inexpensive Way
The easiest way to test structured cabling and have it certified is to test it using an inexpensive handheld tester and a remote. This method will not produce documentable results, but it will test for cable lengths and correct terminations, such as the 568A and 568B wire-mapping schemes. In other words, the process confirms the physical connections have been done correctly but doesn’t test for additional details.
The More Detailed Approach
If you want to have your structured cabling certified, it’s generally recommended to do a more detailed approach. The detailed approach to certifying structured cabling entails using Penta Scanners or a similar certification testing tool. This type of test measures cable pair length, continuity, noise, and wire mapping. For each area of testing, the devices will provide a pass or fail result. You can save your results and download them on a PC.
Why is Certification Important?
Prevents Problems
Getting your structured cabling certified is the easiest way to prevent problems. It’s insurance against future problems and losing out on productivity, revenue, and customer satisfaction. Without getting your structured cabling certified, repairs will need to be done on a live network or a network that is suffering from an outage.
Product Warranties are Limited
Structured cabling manufacturers provide warranties for their products. However, these warranties are not applicable to final installation. The quality of cable installation is primarily in the hands of the installers. The only way to assure that the installer quality meets standards is through certification testing.
It Future-Proofs the Infrastructure
Chances are, you want your business to grow. With the right infrastructure in place, it’s not hard to expand your network capabilities as your business grows. A re-certified cabling plant may prove to support higher-speed traffic that is deployed years after the initial installation. Certification is important for future-proofing your structured cabling because it will ensure that your equipment is ready to support higher speeds and capabilities in the future.
Let Blue Star technologies Certify Your Cabling
The structured cabling experts at Blue Star Technologies are here to help you certify your cabling. We’ll ensure that everything is working properly and that your infrastructure is ready to tackle anything you throw at it. Give us a call today at 410-675-5777 to get started.