Troubleshooting Ethernet Problems - Testing Cables

Testing Cables
Ethernet cables can be tested easily with a specially designed cable tester. These are inexpensive
and available from most electronics stores. Cable testers check continuity, as well as proper
arrangement of the wires end-to-end. Many testers have a transmitter and receiver component, so
you can check cables where the ends are far apart.

What is a Category 5 cable?

Ethernet standards specify wire and termination standards for the various speeds of Ethernet
communications. If you have a network communicating at 100baseT rates, all your cable and
terminations must be Category 5 rated.

Cross-Over Cables
Adept provides a special Ethernet cable called a "cross-over" cable. It can be used ONLY when a
single controller is connected directly to a single PC; there can be no additional switches, hubs,
routers, etc. in the network. Remember the following:

 If there is a hub or switch in the network, you MUST NOT use cross-over cables. If
this is the case, cross-over cables will cause communication problems.
 If the controller is connected directly to a PC (no hubs or switches), you MUST use
a cross-over cable. Standard Ethernet cables will not work in this case.

Ethernet system hardware does not detect improperly used cross-over cables. Cross-over cables
correctly light the activity LEDs on the network cards and hubs/switches. The only way to tell if an
unmarked cable is a cross-over cable is to test it with a testing device similar to the one described
below.

Why do I need a cross-over cable?

A cross-over cable is useful for creating the simplest possible network. You might use this simple
network in two cases:

 You actually are connecting only a single PC and controller. The cross-over cable
allows you to skip the complexity of additional Ethernet switches or hubs.
 You are having Ethernet problems and you want to use the simplest possible
network to troubleshoot the problem.

Example Cable Tester

The following examples show the results of one type of cable tester.

The first example shows a standard cable that has passed. The transmitting unit sequentially puts
a signal on each pin, and the receiving unit displays the pin energized on the opposite end. Thus, if
the receiver shows all eight LEDs flashing in sequence, you have a good, standard cable.
The next example (see picture below) shows the results from a cross-over cable. In a cross-over
cable, pins 1 and 3 are swapped, as are pins 2 and 6. What we see in the picture is the transmitter
energizing pin 3 and the receiver indicating that pin 1 on the opposite end was energized. If any
other pairs are crossed, it indicates that a cable was improperly made.

The following example shows a broken wire or improperly made termination. The transmitter has
placed a signal on pin 6 but the receiver does not see a signal on any of the pins on the other end
of the cable.

http://www1.adept.com/main/KE/DATA/Procedures/EtherTrouble/ethernet_trouble_cables.html