Reddit mentions of Fluke Networks MS2-100 MicroScanner2 Copper Cable Verifier with Built-In IntelliTone Toning, Troubleshoots RJ11, RJ45, Coax, Tests 10/100/1000Base-T, and Voip

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-MS2-100-Cable-Tester/dp/B000QJ3G42?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_2

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Anything from Fluke will work for ages

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-MS2-100-MicroScanner2-Network/dp/B000QJ3G42


https://www.amazon.com/NETSCOUT-LSPRNTR-100-LinkSprinter-Network-Tester/dp/B00I5CKF3M

I don't generally see bad cables creating 'occasional network problems' either it works or it doesn't. I've dealt with bad patch panels that caused degraded connectivity where 1Gb devices would only connect at 10/100Mb. A decent tester can check cable distances and pair connectivity - buy one and use it. The cabling may not be officially certified, but you'll be able to find issues, fix them, and verify your cabling. After that you have the equipment to continue to support cabling issues/additions.

Seems like budget is an issue, so you could use said tester to check the handmade patch cables instead of buying a bunch of new ones. The gift that keeps giving.

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-MS2-100-Cable-Tester/dp/B000QJ3G42

Reading your post I'm not 100% sure if you need something that'll test network connectivity, but I have this for my personal kit and it is a great tool: https://smile.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-MS2-100-Cable-Tester/dp/B000QJ3G42

I'd start with the cheaper $500 option and like you said if you are asked to certify the cable rent one or buy the Pocket Ethernet (sure it isn't rugged, but even a $10k tester you'll be taking good care of) and isn't going to break the bank to buy a new one if it gets broken.

I can not speak highly enough about Fluke's intellitone equipment. It's not cheap, but it is well worth the price. The basic kit starts at about $160
(Amazon Link)

One of the reasons I really like the Intellitone is it is digital instead of analog. This means it won't pick up interference from near by florescent lights or network chatter from other cables. With the Cisco equipment, you can also tone "live" cables plugged into a switch, which is HUGELY useful when the guy before you didn't leave any documentation.

If you have the money (or an employer to pay for it), the Microscanner is a nice entry level tester which will also work with the intellitone wand. It is a little pricey starting at about $400 (Amazon Link)

Whatever tester you get, make sure it can do TDR. Knowing the length of a cable in the wall is incredibly useful for tracking down the other end.

The only rule I have for crimper's is make sure they are ratcheting. After crimping 20-30 ends in a row, your hands will get tired and you won't always make proper crimps unless you have the ratchet to make sure. A padded handle also helps. The Ratchet Telemaster (Amazon Link) has served me well for many years. Also, if you turn them upside down and look at the red plastic guard, it looks like a face chomping the cable when you trim the ends, which to this day still cracks me up.

Why couldn't you say 100% that your cable was working? Get one of these if you don't have one or equivalent.

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-MS2-100-MicroScanner2-Verifier/dp/B000QJ3G42

plenty of people have already brought up CDP and LLDP, which are ways that certain networking devices can advertise themselves to their neighbors, and can be really helpful...


Another helpful command is "sh mac-address table". That'll give you a list of all the mac addresses that switch has seen "recently" (I forget the actual timeout), and on what port. More than one mac address showing up on a port means exactly that. Several devices connected by a switch or hub are accessible via that port.


If you need to track down a particular cable and you don't have access to a toner or other helpful tool, then:

on a windows PC:


ipconfig /all


note the MAC (physical address)


on the switch


sh mac-address table | inc XXYY


XXYY being the last 4 digits of the physical address.

I will write up some more specific feedback because I am interested in seeing the Pockethernet get better, and thanks for telling me about long-pressing the measure button.

To be clear though, I wasn't comparing the Pockethernet to the AT 2000. I was comparing it to the Fluke MicroScanner 2 for $440 which I own, and the T3 Net Prowler for $730, which I might have purchased instead of the Pockethernet.

Hardware criticisms:

Make sure all internal connectors are fully seated. My battery came unplugged. Make sure that the plexiglass protection film is removed. And at least in my case, the plastic on the wiremap/loopback tester is so loose that I had to take it off to use the tester.

App Bugs (iPhone):

I experience frequent crashes. Usually it seems when I leave and return to the app, or when I save results to Dropbox using the "Send" feature. This has persisted from an iPhone 6s Plus, to a brand new installation on a brand new iPhone X.

There is also a bug where the bottom half of the app disappears, or becomes covered in a white rectangle, and I am no longer able to scroll. This might be from the app trying to hide itself where the keybaord appears. Only way to fix is to quit and relaunch the app. Very frustrating.

App Workflow:

App flow should probably be like this: First HOME screen is a grid of icons for PRESET TESTS and an icon for a CUSTOM TEST. PRESET TESTS should be user-defined groups of frequently run tests. They should be icons, because that way more fit on the screen. Clicking on a PRESET TEST should take you to the RESULTS screen.

The RESULTS screen should only show the test results of the tests you just ran. It should have some persistent icons at the bottom of the page, that include a couple of selectable PRESET tests, as well as RETEST, CUSTOM, and HOME. This will make it easy to always quickly run a test.

The RESULTS screen should have the option to save results to a DATABASE. Often I will run additional tests for an outlet in the future, and I want the ability to EXPORT all of the tests from one outlet together, not have a separate PDF for each group of tests I ran on each outlet. The PDF export should only show the results of tests that were run.

If you instead clicked CUSTOM TEST on the HOME screen, you should be taken to a grid of icons with all possible tests. Check your desired test icons, click TEST, and be taken to the same RESULTS page as before.

There should be an interface for viewing the test results in the database, and deleting of specific tests for specific outlets.

This would make the Pockethernet interface much closer to Fluke's, Ideal's, and T3's interfaces, and much more useful.

Thanks!

Yes there is, but you could probably just buy a new cable if you think yours is bad.

You can check for symptoms though. Is it able to negotiate at 1gbps properly? Are there any network errors being logged in the OS? (No clue where these are found in Windows, maybe under the network settings)

The MicroScanner^2 (like its predecessor) is an excellent tool. However, I recommend just buying the tool itself (w/carrying case), not the entire kit.

The kit you linked includes an inductive amplifier (tone probe), numbered terminators (for identifying multiple drops simultaneously), and some miscellaneous cables. These are nice to have but definitely not worth an extra $300. The only critical component is the inductive amp, and you can find a very decent one at a much more reasonable price.