A technician is tasked with finding and labeling where a network connection terminates in a patch panel. Which of the following tools would be BEST for the technician to use?

An Ethernet cable tester verifies continuity and wiring order but cannot trace or locate where a cable terminates in a remote panel.

A tone generator is placed on one end of the cable run, and the inductive probe is swept along patch panel ports to detect the audible tone, positively identifying the termination point without requiring both ends to be accessible simultaneously. This is the industry-standard method for cable tracing and labeling in structured cabling environments. No other tool in the list provides the ability to trace an unidentified cable path through walls or conduit to a remote panel.

An RJ-45 loopback plug is used to test NIC functionality and port connectivity, not to trace cable paths.

A punchdown tool is used to terminate wire pairs into patch panel or keystone jack contacts, not to identify or trace existing cable runs.