After making a long CAT5 cable, the technician fears that the cable may have been damaged during the pull, but does not have a cable tester. Which of the following would be the BEST alternative tool…

The correct answer is A. Multimeter. A multimeter can test cable continuity by measuring resistance across each conductor pair. An open circuit (infinite resistance) indicates a break, while unexpectedly low resistance between separate conductors indicates a short. This makes it a practical substitute for a…

Hardware and network troubleshooting

Question

After making a long CAT5 cable, the technician fears that the cable may have been damaged during the pull, but does not have a cable tester. Which of the following would be the BEST alternative tool to determine whether there are any breaks or shorts in the cable?

Options

AMultimeter
BVoltmeter
CLoopback plug
DPunchdown tool

How the community answered

(63 responses)

A
70% (44)
B
5% (3)
C
8% (5)
D
17% (11)

Explanation

A multimeter can test cable continuity by measuring resistance across each conductor pair. An open circuit (infinite resistance) indicates a break, while unexpectedly low resistance between separate conductors indicates a short. This makes it a practical substitute for a dedicated cable tester. A voltmeter (B) only measures voltage and lacks the continuity/resistance testing modes needed for this purpose. A loopback plug (C) tests network interface ports, not physical cable integrity. A punchdown tool (D) is used to terminate cables into patch panels or keystone jacks and has no diagnostic capability.

Topics

#multimeter#cable testing#CAT5#continuity testing

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