Hardware and Software Networking Tools

Question 1

Cable crimper

Answer 1

• ”Pinch” the connector onto the wire
• The final step of a cable installation
• Metal prongs push through insulation

Question 2

Cable tester

Answer 2

• Continuity testing
• Identify missing pins, crossed wires
• Not used for advanced testing

Question 3

Punch-down Tool

Answer 3

• Forces wire into a wiring block

* Trims the wires and breaks the insulation

Question 4

TDR / OTDR

Answer 4

• (Optical) Time Domain Reflectometer
• Estimate fiber lengths, measure signal loss, determine light reflection, create wire maps
• May require additional training

Question 5

Light meter

Answer 5

• Send a light from one side

* Measure the light power on the other

Question 6

Toner Probe

Answer 6

• Puts an analog sound on the wire

* Inductive probe doesn’t need to touch the copper

Question 7

Loopback plug

Answer 7

• Useful for testing physical ports
• Serial, Ethernet, T1, fiber
• These are not crossover cables

Question 8

Multimeter

Answer 8

• AC/DC voltages

* Continuity, wire mapping

Question 9

Spectrum analyzer

Answer 9

• View the frequency spectrum

* Identify frequency conflicts

Question 10

Protocol analyzer

Answer 10

• Capture and display network traffic

* Use a physical tap or redirect on the switch

Question 11

Network / port scanner

Answer 11

• Scan for open ports and IP addresses
• Visually map the network
• Rogue system detection

Question 12

Wireless packet analysis

Answer 12

• View wireless information

* Signal-to-noise ratio, channel information, etc.

Question 13

Speed test sites

Answer 13

• Bandwidth testing
• Pre- and post-change analysis
• Not all sites are the same