Can you test ethernet cable without having to terminate with plugs?

[markharro]

I am installing CAT5e and CAT6 in the house now and want to make sure I have kinked the cable/broken any connectors etc before the walls are boarded. I have a testing gadget but this requires you to terminate the cable at each end with a plug which is tediously slow and also means that I probably waste 2 plugs as I won't know the exact lengths of cable required at each end until the 2nd fix. How do people do this? thanks

[jayc89]

Without terminating the ends it's pretty hard to test. RJ45 ends cost pennies, well worth it for the peace of mind. 

[ProDave]

You could test each core with a multimeter but that is probably just as tedious as crimping a plug on.  The plugs are pence each so just crimp a plug on and use the tester you have.

[Tetrarch]

27 minutes ago, markharro said:

I am installing CAT5e and CAT6 in the house now and want to make sure I have kinked the cable/broken any connectors etc before the walls are boarded. I have a testing gadget but this requires you to terminate the cable at each end with a plug which is tediously slow and also means that I probably waste 2 plugs as I won't know the exact lengths of cable required at each end until the 2nd fix. How do people do this? thanks

 

You could terminate in a socket with an off-the-shelf cable and the remove the wires if you want to avoid "wasting" a plug

 

Regards

 

Tet

Edited September 19, 2023 by Tetrarch

[markharro]

1 hour ago, Tetrarch said:

You could terminate in a socket with an off-the-shelf cable and the remove the wires if you want to avoid "wasting" a plug

Hi do you mean by "socket" the female housing that you would normally fit to the wall box? The thing you push the wires into with the push down tool? Do that on each end then plug in 2 ready made cables and test each end of those? If so that's maybe an idea. How easy is it to pull out the wires though from these sockets without damaging them?

 

I know the plugs are cheap but I dislike wasting things.

[TonyT]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Matters-Through-Stranded-Connectors/dp/B07PXMN2VK/ref=asc_df_B07PXMN2VK/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=428049212105&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16718566285061275566&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046861&hvtargid=pla-817111770228&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=99265839083&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=428049212105&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16718566285061275566&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046861&hvtargid=pla-817111770228

 

stick these on all the cables, your basic tester is only checking continuity and polarity, but well worth the effort before it gets too late

 

 

[TonyT]

Pass through are the easiest to terminate as you push extra into the plug int the right sequence and the crimped cuts the conductor flush as it’s crimped.

[FuerteStu]

16 minutes ago, markharro said:

 

I know the plugs are cheap but I dislike wasting things.

If you use the modules/faceplate that you're intending to 2nd fix with, there's no wastage! 

 

You can just disconnect and then reconnect properly at a later date

[FuerteStu]

Also top tip.. 

 

If you've wired it in Double points (two ports in a face plate). You can use a patch cable between them and test back at the panel