Damaging ports on equipment

[fs483]

Hello,

I was wondering if wire mappers, tone generators and probes can cause damage to ports on networking equipement if they are connected together ? Let's say I would plug a tone generator to a hub (not switch), would the tone cause interference on the other ports of the hub and cause data packet loss/collisions ? Or even worse damage the ports ?

Thanks
bootleg

 

[franklin97355]

Most tones talk on pins 4 and 5 which hubs don't use but depending on the equipment, they could cause trouble or damage. It's best not to have equipment connected to devices not specifically designed to work with active circuits.

 

[DToolsDesigner]

If you are dealing with a gigabit network, yes...since gigabit uses all 4 pairs.
Also, the tone put out by most tone generators easily couples (crosstalk) onto adjacent pairs, so you really shouldn't connect a tone generator to a live network. That is data, as for phone systems, it varies, but again, not a good idea.

Some of the better wire mappers will display a message of some sort, depending on make, that will alert you to a live connection on a hub or switch.

This is one (of many) BIG advantage fiber has over copper, you can identify a live fiber without ever disconnecting anything.

With proper documentation you should never need to use a toner on a terminated line.