Toning out a active data drop

[NMCabledog]

I run into this all the time. If I am trying to ID an active cable and put my toner on the cable the tone goes away.
I have tried different things. First using different pairs, then using only one lead from the toner. I have heard of splitting pairs but have not tried it. One other thing, if the cable is tied into a POE switch will I damage the switch if I happen to put the toner on the POE pair.
Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[mforrence]

Put tone on white of wh/bl and brown of wh/bn. If modern PoE, it only provides power once the device requests it.

 

[hawks]

what toner are you using I've had the same issues with my classic Toner I've used for years on my voice cable but on live data it goes blank. So then i went out and got the Fox & Hound and all is right with the world again.

 

[NMCabledog]

I have tried splitting the pairs, using wh/bl and brn/wh but still have the same problem. I am using the 77HP tracer and it works fine on cables not attached to a switch.
You say the fox and hound works for you, maybe I will invest in one.

 

[hawks]

Yes the 77hp is my old faithful so at least I thought. Then when i had some issues tracing data i talked to a cable guy and he told mt to try The Lan Fox. this was about 5 years ago and so far it's traced cables that my my other toner would not. now I know there's newer versions out there but so far this one has worked at least 95% of the time.

 

[NMCabledog]

Thanks for your input. I will try the fox & hound unit.

 

[curlycord]

Try putting the black alligator lead to a ground such as the screw on the outlet usually next to a jack or push it into the ground portion of the 3 prong if available.

Fluke makes a toner that not only sends a signal on all 4 pairs but it also makes the connection light on the switch alternate between on and off (flash).


=----(((((((((()----=
curlycord

http://www.curlycord.com

Toronto Canada

http://www.telcopc.ca

 

[curlycord]

Here is the one:

http://www.flukenetworks.com/datacom-cabling/copper-testing/IntelliTone-Pro-Toner-and-Probe

=----(((((((((()----=
curlycord

http://www.curlycord.com

Toronto Canada

http://www.telcopc.ca

 

[hawks]

You might want to go with curlcord's because even though I've had no problems so far the lan fox is for non-powered cables.

 

[Wishforall]

Most switches will make to tone short out. you can check this by flicking the switch to the other side it should make some kind of beep if it is shorting out.
Or you can plug a POE device or a PC on the Cable to you areting to trace get a friend to unplug it and see what light goes off on the switch.

 

[Mountainbear]

Depending on the size of the network here is my approach:
Go to the switch and notice which lights show activity. Unplug the computer/device and plug in the toner. Go back to the server room and look for a port that has gone out since any with activity can be discarded. Or unplug patch cords with no activity (one at a time) and check for signal. In a big messy IT room this is not a fun job.
I have never had a problem with damaging switches (that I know of). I usually tone on pair 4 (brn).

 

[Bell2]

You need to use a "banjo" to tone out the active cable. A banjo is a inline modular adapter that gives you access the all the conductors in the active cable. The other guys are right in saying that you will lose the tone if you connect to the active pairs. This is because the active pairs short the tone out. The easiest way to determine this is to put your tone in continuity mode and hook up to a pair. If it lights up it is showing a short and you will not hear to on the other end. Find a pair that it does not light up on and then put the tone in toning mode. Make sure you wand slowly when searching for the tone because the higher the CAT of the wire the less likely the tone will be heard.