DataShark Network Cable Tester - Cable Mapper, Check Continuity - Test Patch Cords or Installed Cable Runs

Tool is as described (continuity checker only, no performance testing), and quickly confirmed some good cables in a new installation, as well as one bad one which had been wired as 568A on one end and 568B on the other. The cable worked fine, though, since the switch was autosensing. Was a little disappointed to see the same unit at Home Depot for less money, even taking tax into account, but its still a lot easier to walk to the mailbox than it is to drive to HD.

After 4 months of use the lights have started to fail. I would not buy this product again. I would have thought with a name like greenlee it would have been of better quality.

I love this tool. If you make your own cables and do your own wiring, this is an absolutely essential tool. Its not fancy. It simply does what you need it to do, which is validate the wiring order. If you are a professional, you probably want a better, more durable tool with more features, but if you are a home user, this is all you need, and the price is right.

Picked this up because I was running into issues with some of the network cables I created. It took longer to unpack this and get the batteries installed than it did to determine I had created bad cables. This is a nice, simple, and quick testing device thats able to determine whats wrong with the cable being tested.

Awesome product. Traced my wires quickly and cheaper than having it come out. Great product for the diy’er

Get what you pay for. Bought this cheap tester cause my regular tester broke after someone dropped it. Worked fine for about a week before lights for conductors 1&2 went out. Cables tested with Southwire 400TP all passed but pins 1&2 would not light with Datashark when tested. Could only recommend for the DIY guy at home.

Cannot use it without the batteries it said it includes.

This simple tool was just what I needed to slap my diagnostic process back on track when a router went belly-up and a portion of the home network seemed to remain dark after replacing it. All I needed was a reminder that when I last thought hard about the topic, I figured I wanted CROSSOVER cables connecting house to office and router to router. More than enough time had passed for me to forget all about the distinction. (That put me back on the trail of reconfiguring the Apple AirPort using the Windows version of the administrative software, and overcoming -4 and -6375 errors; but I digress. If thats part of what youre up against, know that it can be done.) When I plugged the tester in to a wall plug at one end, and the dongle in at the other, and saw the dongles lights displaying in a scrambled sequence, it was a forehead-smacking reminder. While I was at it, I double-checked every store-bought and homemade Ethernet cable within reach, just to reduce the risk of other nuisances and surprises in the near future. Holding the tool in my lap and tugging at a suspect homemade patch cable where it entered the RJ45 connector, I was able to see how different stresses caused intermittent connectivity failures. A note for the unwary: When I first turned the tool on, I got nothing. It felt so light that at first my suspicion fell on whether or not the 9V battery had been included. The designer apparently worked in environments where lost and stolen 9V batteries are a real problem, because he elected to secure the battery compartment with a Phillips head screwdriver. After rummaging through my toolbox for that screwdriver, I was able to open the compartment and establish that the battery was in fact there. Was it so cheap it had already gone dead while the box sat on a shelf? No; it had been stuffed into the battery compartment still wrapped in cellophane. Probably a good idea, but an even better idea would have been to tell me what to expect. I had to debug the tool before I could debug my network. The tool needs few instructions, but comes with none. You wont find any more on the manufacturers website. The blurb on the box and these reviews are the most documentation youll find. It looks and feels cheap. Id much rather have a tool with some heft and a dozen or so neatly labeled ports, buttons, and LCDs, along with the manual required to understand them; something with winking and blinking lights, to impress my friends and confound my enemies. For several times the price, I could get one. To use every five years or so? Once a year, if I tell everyone I know that I have such a thing? I couldnt convince myself that would be a good investment. This saved me more than what it cost, in heartburn and wasted time. Im just lucky the electrician who helped me before retired, or I would have gotten him to come over and tell me what this tool told me, for several times as much. If the tool works the next time I need it, so much the better.

Works just like it says. Was able to test the lines as I was installing them and everything worked perfect once the computer and set top box were connected.

Our teams really like them and found them handy to have in their kits.