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International Phone: +613 9023 0189

In Australia Fax: (03) 9700 0583

International Fax: +613 9700 0583

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If you're a desktop support staffer, one of the more dreaded calls you can receive starts with "I can't see the network." It's all the worse because there are so many reasons losing the network might happen. The trick is elimination: Eliminate each possible problem one at a time—the definition of "tedious" as it pertains to the IT guy. But for those looking for a quick resolution to such problems, there are dedicated tools that are easy to use and won't break your IT budget—notably, PatchTest and LinkCheck, a couple of near-flawless little network diagnostic gadgets.

Eliminating hardware as a potential cause of your no-network problem means checking three things: The network interface in the PC, the Ethernet cable, and the wall-mounted network jack that the cable plugs into. If that doesn't do the trick, you'll also need to check the cable behind the wall jack and the corresponding switch port in the closet, but these tools can do that, too.

Mostly cables die first: They get bent and stepped on, furniture rolls over them, or people yank them out by tripping over them. The abuse can drop signal integrity enough to kill an active connection, yet the cable may look no worse for wear.

To check the wire, you can use a $500+ cable tester, but for fraction of the cost of a cable tester, the PatchTest accomplishes the same purpose. Just plug both ends of the cable into the device and you'll learn whether you have a dead wire or one capable of carrying a full 10/100 or gigabit signal. Testing the cable that runs from the wall jack to the switch requires the use of Gigabit Loopback Jack.

If the cable proves good, you need to check the network connection. The aptly named LinkCheck, another inexpensive gadget, lets you do just that. Simply plug it into either the wall jack or the PC's Ethernet connector, and you'll learn whether the port is live as well as how fast it can run. Although the device doesn't support Gigabit Ethernet, it will however identify the presence of Gigabit Ethernet as 10/100.

PatchTest™ & LinkCheck™