I moved into a house with an automation system. The previous owner had ran extra cables from the attic down to the basement. I now need to use some of these cables. I had a guy here doing some work months back and he had some tool that he would clip on the wire and then go down to the basement where the wires ended and touch around with another tool till it started beeping and he knew that was the end to the wire he had clipped up stairs. Does anyone know what the name of this tool is? Or is there some better tool that I can use? I have a bunch of CAT5 cables that Im trying to find the beginning and ends of.
tool to locate wires? Help!
- Thread starter dssguy99
- Start date
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
Neurorad
Senior Member
Why wouldn't that work?
Are the cables terminated, i.e. do they have connectors on the ends?
I use an Ideal brand of this type of device, for terminated cables:
It doesn't beep, but lights up. You connect a cable to the smaller of the 2 devices, and then at the other cable end, you plug in cables until you find the right one.
The advantage of the one linked above is that it could be used for multiple cable types.
Are the cables terminated, i.e. do they have connectors on the ends?
I use an Ideal brand of this type of device, for terminated cables:
It doesn't beep, but lights up. You connect a cable to the smaller of the 2 devices, and then at the other cable end, you plug in cables until you find the right one.
The advantage of the one linked above is that it could be used for multiple cable types.
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
I've been using 'that' one for over eight years. Even dropped it many times.dssguy99 said:
But, see what others recommend and use... There are a lot of different types out there.
One note, I do 'wand' the end of the cables and don't attempt to detect through the insulation (especially on quad shielded coax).
There may be more expensive brands that are a lot more sensitive.
It's typically called a "toner". Here's what most of the guys I work with use: http://www.greenlee.com/products/BASIC-TONE-%2540and-PROBE-KIT-(601K-%2540dG)-(CLAM).html?product_id=19493dssguy99 said:
Cheers
Al
drvnbysound
Senior Member
If the cables are not terminated, you can also use a multimeter with the continuity function - twist a pair of the conductors together on one end and check for continuity on the other end.
I have a Fluke Pro3000 that I really like. You can often find them on eBay for $40 to $50.
W
WalterRazo
Guest
To determine exactly where the wires are, you'll need to look for the outlet that each wire connects to. Also, you'll need to figure out its circuit breaker. There are wide range of tools you can use like circuit or wire tracers.
tmbrown97
Senior Member
The common tone/probes come in all sorts of brands but they're the same from what I can tell. The one I use a lot is a slight variation of the greenlee above but with a different toner - it lets me plug an RJ45 in and clip on whatever pair I want - which can be handy at times. This is the one. - I have more than one since I have the little 2-prong one as well but haven't seen the toner in years.
That said my lifesaver that's with me everywhere I go is quite a bit more costly but has saved me SO much time it's paid for itself... it's the CableIQ - and it can do anything/everything from detecting LAN, qualifying, testing signal strength on coax, finding the fault and telling you where it is, tone/probe, wiremap, etc.
As you can see they range from $30 to $2K+ - so depending on what you need to do and how often you can decide what it's worth.
Just recently I inherited a commercial space where the wiring is literally the worst I've seen in my entire career - like worse than I could imagine a person could do things - where it's more work fixing their screw ups than if I'd had to run everything myself. The good tools have been invaluable.
That said my lifesaver that's with me everywhere I go is quite a bit more costly but has saved me SO much time it's paid for itself... it's the CableIQ - and it can do anything/everything from detecting LAN, qualifying, testing signal strength on coax, finding the fault and telling you where it is, tone/probe, wiremap, etc.
As you can see they range from $30 to $2K+ - so depending on what you need to do and how often you can decide what it's worth.
Just recently I inherited a commercial space where the wiring is literally the worst I've seen in my entire career - like worse than I could imagine a person could do things - where it's more work fixing their screw ups than if I'd had to run everything myself. The good tools have been invaluable.
bucko
Active Member
I use this ALL THE TIME. Works great and can do a lot of testing/tracing for under $60.
http://www.amazon.com/NOYAFA-NF-8208-Display-Network-Tracker/dp/B00F5W9MJI
http://www.amazon.com/NOYAFA-NF-8208-Display-Network-Tracker/dp/B00F5W9MJI
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