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Difficulty: EasyUtilizing Hardware Testers and Packet Analyzers

A network technician is troubleshooting an Ethernet connection in an office building and suspects that an unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable run inside a wall has been physically severed. Which hardware tool should the technician use to determine the exact distance along the cable to the location of the break?

  1. Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR)Answer
  2. B
    Cable continuity tester
  3. C
    Tone generator and probe kit
  4. D
    Multimeter

Answer

Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR)
The correct tool is a Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR). TDRs send electrical pulses along copper conductors and analyze the reflected waveforms to determine the distance to opens, shorts, or impedance mismatches.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary requirement of the scenario
The technician needs to locate the specific physical location (distance) of a cable break in a UTP run.
Knowing that a cable is broken is insufficient; locating the distance pinpoints where the cable run needs repair.
2
Evaluate the capabilities of network testing tools
A Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) transmits a signal down a copper cable and calculates distance based on the time it takes for the signal to bounce back from an impedance mismatch or open wire.
TDR technology specifically measures signal reflection time to estimate distance to faults.

Key Concept

Using Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) to pinpoint cable fault locations.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Utilizing Hardware Testers and Packet Analyzers

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