DataShark PA70025 Network Cable Tester | Cable Mapper, Check Continuity | LAN (RJ45) & Telephone (RJ11 RJ12 RJ14) | Test Patch Cords or Installed Cable Runs

My apartment is wired for multi-room internet access, but it just wouldn't work. I suspected either I had a bad cable in the mix, or the wiring of the jacks was hosed.So I picked up this tool to find out what the problem was. More on that in a minute.The device comes with a transmitter/receiver (one unit), a smaller receiver, two patch cords and a 9v battery.If you just want to do a quick cable check you can just use the main unit, plug one end into the output, the other into the input and turn it on.It will cycle through all 8 wires, and then repeat until you turn it off. This is very important if you want to put the transmitter in one area and use the small receiver in another. It has a slow speed and a fast speed.You can also test a cable by plugging one end into the output of the main unit and plugging the other end into the small receiver. Same principle - lights are sequentially lit in order from 1 to 8, and you very that the receiver lights come on in the same order.The patch coords are used if you want to check out a network jack. You plug the cord in the transmitter and then into the jack. You can use the other patch coord the same way on the other end of your jack. Easy peasy.So back to my problem. Using this device I found that the wiring in my jack had 2 wires crossed and one wire disconnected. I opened up the outlet, switched the wires and seated the other, and all was good! I now have direct internet access throughout the apartment without having to use wireless. This is important for my DVR video streaming, and works perfectly.Very glad I ordered this unit. In 10 minutes I had my problem solved. Definitely an essential tool to have in the kit.

I have a long ethernet run (50+ feet of cable) that lets me run 1 gig download in a workplace for many devices with a simple splitter. It worked well for a long time and the a year ago it stopped working. So I ran a large part of the cable again but it still didn't work reliably. Then I put the datashark on the cable to see if the cable had electronic integrity on all 8 component wires. The lights showed all 8 sub wires were working. I probably shouldn't have done it but at one stage I even had the DataShark feeding the 8 bit pattern directly to my Comcast router. And after that the 1 gig download hard wired ethernet download started working again. So from what I can see my DataShark woke up my comcast router and made it work again. Does anyone think that's possible?

Pro's...1. Works as advertised. It's not a sophisticated device with many features, but as a relatively low cost device it does serve its limited purpose well and reliably for small jobs. For example, it identified a short on a self-made jumper cable (I had pulled the twists too close to the point where the RJ45 connector housing clamps down on the wires, resulting in two wires being smashed together.) I rated this product 4-stars, not 5, because I feel it's a tad overpriced.2. Takes a 9-volt battery. (I'm so tired of AAA batteries.)Cons...1. The storage case has neither room or separate compartment for the two short testing cables.2. The 9v battery connector is the kind that clamps on (they're a pain to deal with when you prefer to store devices with batteries removed) rather than spring tensioned contact plates.3. The silicone port covers don't attach to the device in any way so they'll all be lost in short order.Note: 4-stars for the product but 2-stars for my particular purchase...I purchased this from Amazon as a used item (at reduced price, of course.) It arrived in original packaging and in excellent condition, however, the two short cables were missing (so I made my own), the 9v battery was already installed, and one of the port covers was missing.

This device is well made and has worked reliably for me. Before buying it I read reviews of some other devices available and saw a lot of complaints about cheap construction and unreliable operation. I haven't run into any such problems with this Paladin unit. It appears to be pretty robust and not likely to break or fall apart.I particularly like the fact that you can use this on a long run with the remote receiver unit. It's a very simple test -- just watch the lights and make sure they are going in forward order (1 through 8) and not jumping around. It's much better than having to plug the Ethernet cable into a live data circuit and see whether it works.

My home network has grown into two wireless routers, two switches, three DVRs, an Xbox, four computers... Geez, it didn't seem complex until I thought about it. I've been having occasional issues with the network, causing me to reset routers and switches, maybe try unplugging and replugging and rebooting devices... Just enough to be annoying, as it worked most of the time.I spent an hour with this simple device and loved it. It doesn't get easier; the source lights up lights 1-8 in order, and if all is well, 1-8 on the box (if a patch cable is plugged into both holes) or dongle (if checking an installed cable) will light up in sequence as well. I discovered 4 of 11 wires and jacks had issues, including a commercial cable I never would have suspected. Let's just say I now have tremendous respect for the magic boxes' ability to work even with messed up cabling; having had this network for years, I now don't know how it ever worked.Now, all is well with my network world, thanks to this device. If you're going to buy a crimper and RJ-45 blanks, your next step should be to buy this. Now, I won't even use a commercial cable without testing it with this device. It gives both great results, a tested network, and peace of mind for a reasonable price.