Pockethernet Smartphone based Ethernet cable tester

[thiggins]

The creator pinged me about the product. Looks like a lot of features for under $200.

 

[BeachBum]

Are you going to review this product? I'd be interested...

 

[sfx2000]

@200 euros - this is more of a pro-tool inside the data center... the 1Gbe limit might be a problem there.

It's a cool device... I get it, but I'm not so sure, as I already have Ethernet cable testers in my computer bag...

 

[pockethernet]

Thanks for posting Tim. We'd be happy to provide a device for review. If anybody has any questions about it before, let us know.

Here's the feature list of what the current device is able to do:

• Wiremap including shield
• TDR-based, single ended length measurement and fault locating
• Voltage detection
• PoE supply detection
• Cable toner with customizable tones
• Bit error rate test (10/100/1000)
• Port blinker
• Link speed and duplex identification (10/100/1000)
• Link establishment test (10/100/1000)
• DHCP, DNS, Ping (10/100)
• Traffic detection (10/100)
• PDF report generation
• Send report via email
• Outgoing VLAN tag
• Ping with IP resolution
• DHCP details
• CDP/LLDP
• Graphical TDR

If you want to have a look what a report looks like, we've put up an example report here: http://pockethernet.com/example_pockethernet_report.pdf

 

[sfx2000]

Thanks for posting Tim. We'd be happy to provide a device for review. If anybody has any questions about it before, let us know.

Neat product - any chances of using a backend to collect reports?

 

[pockethernet]

Neat product - any chances of using a backend to collect reports?

Thanks! We're planning on adding JSON support in one of the next updates.

 

[System Error Message]

technically most of this can be done directly through android phones if you use an adapter, its a lot cheaper and the only thing that cant be done is POE testing. Since android devices can have usb3 ports (my tablet has usb3), by using an adapter you can test gigabit ethernet cheaply. The only issue however are drivers.

For those doing cable installations however, its a much more modern alternative than the old cable testers. Can this be used to properly test CAT specification?

 

[Cloud200]

technically most of this can be done directly through android phones if you use an adapter, its a lot cheaper and the only thing that cant be done is POE testing. Since android devices can have usb3 ports (my tablet has usb3), by using an adapter you can test gigabit ethernet cheaply. The only issue however are drivers.

For those doing cable installations however, its a much more modern alternative than the old cable testers. Can this be used to properly test CAT specification?

There are 3 different main types of cable testers;
Validator; only shows absolute connections without testing eg. pins 1/2 are crossed.
Qualifier; Same as validator but adds a data test commonly known as a BERT.
Certifier; certifies the cable to ASNI/TIA/EIA/ISO specs. Testing is done in a frequency range and far more thorough.

This product is a qualifier.

 

[sfx2000]

More I think about this tool - the more I like it...

One of the nice user stories for a tool like this is the independent IT/Network consultant that manages multiple small business sites - if one has to do on-site debug/troubleshooting, something like this tool here is very useful and a great little time-saver - using this along with the basic validator tools, something like this should be in the kit-bag...

Since it's android based - can use this, along with a Android handset with dual-band RF (@Cloud200 - possible development opportunity here) one can check both wired and wireless connectivity...

 

[superjet]

was waiting for a decent review of this thing. OOS though Definitely will be getting one to throw in the network bag

 

[System Error Message]

i guess for someone like me who already has tools and can make electronic circuits i just dont see the point. I have my own decent oscilloscope and i can make signal generators as well (premade ones cost loads).

My real complaint was mainly the price, its still cheaper than a decent. not economy oscilloscope and you dont need the expertise to interpret the results i guess.

 

[sfx2000]

i guess for someone like me who already has tools and can make electronic circuits i just dont see the point. I have my own decent oscilloscope and i can make signal generators as well (premade ones cost loads).

I could do the same - but it'd be more involved with regards to time/effort, and money to build a board to do this (along with validating that the design works)

My real complaint was mainly the price, its still cheaper than a decent. not economy oscilloscope and you dont need the expertise to interpret the results i guess.

I like that it's already done - and the price is very reasonable for what one would get capability wise...

 

[System Error Message]

I could do the same - but it'd be more involved with regards to time/effort, and money to build a board to do this (along with validating that the design works)



I like that it's already done - and the price is very reasonable for what one would get capability wise...

I just saw the price again and it seems reasonable, i forgot it was below $200. For below $200 i think its good with the software involved. The price is pretty much at the edge of what i consider reasonable. in the UK/EU however it is priced a lot more because of tax. Usually test equipment is priced very high.

I think my gripe is just it can only be used for 1 thing only. If it can say how much bandwidth the cable supports that would be handy too if you need every bit that gigabit ethernet can give.

 

[trek_520]

Has there been any update on the VLAN issue - this is a big one for me.

 

[thiggins]

Has there been any update on the VLAN issue - this is a big one for me.

Check directly with the maker.

 

[dougsk]

Has there been any update on the VLAN issue - this is a big one for me.

There is post about this where they indicate it will be fixed in the latest firmware version. That post was January 29th. There is firmware that was released on 2017-Mar-10, after the review was posted on 2017-Feb-27. The change log there doesn't indicate that it was fixed.

I currently use DHCP Test Client with a NIC that supports vlans to do that sort of testing. One thing I noticed while checking out the forums over there concerns PocketEthernet failing to play well with Spanning Tree.