The Standards
The performance tests and their procedures have been defined in the ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1 standard and the ISO/IEC 11801 standard. The TIA standard defines performance in categories (Cat 3, Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6A) and the ISO defines classes (Class C, D, E, EA, F and FA). These standards define the procedure to certify that an installation meets performance criteria in a given category or class.

The significance of each category or class is the limit values of which the Pass/Fail and frequency ranges are measured: Cat 3 and Class C (no longer used) test and define communication with 16 MHz bandwidth, Cat 5e and Class D with 100 MHz bandwidth, Cat 6 and Class E up to 250 MHz, Cat6A and Class EA up to 500 MHz, Cat7 and Class F up to 600 MHZ and Cat 7A and Class FA with a frequency range through 1000 MHz.

The standards also define that data from each test result must be collected and stored in either print or electronic format for future inspection.

The Tests
Test Parameter TIA-568-B ISO 11801:2002
Wiremap Pass/Fail Pass/Fail
Propagation Delay Pass/Fail Pass/Fail
Delay Skew Pass/Fail Pass/Fail
Cable Length Pass/Fail Information only
Insertion Loss (IL) Pass/Fail Pass/Fail
Return Loss (RL) Pass/Fail (except Cat3) Pass/Fail
Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) Pass/Fail Pass/Fail
Power Sum NEXT (PSNEXT) Pass/Fail Pass/Fail
Equal-Level Far-End Crosstalk (ELFEXT) Pass/Fail Pass/Fail
Power Sum ELFEXT (PSELFEXT) Pass/Fail Pass/Fail
Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio (ACR) Information only Pass/Fail (except Class C)
Power sum ACR (PSACR) Information only Pass/Fail (except Class C)
DC Loop Resistance Pass/Fail

So if any device (including the Net Chaser) performs all the above tests and records them isn't it a certifier? Granted, some testers perform many of the above tests digitally as opposed to using analog frequencies, but isn't that what a network is supposed to do...transport data?

Last edited by Derrick; 01/14/15 10:26 AM.

www.myrandomviews
"Old phone guys never die, they just get locked in some closet with an old phone system and forgotten about"

Retired, taking photographs and hoping to fly one of my many kites.