1. Can you tell me where I can find a list of test facilities that can certify that a CAT 6 cable tester complies to TIA-568?
Testing facilities such as UL and Intertek/ETL SEMKO provide assessment services for various products. Typically the tester manufacturer participates in a program with one or more of these facilities. These services are much wider in scope than simply verifying the accuracy and calibration of a particular testing device. For more information on calibration services you should refer to the technical documentation accompanying your tester.
2. When Category 6 systems are being installed, do the standards encourage both channel and permanent testing? I have heard that channel testing has been taken out of the CAT 6 standard. Is this true?
No, CAT 6 channel testing is still in the standard. There is nothing to preclude you from doing this in the standards. There may be issues relating to the installation, bend radius of the cable, etc., but these can be overcome with the correct design of back box, etc.
3. Why do field tester manufacturers offer many different link adapters if everyone meets the standard?
This was an interim solution while the standard was still being developed and the interoperability requirements were not yet established. It is likely that soon one or more adapters will work for testing of cabling from all vendors.
4. Would you get passing test results if you used a link adapter not recommended by a manufacturer?
You should expect to get passing results if both the link adapter interface and the mating jack that is part of the link are both compliant to Category 6 requirements. Consult the manufacturer for specific warranty provisions that may be applicable.
5. I just installed a Category 6 system and tried to certify the channel with "field tester A" and it failed. Then my other technician brought our "field tester B" to the site and the channel passed. Why am I getting such different results between testers?
This is a difficult question to answer from a general standpoint. There may be a calibration problem or adapter problem with field tester A for example. It may be also instructive to look at the detailed results for the test. It may be that the channel configuration is just barely passing with tester B and just barely failing with tester A. All test equipment has a finite level of accuracy and repeatability. These levels are stated in the tester documentation. Also with CAT 6 cabling, the magnitude of many parameters being measured is much lower than that of Cat 5e. The measurement frequency range is also much wider. So while it may appear that two testers have greatly different results (in dB), the total difference may be less than the Level III accuracy requirements. To cover this issue in detail is beyond the scope of this document and requires a working understanding of measurement scales (dB vs mV/V).
