Is your internet not working? Why is it so hard to figure out where the problem is? Whether you’ve traced the cable or not, here are some quick and easy ways to find out if the problem is with the cable.
Cable tracing can be a daunting task for many, especially if you don’t have a tester on hand. However, there are some simple ways to narrow down which section of the line may be faulty. Here at CableTrac, we’re going to show you how easy and cheap it can be to trace your Ethernet cable without a tester.
Where to start
The first thing you want to do is figure out where the problem may be. Is it your computer? Check your internet browser. Is the modem not working? Plug in a different device and see if it works. You may need to replace an Ethernet cable that’s lost its connection, or you might have a faulty outlet.
Next, we’re going to look for signs of loose connections and damaged cables. To find these, we’re going to start at the end of the line and work our way back towards the source. If you don’t know what type of Ethernet cable you have, here’s how to tell:
-Copper Ethernet cables will be wrapped with a green plastic casing
-Fiber optic Ethernet cables will be wrapped with an orange plastic casing.
-If the cable has a blue stripe at its jacket and contains small metal lines inside, then it’s an optical fiber or TOSLINK fiber optic cable
Once you know which type of Ethernet cable you have, we’ll show you some easy ways to find your problem!
Testing the cable
First, you want to test the cable. To do this, plug one end of the Ethernet cable into the modem and the other end into a laptop or computer.
The next step is to open your command prompt and type “ping 192.168.1.1” without quotes and hit enter on your keyboard.
If the ping fails, it means there is no connection between your computer and the modem. If it does work, you should see a list of IP addresses that represent devices connected to your network.
Now that we know there is a connection, you can use IP config or ipconfig in your command prompt to get more information about your device’s unique IP address and MAC address (the numbers assigned to each device by an ISP). This will help us narrow down which section of the line may be faulty if you have a complete wiring diagram in front of you.
But what if you don’t? You can also try going online with a different browser or computer in order to see if there is a difference in internet speed or connection quality when transferring data from point A to point B. If there is, then this could mean that there is a problem with your network card/router/modem/wireless router or some other piece of networking equipment.
Using a laptop and an Ethernet cable
One of the easiest ways to trace your cable without a tester is by using a laptop and an Ethernet cable. Simply plug in one end of the cable to your laptop and the other end into your modem, and then follow these steps:
1) Power on your laptop
2) Open up your web browser
3) Visit www.google.com
4) Enter keywords related to the problem you’re experiencing
5) If you’re trying to diagnose a connection issue, enter “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TZ2VZnXatk&t=1m10s” into the search bar and hit enter
6) Click play on YouTube
7) Observe whether or not videos are loading properly
The old way – the foot method
1. Unplug the Ethernet cable from both ends.
2. Measure how long it is and put a mark at both ends (A and B).
3. Put your foot on A and pull B firmly to see if you can feel any tension. If there is no tension, the problem might be between A and B; if you feel tension, then the problem might be before or after B.
4. Continue this process until you find out where the problem is.
Conclusion
The Ethernet cable can be one of the most frustrating things to troubleshoot. It doesn’t always work and sometimes you can’t even find out what’s wrong. If you’ve followed the steps in this article and still can’t find the issue, it might be time to call an electrician.
