Last month, I wrote a small piece about the Byte Brothers Real World Certifier and spoke of its features and benefits. Today I will be expanding on this product by discussing a kit produced by Byte Brothers that packages the Real World Certifier and their Power Panel CAT5/6 DVM Tester, the CPK1000IL. To recap the Real World Certifier, it can perform speed tests, perform cable length, and analyze a cable to give information about splits, faults, opens and shorts on the entire cable and its individual pairs.

      The Power Panel POE1000IL is a great buddy device that can scan cables and detect the presence of Network Devices, Phone, and power. The IL indicates that it is an In-Line model, which means you can connect the Power Panel in between the device you are testing, and the switch or hub it is attached too. This feature allows you to test the camera or VOIP phone while it is being powered!

      Here is a brief summary of what the Power Panel can do. When you plug a cable into the Power Panel, it will automatically illuminate an LED that shows if it is a Network Device, a Phone, or if it is a PoE device. Then you can switch screens to see what pairs the cable is running on and also what speeds the device is rated to run in. It will also show if the cable is a Half-Duplex or Full-Duplex. When the screen is set to PoE mode it will give you the Voltage that the device is receiving as well as the Wattage that it is currently drawing. You can also hit the force link button to send pulses that simulate a VOIP phone or camera to get the network to communicate with you.

      With more and more devices being powered off of Hubs and Switches, it really is a no brainer to pick up the CPK1000 Kit. It will save you about $45 over buying the Real World Certifier and the Power Panel separately.

Cheers and Happy Testing

--Sam McFadden--