Testing and Documentation
Testing and documentation prove the installation and protect the warranty. Start with visual inspection and labeling, then perform the tests required by the design and standard. A basic tester may verify continuity and wire map; a certification tester measures length, insertion loss, NEXT, return loss, ACR-F, propagation delay, and delay skew. Know permanent link versus channel: the permanent link is the installed cabling without equipment cords; the channel includes patch cords. A common rule is 90 m permanent link plus up to 10 m of patch cords within a 100 m channel, subject to the standard and design. Configure the tester for the correct test limit, cable category, and link type, use good reference cords, and calibrate or verify as required.
Save and export results; do not hand-write pass without data. Documentation includes labeling schedules, as-builts, test reports, and records of changes.
Traps: certifying with a continuity tester, testing through the wrong adapter, leaving tester patch cords in the permanent-link measurement, ignoring marginal pass results, and failing to label both ends.
Worked example: if a channel reports 105 m, suspect excess slack or a wrong route; do not simply shorten the patch cord without checking the permanent link. Rule: test to the designed limit, save the result, and label before leaving.