Cable Connectivity Common Issues

____________, There can be chances that there is no light on the network adapter or the switch. This could be that the Ethernet cable, either at the system's end or the switch's end, is faulty. You may first change the system's Ethernet cable and then see if the LED lights up. Usually, this problem is resolved by changing this cable. You may also try changing the cable at the switch's end.

Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Status Indicators, If the LED does not light up on the network adapter or the switch, there can also be other problems. It could be that the network adapter itself is faulty or a faulty port on the wall to which you are connecting the Ethernet cable. It is rare, but it could also be that the switch port is non-functional.

_____________, A physical fault usually causes a short or a short circuit in a network cable, eventually leading to downtime. To resolve this issue, you need to test the cable with a cable analyzer. It is important to find a short in a network cable because it makes the cable non-functional, leading to network downtime. As an immediate solution, you should find the fault and replace the cable.

Open/Short

When the attenuation in a cable increases, there is an evident loss of ___________. When a fiber-optic cable is spliced and joined by a connector, it adds attenuation, weakens the signals and causes decibel loss.

(dB) Decibel Loss, As the signal, over a wire, moves away from the source that generated it, it starts to attenuate. As the attenuation increases, there is an increase in the decibel loss.

______________, a fiber-optic cable reduces the signals that are traveling through it. Attenuation, which means reduction in plain English, usually occurs when cable joints or splices are connected using connectors. The more splices a fiber-optic cable has, the higher the attenuation will be.

Attenuation, It is always advisable to reduce the number of splices in a fiber-optic cable to reduce attenuation. You can use an oscilloscope or toner probe to determine the attenuation in a fiber-optic cable. It is important to note that each cable type has some inherent attenuation.

____________, Ports are where cables with connectors connect to. You have ports on a switch, router, network adapters, and any network device. It is not always true that the Ethernet cable will be faulty. Sometimes, the port on a network device can also go bad. When you suspect a port is non-functional, you should test the connectivity with another port on the network device.

Bad Ports

____________, can be a reason for a fiber network failure. The fiber cable may stop functioning, or intermittent packet losses can occur because the connector is full of dust or other particles.

Dirty Optical Cables, They need to be properly cleaned to ensure that they serve the purpose of keeping the network up and running. There are specialized kits that are available. For example, Isopropyl alcohol Micro dust spray Fiber optic wipes Microscope for checking the dust inside the connector Dry woven cloth The good thing is that these kits are inexpensive and can be mounted inside a data center. Prev

________________, When two devices are on an Ethernet network, they need to use the same mode, such as half-duplex or full-duplex. If both the devices do not use the same mode, there is a possibility of packet loss. For example, one device may run on full-duplex mode while the other may run on half-duplex mode. In such a situation, there will be constant packet loss.

Duplexing Issues, The users may not notice such an issue, but it becomes quite evident with real-time applications, which can be a voice or a video call. These applications use UDP protocol, and since half the packets are getting lost due to duplexing issues, there is performance degradation. Such an issue can be recognized if there are constant packet losses. If encountered, you may want to check for the duplexing mode.

_________, a type of error that occurs due to various reasons. EMI is generated from various sources, such as: Fluorescent lights Heavy machinery Cordless phone Microwave Power cables Electrical motors

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), Any of these entities can affect the transmission of data.

_____________, Ethernet cables have wires that need to be punched into the connector in a specific order. Branded or factory-made cables do not face this problem because they are factory designed and come already punched into the connector in the required order.

Incorrect Pinout, However, the cables that are made in-house usually have this issue. Either the wires are punched incorrectly or not punched properly into the connector, making the cable non-working.

A communication channel is used for sending communication signals. At each end of the communication channel, there are transceivers that need to be compatible with each other. If there is an incorrect transceiver at either end of the communication channel, you may see no link status. The communication channel may also show the port in a shut down state. For the communication channel to function properly, the appropriate transceivers must be configured at both ends.

Incorrect Transceivers

______________, You have the transmit (TX) wire and receive (RX) wire within an Ethernet cable. When both TX and RX are reversed, this causes an issue as the cable will not be able to send or receive data. You cannot connect two similar devices, such as two systems, without a switch. You need to use a crossover cable for system to system communication.

Transmit and Receive (TX/RX) Reversed