Net Chaser™ TM USER MANUAL www.platinumtools.
Table of Contents Introduction.........................................................................................4 Kit Contents....................................................................................... 5 Optional Accessories......................................................................... 6 Safety Information............................................................................. 7 Net Chaser Description......................................................................
Port Discovery.................................................................................. 32 POE Test.......................................................................................... 32 Tone................................................................................................ 32 Link Light........................................................................................ 33 BERT Only Test................................................................................
Introduction The Net Chaser Ethernet Speed Certifier & Network Tester offers a complete solution to test copper cables. The Net Chaser performs speed certification to test the data-carrying capabilities of electrical Ethernet network cable up to 1 Gb/s by testing for noise in the network, detecting faults in the cable wiring, and ensuring that cables are able to support the speed capabilities of active equipment.
Net Chaser The Net Chaser comes in one kit that will cover all your needs. Part Number TNC950AR Description Net Chaser Main Unit Active Remote Power Supply (2) Network Patch Cables (2) RJ45 Port Saver Cables (2) 4GB SD Card Micro USB Cable Hanging Strap with Carabiner Clips Large Carrying Case User Manual NOTE To optimize the life of the rechargable Lithium-ion battery, please fully charge and fully exhaust the battery in the tester three times before charging the battery at mid-levels.
Optional Accessories P/N T138 TRK120 TRK220 TAK030 TAR104 TP150 TAK010 TPS120 21025C TCA015 TCA016 4007 18301 Description #1-8 Network Testing and ID Remotes #1-20 ID Only Coax Remotes (Not for RF testing) #1-20 ID Only Network Remotes (for Mapping only) Network Accessory Kit includes: (4x) 1ft.
Safety Information To ensure safe operations of the Net Chaser, follow instructions carefully and observe warning and caution messages in this manual. Failure to observe warnings can result in severe injury or death and can damage the equipment. Notification Definition Warning/caution: potential for personal injury or damage to equipment Voltage! Warning: hazards could cause harm or death Conformité Européenne.
Net Chaser Description 8
Active Remote 9
Net Chaser Buttons and Touch Screen The Net Chaser features buttons and a full color capacitive touch screen to allow for easy navigation Touch an icon to select an option Touch and drag a list to scroll up or down or touch the Up/ Down arrows The Net Chaser buttons assis with Navigation, starting and stopping a test 10
Settings - The Settings button will display the settings menu. Pressing the settings while in the settings menu will display additional menu screens. Home - The Home button will display the home screen from any menu. Back - The Back button will display the previous screen. Test - The Test button will start/stop a test. General Operations On/Off • • • Turn Net Chaser on by pressing the Power button Tap the Power button to put the Net Chaser in sleep mode.
System Settings The Net Chaser Setup consists of eight screens to configure the unit to the user’s preference. Use the Settings button to navigate through the settings screens. First System Settings Screen: IPV4 Setup In the IPV4 setup screen, the Net Chaser’s network tests can be configured to use DHCP or a Static IP addresses. The Net Chaser can also be set to use a DHCP provided DNS or a fixed DNS IP • • • • • • • • Turn the Net Chaser on by pressing the Power button .
Second Systems Settings Screen: Language/Date Format Language • Select the desired Language. Date Format • Select the desired date format: • Month/day/year or day/month/year Third Systems Settings Screen: Display Settings Length settings: • Under Display Units, touch either Feet or Meters. • Under “Standard”, touch either T568A or T568B. The touched wiring standard will be displayed in the cable test wiring diagram. LCD Screen Brightness: • To the right of Brightness, touch Set.
Fourth Systems Settings Screen: Display Units Set time/clock/date: • Under Time Format, touch either 12-hour or 24-hour format. • To the right of Hours (1–12), touch Set Hour. Enter the hour you wish to display then touch OK. • To cancel, press the Back button . • To the right of Minutes (0-59), touch Set Minute. Enter the minutes you wish to display then touch OK. To cancel, press the Back button . • Under AM/PM, touch AM or PM on the screen. • Under Date, set the month, day, and year: Touch Set Month.
Fifth Systems Settings Screen: Timeout Settings • • • • To set Standby power down: • Touch Set to the right of Stand-by (default is 10 min). • Enter a whole number from 1-10 for the number of minutes then touch OK. To cancel, press the Back button . To set System Shutdown Time: • Touch Set to the right of System Shutdown (4 hours is the default setting). • Touch the number between 1 and 8 for the hours before system shutdown then touch OK. To cancel, press the Back button . To configure .
Sixth Systems Settings Screen: User Information • The User Information screen allows the user to enter Company name, user’s name, and email to be included on the Net Chaser test reports. • Touch Set Company and use the keypad to enter the company name (Max 20 Characters) then touch OK. Touch Set Name (Max 20 Characters) and use the keypad to enter a name then touch OK. Touch Set E-mail and use the keypad to enter an email address then touch OK.
Seventh Systems Settings Screen: Firmware You can have more than one version of firmware on the SD card – all firmware files on the SD Card will be displayed on this screen. Use the Up and Down • • buttons to scroll through multiple firmware files. The factory installed firmware revision (default firmware) is displayed above the firmware file table. The current firmware revision that is being used is displayed above the firmware file table Current x.xx.
Upload firmware using the SD Card: • Remove the SD Card (located on the left side of Net Chaser) and insert it into your computer using an SD Card reader. Your computer will recognize the SD Card as a removable drive. Open the removable drive folder and copy the firmware file(s) from your computer to the removable drive window. Image files may be included as part of the update, be sure to copy all files from the firmware update folder to the SD card. Re-insert the SD Card into the Net Chaser.
• • • • Navigate back to the Net Chaser removable drive and right click in the removable drive window and click on “Paste”. Close the removable drive window then click on “safely remove hardware” on your computers toolbar on the bottom left. Eject “MQX Mass Storage Device”. Remove the micro USB cable from the Net Chaser. The Net Chaser will automatically reboot. Follow the instructions below to complete the update. Install Net Chaser Update: • • • From the home screen, Touch System Settings .
• • • key at this point. Open the removable drive named “Bootloader”. Copy and paste only the bootloader file to the removable drive. Power off the Net Chaser, unplug it from your computer, and then power it back on. To Update the PIC firmware: • To update the Net Chaser PIC firmware, visit http://www.platinumtools. com/support/software-updates/. • Download the Pic update file to your computer.
Eighth System Settings Screen: Firmware/ Hardware Versions This screen will display which versions of firmware and hardware are in your Net Chaser.
Active Remote The Active Remote is used with the Net Chaser to perform a speed certification test. The Active remote can be configured to display 1-4 remote ID’s • Press the Status button to display the battery percentage and the Pass/ Fail result of the previous cable test. • To set the remote ID, remove the battery door screws (see Active Remote on pg.8) and remove the battery door. • Gently pull out the battery (it is not necessary to unplug the battery to access the ID indicator switch.
Cable Test The Net Chaser performs a wire map test, measures cable length using capacitance and TDR, and speed certifies cables up to 1 Gigabit. Test Options There are four test options depending on the type of remote being used or if no remote being used. Below are descriptions of the test results given for each test option. To see a full screen view of the results, touch Full Screen . Press the Back button to exit the full screen view.
Cable Test Overview Detailed Test Results Cable Test List The Cable Test menu saves all tests to internal memory and to the SD card, except when using ID only remotes, to a file with the extension “.tst”. If the SD Card is not inserted into the unit, a warning will appear upon entering the Cable Test Screen; “AutoSave cable test to SD enabled but SD card not found”. See 5th Systems Settings screen to Enable/Disable auto save to SD.
or kept as default. Each test performed will use the currently selected test definition. Note: All these test setup functions are on the Detailed Results screen. Cable Test Setup From the home screen, touch Cable Test . If the list screen is displayed, touch Select at the bottom of the screen or the Back button to go to the Detailed Results screen: Creating a New Test List: Touch New File at the bottom of the Detailed Results screen, enter a file name (20 characters max.), and touch OK.
To add up to 200 cables to the test list at once, touch add , and enter the number of cables to add and then touch OK. Touch Save to keep the edited values or touch Cancel to exit without saving. Cable ID’s can also be edited from the Test List to be any 12 character name, with or without numbers. See the Test List section on page 30 for instructions on editing, adding and deleting cables. WARNING! Each cable test file (.tst) refers to the cable type definition when creating a test list.
• Touch Shielded cable, Non-shielded Cable, or Ignore Shield then touch OK. Edit Existing Cable Types • Touch a cable type from the Cable Type list. With a line highlighted, the buttons functions are: • Touch Edit to edit the highlighted entry. The name may be changed or kept default. All other settings are entered as in New Cable Type. • To delete highlighted entry, touch Delete . • Touch OK to confirm action or cancel. Select a Cable Type to Test • Touch a cable type from the Cable Type list.
* NOTE: If testing an Ethernet cable that is terminated to a wall plate, use the included RJ45 patch cables to connect to the wall plate or modular RJ45 jack. • • Touch Cable Type . Touch the desired cable type from the cable type list and then touch select Type . • Press the Test button to perform a test. The Net Chaser will add an incremented cable name to the Test List and perform a test. • To perform another test, press Test button .
Short: Two or more wires in the cable are connected. This may be caused by an improperly terminated cable, damaged RJ45 plug/ jack, or a damaged cable. Miswire: Cable’s wire connection does not follow TIA568A/B Ethernet cabling standards. This occurs when there is an error made when terminating the cable. Split: The cable has been wired with correct continuity but not with correct circuitry pairing. This most often happens when the cable is terminated consistently at both ends but in the wrong order.
Saving a PDF Report • • • • From the Detailed Results screen, touch More Options . Touch the PDF Report on the Cable Test screen. Enter the desired file name for your test report and touch OK. Net Chaser will save the PDF under the new file name to external memory (SD Card). Saving the Test List as a CSV file The test list can be saved as a CSV file to be opened with excel or CSV compatible software. • • • • From the Cable Test screen, touch More Options . Touch CSV .
Create a new Test List When a Test list is created, The Net Chaser automatically saves your test list as a .tst file to internal memory. The .tst file can be transferred to an SD card or computer. TST files can be reopened by a Net Chaser for editing, retesting, or adding new tests. • To create a new .tst file, touch Cable Test from the home screen. • Touch New File and enter a file name then touch OK. The .tst file will be saved to internal memory.
Link Test The Link Test menu displays port services provided by an active switch, router, or NIC. • • From the home screen, touch Link Test Touch the desired Link Test option. . Port Discovery The Port Discovery test will display port services and capabilities such as link speed, MDI/MDI-X, auto negotiation, and SNR of each pair within the cable. • • • • Port Discovery is the default Link Test option. Press the Test button to perform a Port Discovery test.
Link Light The Link light blinks the port LED on a switch or router to identify which port the Net Chaser is connected to. • • • • • Connect the Net Chaser to a cable that it plugged into an active hub, switch or router. From the Link Test screen , touch Link Light . Press the Test button .The Link Light graphic will begin to blink indicating that the test is running. The LED of the port you are connected to on a switch or router will blink at a slow and consistent cadence for easy identification.
Network Test The Network Test menu provides advanced network tests to discover, verify and troubleshoot the network. • From the home screen, touch Network Test . • The Net Chaser will automatically establish a link upon entering the Network Test screen. Link Test Upon entering the Link Test screen, the Net Chaser will automatically perform a port test by acquiring an IP address and DHCP information. DHCP • • • Touch DHCP from the Network test screen. Press the Test button .
Ping Test • Connect the Net Chaser to an active Ethernet port or cable. • Touch Ping from the Network test screen. • Touch Add . The saved target list will be displayed. • Touch add or Edit to enter a new IP address or URL. • Use the keypad to enter an IP or URL • To edit or remove an address, touch an address under “IP/URL” then touch Edit or Delete . • To add an IP address or URL to the target list, touch an address under IP/URL then touch Add . • To ping the Targets, press the Test button .
• • • • • • • To edit an IP address or URL, touch Edit . Use the keypad to add or edit the IP address or URL then touch OK. To add an IP address or URL to the trace route test, touch the desired address from the list and touch Select . Press the Test button to begin the Trace Route test. The Net Chaser will display the hop number, IP address, and response time. If a device does not respond with an IP, the Net Chaser will display dashes “- - - -“ for that device.
Discovery Protocols The Discovery Protocol menu provides Cisco switch Protocol and Link Layer Protocol information. • • • • Connect the Net Chaser to an active Ethernet port or cable. Touch CDP/LLDP . Touch CDP to display Cisco switch information. Touch LLDP to display Link Layer switch information. NOTE: the information displayed may vary depending on the information provided by the switch. • • • • Touch the left or right arrows to view additional CDP or LLDP devices that may be present on the network.
File Manager The File manager contains saved PDF, CSV, and TST test files. In this menu, they can be renamed, deleted, or transferred between internal and external memory. Managing Files • • • • • • • • • From the home screen, touch the File Manager . The File Manager displays files from internal memory and external memory (SD Card). Touch Show Internal or Show SD to view the desired memory location. To display PDF files only, touch PDF . To display CSV files only, touch CSV .
Icon Glossary Cable Test Menu Retest Link Test Menu Reload Factory Software Network Test Menu Restore Defaults File Manager Menu Save one Test to a PDF System Settings Menu Save *.tst file to a PDF Cable Type Save *.
Frequently Asked Questions Q. What are the 4 inch RJ45 dongles in the Net Chaser Kit? A. They are RJ45 Port Savers (21025). They are to be plugged into the Net Chaser and the Active Remote during testing to prolong the life of the Net Chaser and Active Remote RJ45 jacks. Q. Why does the Net Chaser display the cable length in red and fail the cable test? A. The Net Chaser tests to TIA568 A and B interconnect specifications.
capability to function correctly. Q. Why won’t the Net Chaser display VLAN results? A. VLAN detection relies on VLAN tagged LLDP or CDP packets. Perform a LLDP or CDP test and if no results are displayed, enable LLDP or CDP on the switch you are testing. Q. How many cable tests can the Net Chaser save? A. The Net Chaser can save 10’s of thousands of cable tests to internal and external memory combined.
Q. Why are the length wrong and split errors on all my cable drops? A. This issue is most common when punching down cables to a patch panel. Some patch panels reroute continuity through PCB boards, have LED’s connected to a pair to identify the presence of traffic, or noise isolators. These features will change the cable characteristics and affect the test results. Q. What is SNR, and how is it measured? A.
Maintenance Batteries • The Net Chaser is powered by a rechargeable Lithium ion battery. • To charge the battery, plug the charger into the side port and then plug the charger into the power source. • Net Chaser battery is not user serviceable. In the event you need to remove the battery, unscrew the back panel of the Net Chaser and unplug the battery from the Net Chaser. Be sure to remove all the leads connecting the battery to the device.
Specifications Length Measurement Power Output Connectors Interfaces Languages Battery Life Altitude Temperature Humidity Enclosure Size Weight Warranty Time Domain Reflectometry & Capacitance Wall Power Adapter: Input 100-240VAC 50/60Hz, Output 12VDC 2.5A, International plug adapters: (NA/EU/AU/UK) DC Input Jack: 10-28VDC, 20 watts max Battery pack: Rechargeable Li-ion rated 7.
Warranty Information Platinum Tools guarantees that its products will be free of all defects in material and workmanship. This warranty extends for a period of 12 months for the Platinum Tools test equipment from the date of manufacture or proofof-purchase. Accessories and damage to items caused by normal wear or use are not covered by this warranty. All products deemed defective under this warranty will be repaired or replaced at Platinum Tools’ discretion.
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Net Chaser™ TM User Manual For technical information and customer support, please visit www.platinumtools.com or send an email to info@platinumtools.com. Contact Numbers: Toll Free (US only): 800-749-5783 Toll: 805-384-2777 Address: Platinum Tools, Inc. 2450 Turquoise Circle Newbury Park, CA 91320 www.platinumtools.
