This post will cover various aspects of the Networking section of the CompTIA A+ Core 1 certification endeavor.
Table of contents
Hardware Tools
Command-line tools and applications are software tools for troubleshooting, but some network problems have hardware causes and solutions.
Here are some hardware tools that can help you diagnose and solve network issues:
- Wire Crimpers — A wire crimper (sometimes called a cable crimper) is a tool that attaches media connectors to the ends of cables. You can use it to make or modify network cables.
- Cable Testers — A cable tester (sometimes called a line tester) is a tool that verifies if a signal is transmitted by a given cable. You can use one to find out whether the cables in your network are functioning properly when diagnosing connectivity issues.
- Punch Down Tool — A punch down tool is used in a wiring closet to connect cable wires directly to a patch panel or punch-down block. This tool makes it easier to connect wires than it would be to do it by hand.
- TDR — A time-domain reflectometer (TDR) is a measuring tool that transmits an electrical pulse on a cable and measures the reflected signal. In a functioning cable, the signal does not reflect and is absorbed in the other end. An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is a similar tool, but used for measuring fiber optic cables, which are becoming more common in modern networks.
- Light Meter — Light meters, also known as optical power meters, are devices used to measure the power in an optical signal.
- Tone Generator — A tone generator is a device that sends an electrical signal through one pair of UTP wires. On the other end, a tone locator or tone probe is a device that emits an audible tone when it detects a signal in a pair of wires. You can use these tools to verify that signals are passing through the wires in your network. They are often used to confirm phone connectivity.
- Loopback Adapter — A loopback adapter is a virtual or physical tool that can be used for troubleshooting network transmission issues. It can be used by utilizing a special connector that redirects the electrical signal back to the transmitting system.
- Multimeter — A multimeter (sometimes called a volt/ohm meter) is an electronic measuring instrument that takes electrical measurements such as voltage, current and resistance. There are hand-held multimeters for fieldwork as well as bench-top models for in-house troubleshooting.
- Spectrum Analyzer — A spectrum analyzer is an instrument that displays the variation of a signal strength against the frequency.
Wi-Fi analyzers
A Wi-Fi analyzer, also called a network analyzer or packet analyzer, is a software application or feature set within a network component used in network performance troubleshooting or to enhance protection against malicious activity within a corporate network. Network analyzers accomplish this by collecting packet data traversing a network.
Wi-Fi analyzers can:
- Provide detailed packet capture data that specifies who specific devices are communicating with — source and destination — and which protocol or port is being used.
- Identify devices or parts of the network that are causing traffic flow bottlenecks.
- Detect unusual levels of network traffic.
- Detect unusual packet characteristics.
- Monitor traffic to identify suspicious data communications or malware.
- Configure alarm triggers and alerts for defined threats.
- Search for specific data strings in unencrypted packet payloads.
- Monitor bandwidth utilization as a function of time.
- Create application-specific plugins.
- Display all statistics on a user-friendly control panel.
Wi-Fi analyzers are not intended to replace network monitoring tools, firewalls, antivirus programs, or spyware detection programs. However, the use of a Wi-Fi analyzer in addition to network health, performance and security tools can provide deeper insights when troubleshooting a performance issue or investigating a security incident.