Using the Cable Test Live tool
Cisco Meraki MS switches have per-port cable testing capabilities. This can used to troubleshoot a faulty cable or estimate cable length.
Learn more with this free online training course on the Meraki Learning Hub:
Make sure the cable is connected to devices at both ends, before running this test.
To perform a cable test using Dashboard, navigate to Monitor > Switches > choose a switch > Tools. Then, scroll to the "Cable Test" tool section. Next, enter the port or port range (ie. "1" or "1-24" without quotes) into the test window and click the Run cable test button.
Once the Run cable test button is clicked, you can receive one of several test result outputs:
| Status | |
|
OK |
Good cable and good pair |
|
OPEN |
Unused or terminated pair |
|
ABNORMAL |
The impedance* is not within the expected bounds, either too high or too low |
|
COUPLEX |
Specified pair too strongly coupled to pair X, indicating a high amount of crosstalk |
*Proper termination of Cat5/6 cable requires a 100Ω differential impedance between the positive and negative cable terminals. The IEEE 802.3 allows for a termination of as high as 115 Ω or as low as 85 Ω. If the termination falls outside of this range, it is reported by the cable diagnostics as an anomalous termination.
Example of a cable test output:
The cable test will also output which pair is open if you have an open pair on your Ethernet cable. The diagram below illustrates how the pairs are numbered in a T568B straight through cable RJ-45 pinout.
This cable test allows for the ability to eliminate common layer 1 cabling issue by outputting cable length and testing the status of each cable pair.
For more information, see Cable Testing using the Meraki MS Ethernet Switch.