Why does nobody talk about using a toner with a paperclip for tight spots?

I was wrestling with a jammed Cat6 run in a drop ceiling last Tuesday and figured I'd try bending a paperclip into a hook to attach the toner lead, and it actually picked up the signal through the insulation where my alligator clip couldn't reach - has anyone else hacked their toner like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_bell2d ago

Honestly the trick nobody mentions is using a little piece of heat shrink tubing over the paperclip tip. Keeps it from scratching up port faces or shorting against metal ceiling grids while you're hunting for the right cable. Makes the whole thing way cleaner than just raw bent metal flopping around.

ivan_fisher993d ago

Man I did the exact same thing a few months back running cable in a warehouse. That alligator clip kept popping off these tiny screws on the patch panel, so I bent a paperclip into a tiny loop and slid it under the screw head. Worked like a charm, the tone was clear right through. Then I taped the whole thing down with electrical tape so it wouldn't flop around while I was up on the ladder. Have you tried using a binder clip to hold the paperclip steady against the wire? That combo saved me a ton of frustration on a 40-drop run last week.

kelly_coleman612d ago

Actually I used to think alligator clips were the only reliable way to get a good tone, but reading this makes me rethink that whole approach. Between your binder clip trick and @reese_bell's heat shrink idea I might have to give paperclips another shot.