Testing and validating all the lines in a project is a necessary step at several phases of a custom channel installation; from after they're run to troubleshooting (if necessary) later on. Reliable testers are a critical tool for installers.

A lot of testing can be accomplished with an off-the-shelf multimeter from the hardware store: from checking voltage, to testing the impedance of speaker lines. I take the opportunity to praise my trusty multimeter fairly often in this column. But in some cases, more specialized tools are necessary.

For coax lines, simple RG-6 tone testers comprise a sender and a receiver. Connecting the sender to one end, installers can then use the receiver to determine which coax termination on the other side of the house it belongs to.

Network cabling requires more thorough testing. Ethernet cables with their multiple conductors are the most likely to be incorrectly terminated, leading to all kinds of trouble if not properly diagnosed. For that, you need a full-service line validator.

There are quite a few on the market, and integrators should invest in the best they can afford. One example is the new VDV PRO from Ideal Industries. It's a pocket rocket that supports RJ-11/12, RJ-45, Coax F, BNC and RCA connectors. In addition to Pass/Fail, it displays wire errors including: Open, Short, Miswire and Split Pair, and can also report on the cable's length (how cool is that?) It's available from online resellers in a variety of configurations starting at US$240.

With the arrival of fibre optic lines for residential A/V comes the need for fibre validators. Ideal's Multimode Micro ODTR features the ability to sweep cables on pre-programmed wavelengths to test for shorts and dead zones, and then report on the location of the fault. It's compatible with interchangeable fibre adapters with a wide variety of configurations, and has a USB connection to download reports to thumb drives or PCs. At an average price, depending on configuration, of US$10,000 (yes, ten-thousand dollars), it's really only a worthwhile investment for integrators who are going to be doing serious commercial/industrial work running thousands of feet of fibre in their projects.

Something interesting that came up while researching this column was that while a number of HDMI field validators are now available, none of the integrators to whom I spoke use them. One joked that in single room jobs with a single HDMI cable, they use the fact that there's picture and sound as validation that the cable isn't broken! On a more serious note, he mentioned that with Crestron's DigitalMedia HDMI matrix hardware that he's now used for several installations, the DM box has its own internal validation and warning system that he's quite happy with. That integrator has not needed to test multiple HDMI lines manually.

While talking about HDMI with that one integrator, he took the opportunity to mention that, like many of his peers, he still runs analog video whenever possible. While it's not high tech, the integrated Cable Cutter/Tester from Planet Waves is still one of my favourite little tools, allowing installers to validate RCA cables after terminating them without having to put one tool down and grab another.

I've yet to meet an installer who felt that he had enough tools in his toolbox. Ultimately, though, it's not just about quantity, but also quality. It's sound advice to have the right tools for the right jobs, and to invest in high quality items.

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