How to detect some cable problems on some RouterBoard type

Hardware MikroTik hardware general
1

When I check one RouterBoard for “/interface ethernet poe” syntax I discovered one feature not present on winbox or webfig.

How many of you knew that?
I’ve just discovered!
And is very useful.

This command has no WinBox or WebFig function equivalent (till now 6.12rc1)

Put this on new terminal

/interface ethernet cable-test

[The commands support also the “do={ }” syntax for scripting and “file=namefile.ext” for save result, also the ethernet can be directly specified on the command]

when asked write the ethernet name (also can be included in command)

and you obtain (in this example I use one RB493G with RouterOS 6.7):

cable not plugged

[admin@MATRIX] > /interface ethernet cable-test 
numbers: ether6
         name: ether6
       status: no-link
  cable-pairs: open:0,shorted:0,normal:?,normal:?

cable plugged and work correctly:

[admin@MATRIX] > /interface ethernet cable-test          
numbers: ether1
    name: ether1
  status: link-ok

cable (4 meters) plugged only on one side (or broken):

[admin@MATRIX] > /interface ethernet cable-test
numbers: ether6
         name: ether6
       status: no-link
  cable-pairs: open:4,shorted:0,normal:?,normal:?

It also detect how many meter are the interruption and on some model which pair is broken…

If I had known before …

I do not know if is working on all models.

Try it in your router and have fun!


If you like the explanation, please add Karma, thanks.

2

it does not work on all RotuerBOARDs. But many has this feature working.

http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:Interface/Ethernet#Detect_Cable_Problems

description added on 24th of January, 2014

3

Hi,
Are you planing to make this available directly on winbox (as the PoE out on ethernet detail tab)?

Thanks.

4

Now I try all the model I have and I modify first post with the list of all have this feature working…

5

currently, no, similar to ability to change interface mac address.

6

Thanks for the answer.

7

Its amazing Mikrotik is full of information but only to find it and it’s like “trying to sort the wood from the trees”

Back in Jan 10th I posted a product suggestion to test RJ45
http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/product-suggestion-rj45-cable-test/73111/1
I did not get any response from any Mikrotik members but did from another forum member,
And this morning I read this post to discover that a forum member just happened to find this feature and
also description of this feature was added on 24th of January, 2014, I read this feature is only available to the listed models on the wiki,

I requested before that some sort of RSS feed for just for Wiki + new technical releases or features be made available but Mikrotik had some issues on how RSS feeds could be setup,

8

so, some history: with different syntax it existed from the end of 2012. First it appeared in 5.21 and 6.0.rc4.

6.0rc4 release built 2012-Nov-28

9

I knew that and used several times. I saw it in release notes if I remember well. It is useful but not fully reliable. Sometimes it shows changing values. Free ports are not shown everytime the same. I am really missing a button in winbox for this feature.