Fluke Networks’ LinkSprinter Doesn’t Leave Network Connectivity to Chance

Is the Fluke Network LinkSprinter Network Tester a product you can offer to your clients? Find out in SSI’s latest Bench Test.

Testing

I must admit when I first got the LinkSprinter for testing I thought to myself, “What could I possibly use this for?” My question was answered several days later when one of my network switches decided it was time to go to that great electronic scrap heap in the sky and I started having network issues between my printers and laptop. I turned on the LinkSprinter and plugged it into the suspect switch that my printers were connected to; I encountered the indicator showing the unit was plugged in but I did not get a DHCP indicator. I checked the settings on my phone and discovered I wasn’t reaching the network router, and therefore wasn’t making the trip to my main switch and laptop. I removed the wall connection to the switch, plugged it into the LinkSprinter and voila, I received all of my system checks back green. I replaced the small switch with another one and was back online with my printers in no time.

The next day I took the LinkSprinter out into the real world to a client’s location where I knew I would have the opportunity to test a remote network connection with a PoE power source and get some details back via my phone and the cloud service. As you can see from the photo (left), I was able to get all of the system parameters from my phone without having to run back to the system head-end. The PoE injector was providing a nice robust 50V to the connection, so I knew the connection of an IP camera at the location would not be an issue.

Verdict

  • Features: : 5/5
  • Construction: : 4/5
  • Setup: : 4/5
  • Performance: : 5/5
  • Overall: : 4/5

I later checked the LinkSprinter Web site to see if the details for my site check had uploaded as promised. I was impressed with the amount of detail that was stored on the Web site; I had the full range of testing in one line item, nice and neat. The screen shot (top of page) details all of the information I had at my fingertips when I was performing the test ― pretty impressive for a little handheld box!

Conclusions

The LinkSprinter was impressive with the amount of information it provided in real-time with just a simple network connection and a handheld device. The unit was very easy to use; once I figured out why my phone was being persnickety with the network connection it was a breeze. I wasn’t looking for another gadget to add to my tool collection, but with the LinkSprinter I might have to rethink that.

Products are tested and reviewed by R. Grossman and Associates Inc., an independent consulting firm specializing in electronic security products and projects. For more information, visit www.tech-answers.com.

 

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