Your network is installed and the cables sit neatly in the patch cabinet. But does everything actually work the way it should? You only know for sure once the cabling is certified. In this article we explain the difference between testing and certifying, which standards apply, exactly what is in a handover report and why that report protects you.
Testing versus certifying: not the same
Many people confuse these two. The difference matters:
- Verification: a simple test of whether the cable is connected through and the pairs are correct. A cheap cable tester only says "connection yes/no" and whether the wiring is right. It says nothing about quality or speed.
- Certification: a professional measurement with a calibrated tester (such as a Fluke DSX or Softing) that checks the cable against an official standard. It measures dozens of parameters and gives a hard "Pass" or "Fail" with the underlying values.
Only certification proves that your cabling reaches the promised performance, for example 10 Gigabit over Cat6A.
Which standards apply?
Certification is done against international standards. The two most important are:
- TIA/EIA-568 (American standard, widely used)
- ISO/IEC 11801 (international/European standard, with classes such as Class E for Cat6 and Class EA for Cat6A)
The tester "knows" which limit values belong to which category and checks each measurement against them. That rules out subjectivity: the cable either meets the standard, or it does not.
What is in a handover report?
A professional certification report (often one page per link) shows, among other things:
- Length: the measured cable length. Above 100 metres (including patch cords) a link is no longer guaranteed.
- Wiremap: are all 8 conductors connected correctly, with no swapped pairs or breaks?
- Insertion loss (attenuation): how much signal weakens over the length. Too much attenuation means slow or unstable.
- NEXT and PSNEXT (crosstalk): how much signal leaks from one pair to another. Crucial for high speeds.
- Return loss: how much signal reflects back due to impedance differences, for example from a poorly terminated connector or too sharp a bend.
- Propagation delay and delay skew: timing differences between the pairs.
- ACR-F / ELFEXT: the ratio of signal to crosstalk at the far end.
At the bottom of each measurement is the verdict: PASS (green) or FAIL (red), with the margin against the standard. A good installer only hands over once everything is green.
Why does a handover report protect you?
A certification report is not paperwork for show. It protects you in several ways:
- Proof of quality: in black and white that your cabling reaches the promised performance.
- Warranty: many manufacturers only grant a system warranty (15 to 25 years) if the installation is handed over certified by an accredited installer.
- Troubleshooting: if something goes wrong later, you know it is not the cabling (which was proven good at handover). That saves your MSP hours of searching.
- Value retention: when selling or letting a building, documented, certified infrastructure is a plus.
- Independent: the tester does not lie. It is objective proof, not "just trust us".
When should you certify?
Really always for new business cabling, but certainly for:
- 10 Gigabit networks (Cat6A/Cat7), where the margins are small
- Projects with manufacturer warranty requirements
- Server rooms and datacentres
- Situations where reliability is critical (healthcare, production, finance)
Frequently asked questions
Is testing with a cheap tester not enough? For "does the cable work?" yes, but it does not prove the cable reaches 10 Gbps. For warranty and certainty, certification is needed.
Do I get the report myself? Yes. We deliver a digital report per link plus an overview and cable plan. It is your documentation.
What if a link shows FAIL? Then we fix it (re-terminate, replace a connector, adjust the route) and measure again, until everything passes. Only then do we hand over.
Want your new or existing network certified with a professional handover report? Get in touch and we will schedule a measurement.