Quickstart

Make sure to read the regulatory and safety notices first.

You can start testing in just a few seconds:

  1. Switch on your Pockethernet. The Power LED will come on.
  2. Open the Pockethernet App
  3. Tap the "Connect" button in the App. No Bluetooth pairing is required.
  4. Select measurements and press "Measure"
  5. Review the results and optionally save them in the "Reports" tab

The device

Power button

When the device is powered off, press the power button until the Power LED becomes on.

When Pockethernet is powered on, the button does this:

Button pressAction
Long (at least 2 sec)Switches the device off
Short (<1.5sec)Starts the Quick test function
Two quick pressesSwitches the Flashlight function on or off
Very long (>8 sec)Resets the device

Power LED

When the device is powered on:

Power LED colorState
Battery charge level > 50%
Battery charge level between 30%-50%
Battery charge level below 30%
Battery fault

USB cable connected for charging:

Power LED colorState
Battery charging
Fully charged
Battery / charging fault

When a USB cable is connected for charging while the device has been switched off, it will enter a charging standby mode indicated by a "breathing" power LED. In this state, you need to press the power button to actually turn the device on which is indicated by a solid LED color.

Network, Link, Cable LEDs

For the description of these, please see the section Quick test function

Connectors

The Ethernet port is for connecting to Ethernet cables and networks

The USB-C port is used for charging and wired software updates

The 3.5mm jack connector is reserved for future accessories

Flashlight function

With Pockethernet powered on, press the power button two times quickly to turn the flashlight function on or off. This will make all 4 LEDs light up with a bright light color. You can use it to locate cables and port in dark places like behind a rack or under a desk.

The app

The Pockethernet app allows to conduct tests and save the results as report The app consist of three main sections: Test, Report and Tools

Test tab

  1. The test tab has a separate row for each measurement
  2. You can expand and close the detail section of a test by clicking on the row
  3. The switch icon in each row header represents 4 possible states
    • Measurement not selected to run
    • Measurement selected to run
    • Measurement in progress
    • Measurement finished and it's results OK:/

All performed tests with a green or red indicator will be included in the report. If you want to exclude a test from the report, disable the test.

If you want to re-run a single test, deselect and select it again and press the Measure button.

If you long press the Measure button, test will be repeated with the following logic: If only the Wiremap test (an no other tests) has been run previously, then Wiremap will be repeated. If any other tests than Wiremap have been run previoulsy, all of those will be repeated but not the Wiremap. The rationale is that for the Wiremap test, you need the the wiremap adapter attached, so you either want to perform Wiremap or Network tests.

Screenshot of Pockethernet app test screen

Report tab

The report pane allows you to create and save new reports or list, review and export the already existing ones.

Here's sample report PDF.

Save report

Here you can create a report of the measurements performed in the test tab. All tests which are red or green in the test tab will be included. You can add additional details about the measurements such as:

  • The user performing the tests
  • Address, Location, Port ID
  • Comment
  • Add a relevant photo

These will all be included in the report.

The "Tag" field is a special field as it will not only be included in the report, but also in the filename of the generated PDF document. You can use it to quickly identify a measurement or report. If you don't need too much detail about the measurement, specifying a tag may be enough for identification.

The filename under which the report will be saved is:

"Pockethernet <Date> <Time> - <Tag>".pdf

The report can be viewed directly, shared via any application that supports receiving files, or saved locally on your device.

Pockethernet app report save screen

View reports

The View report subsection lists all your previously saved reports. Below the name of the report, you have four options in the "Action" row:

  • View: Opens the report
  • Send: Send the report via another application
  • Delete: Delete the report from storage
  • Select: Select the report to be included in the combined report

There are two batch export options on the bottom of the report list:

  • Combined PDF: This creates a single PDF document from all reports selected above
  • All reports as ZIP: This creates a ZIP file all all reports that are stored in the app. It will include the PDF files, the attached images as JPEG files and the raw measurement data in JSON format.
Pockethernet app report list screen

Tools tab

The tools tab contains tools, settings and informations.

Cable toner

The toner function allows identification and tracking of cables via an electronic signal that can be picked up with a tone probe. You can use it to identify individual cables in a bundle, identify individual wire pairs and track their path in culverts and walls. You can select on which wire pair the signal should be transmitted, which tone should be used at what volume. You can use any analogue tone probe to pick up the signal.

Pockethernet app toner screen

Port blinker

You can use the port blinker function to quickly identify a connection to a switch or router.

Set up the connection parameters and either set to "On" for a constant link or to "Blink" and look for the Link LED on the switch.

When using the Blink function, Pockethernet will repeatedly bring a link up and down, making the Link LED blink.

For switches which use a different color for low-speed links (e.g. orange instead of green), you can set the link speed to 10/100 Mbit so that it's even more easy to identify the connection.

Pockethernet app blinker screen

Settings

Here you can set the following general settings:

TIA: Set the color scheme and pair numbering according to the TIA-568 A or B standard

Units: Distance units for the TDR measurements

NVP: Set the NVP of the cable use are using for more accurate TDR results

Custom MAC: You can set a custom MAC address to be used by the Pockethernet device during Ethernet communication in case it is needed for e.g. access control reasons

Report logo: Add your own logo to the top left corner of reports generated. The recommended size is 1013x200 pixels.

Pockethernet app settings screen

WiFi bridge ( beta, experimental function)

The WiFi bridge function allows you to use Pockethernet as a mobile WiFi router which creates a transparent WiFi bridge to the Ethernet network.

This allows you to connect WiFi devices (e.g. your smartphone) "directly" to the Ethernet network.

Using this functionality, you can do further network level tests with other apps (e.g. testing networked printers, using network discovery apps, etc.) or set up devices (e.g. provision network devices or IP cameras).

Pockethernet app wifi bridge screen

Pockethernet device information

You can check the device serial number, default MAC address and firmware version.

Firmware upgrade: You can check for available firmware upgrades and apply them to the device. The Pockethernet device needs to be connected to an Internet connection via Ethernet for it to be able to download the upgrade image.

Pockethernet app device information screen

Measurements

Wiremap

The wiremap test determines (by transmitting signals through each wire) if a pin on a connector is connected to the correct pin at the other end.

The status summary line tells you the type of calbe connected or the fault.

These configurations will be listed as OK with a green indicator:

  • 4-pair straight through
  • 4-pair full crossover (all 4 pairs crossed)
  • 4-pair mixed crossover (2 pairs crossed, 2 pairs straight)
  • 2-pair straight
  • 2-pair crossover

Any other configuration will be marked as Miswire with a red indicator

The graphical wiring diagram shows the status of each individual wire: the corresponding connected pin is shown on the right side. In case of short circuits between the wires, these are shown with a red vertical connection, opens are shown in the middle as a break in the line.

The pair numberings and colors are based on the TIA colour scheme selected in the tools ⇒ settings menu. To get a valid result, you need the have the Pockethernet terminator adapter with the "Wiremap" side attached to the other end of the cable. Pockethernet is only compatible with the wiremap adapter that came with Pockethernet.

Pockethernet app wiremap screen
Pockethernet app wiremap straight
Straight trough cable
Pockethernet app wiremap miswire
Miswired cable
Pockethernet app wiremap open
Open cable

TDR

The TDR-based, single ended length measurement and fault locating tests the physical properties of a cable, with just one end connected to Pockethernet. See how long the cable is and if there are any short circuits or bad terminations. Pockethernet also detects if the cable is connected to a switched off computer or switch.

The main status line shows the overall result of the measurement if each pair in the cable is terminated the same way (e.g. all pairs are open or connected). Else, it will display "Mixed results".

StatusResult interpretation
OpenCable per not connected to anything
Short circuitThere's a short circuit somewhere in the cable
TerminatedCable is connected to a Ethernet port
Pockethernet app TDR open screen

TDR Graph

This features allows you to see the imperfections of a cable along its whole length. A short electrical pulse is sent down the cable, which is reflected from imperfections (short circuits, split pairs, impedance mismatches, open ends) or absorbed by proper termination (e.g. another ethernet port).

The results of the TDR graph test need some expertise to evaluate. Generally, an impedance mismatch value above +/-20 indicates a cable imperfection that can influece signal and connection quality.

Impedance mismatch typeResult interpretation
PositiveReflection from open ends
NegativeReflection from shorted ends

The crosstalk graph gives information about any locations with crosstalk issues.

Pockethernet app TDR graph screen

Example diagnoses using the TDR graph function:

Pockethernet app TDR graph crosstalk
Cable with increased crosstalk at its end (20m) due to a split cable
Pockethernet app TDR graph extender
Impedance mismatch caused by a Cat5 back-to-back Ethernet coupler connecting a 20m and a 50m Cat6 cable

Power over Ethernet (PoE) test

This test verifies the presence of PoE supply on the cable. It detects standard 802.3 AF/AT/BT supplies and passive 'always-on' supplies.

The PSE type is determined along with the open circuit and loaded voltage while also establishing the maximum power class supported/allowed by the PSE.

The test will indicate an error if:

  • The open/load voltage is below 37V for an AF/AT power supply
  • The open/load voltage is below 42V for a BT power supply
  • The difference between the Mode A / Mode B voltage is greater than 10%
Pockethernet app PoE test screen

This test determines if an Ethernet link can be established and what the highest achievable speed is.

If an 1000BASE-T link can be established, the details section will provide information about each link speed advertised by the Ethernet link partner, the polarity of each wire pair and the skew delay for each pair.

The delay skew should be below 56ns per 100m of cable.

The length estimate is calculated based on the link training parameters and gives a very rough estimate (at least +/- 20m error) of the equivalent CAT 5e cable length. Ideally, this shouldn't exceed 100m.

Pockethernet app link test screen

CDP / LLDP test

When activated, Pockethernet waits for up to 30 seconds after link establishment to receive CDP or LLDP packages.

These diagnostic packages contain information about the connected switch or router, like the physical port ID Pockethernet is connected to, the system name or management IP address. Information fields, called TLVs of the received packet are listed in the details section of this measurement.

Pockethernet app CDP/LLDP test screen

VLAN test

The VLAN test can be used to see any VLANs active on the port or to set the VLAN tags for outgoing packets.

When activated, Pockethernet will wait for 30 seconds for incoming packets and list any detected VLAN tags.

If "Outgoing VLAN tagging" is enabled, any outgoing packets from Pockethernet (DHCP request, Ping, ExtIP) will be tagged so that they are communicated through a specific VLAN.

Pockethernet app VLAN test screen

IPv4 (DHCPv4) test

This section allows you to test the networks DHCP settings and make Pockethernet request its IPv4 configuration via DHCP, or you can set up static IPv4 settings to be used for the following tests.

Pockethernet will wait for 30 seconds for a DHCP request to succeed.

Pockethernet app IPv4 test screen

IPv6 (SLAAC/DHCPv6) test

With this test, you can see if IPv6 SLAAC (stateless autoconfiguration) or DHCPv6 is available on the network.

Pockethernet will wait for 30 seconds any Router Advertisement messages needed to establish IPv6 parameters.

Pockethernet app IPv6 SLAAC test screen

Ping test

You can perform ping tets for up to three IP address or domain names

The results include the pinged IP address (so that this test can also be used for DNS resolution) and the average ping time of 3 measurements.

If the ping test is requested, but no addresses are specified, Pockethernet will ping by default (1) the DHCP server, (2) the gateway, (3) the DNS server.

Pockethernet app Ping test screen

External IP test

With this test, you can check for an Internet connection and see the external IP address of the connection.

Using an external server (provided by ip-api.com), the IP information of your connection will be established, along with the ISP and AS name with an approximate physical location.

Pockethernet app External IP test screen

Quick test function

Pockethernet can perform a quick test of the network outlet or cable wihtout the use of the app. This may come handy if you don't have a device with the app installed nearby or simply don't want to launch it and you're only interested in basic network status.

While the device is powered on, connect it to the cable to be tested and press the power button one.

The device will then perform the following tests: Wiremap, PoE, Link, DHCPv4. The results will be indicated via the device LEDs.

Cable & PoE LED:

  • Green: Straight through or crossover cable detected. No further tests will be performed as there can't be anything else connected to the cable than the wiremap adapter.
  • Yellow: Cable open
  • White: Short circuit. Either a fault or an Ethernet port connected
  • Blue: PoE supply detected

Link LED:

Green if a 10-1000M link detected, stays unlit otherwise

Network LED:

Green if a DHCPv4 address obtained, stays unlit otherwise

Notices

Make sure you read and understand the below notices.