Ethernet Tester

If you can't afford one of the many test machines out there, I suggest a packet sniffer. There are many free packet sniffer engines out there for a lot of different operating systems. Just search Google for "packet sniffers."

A modern Gigabyte mobo or similar mobo that has a ethernet port tester as part of the hardware, or are you asking about a tester to plug into your device?

I could make one for you at a cost as this is my job, making test solutions for the electronics industry.

But how about a RS-232 -> ethernet converter, or a embedded Linux PC on your desktop with some ethernet handling instructions plug 1 port into eth0 and the 2nd into eth1 and have a test program to cycle some loops to test your rigs.

all you need is a shitty old '486, 256Megs ram, 2 ethernet ports and a nice little HD, running embedded Linux,

You should be able to pick this up relatively cheap, and not bring down your server every time.

You could even run Windows NT.

I think that personally what you are looking for is almost impossible (no PCs and a cheap Ethernet tester) and even if you do find a tester(s) within your price range, what are you achieving?

Just a ping is the most basic test possible and it would appear to me that it could allow a partially defective link setup to pass such a primitive test, but not to work correctly at the customer through, for example, through put problems and errors.....

Surely you want to test your products fully in both directions before boxing up and selling? and for that to be done fully, you need to use the link in the same way that a customer does with full speed data from both ends, being fully checked for validity upon reception at the other.

To my mind, two PCs or laptops are the minimal test hardware and can still of course be used to run your business and finances at the same time, or as someone else mentioned, why not use older, cheaper PCs that you could pick up for almost pennies and use them as your communication test set up with say Linux or Win 98SE or similar......

I feel that you are being too cheap here and (like Microsoft often does) you will end up using your customers as test persons.....that is not good business practice.....

You haven't stated what kinds of tests you want to perform. If you are satisfied with the result you get from pinging through your converter, it would be quite easy just to add another network card to the machine you are currently using to ping.

Vermin suggested a packet sniffer, which will allow you to assess the integrity of packets sent through the device you are testing. You can use this software to develop tests that tell you more than just that your transmission is getting through. Very good packet sniffers are available at no cost.

Of course, a high-speed oscilloscope would also give you a good look at your device performance, but it would probably exceed your budget.

Most inexpensive network testers will not work because they are continuity testers, which doesn't work so well with fiber. The network analyzers you are talking about start at $1500 and go up from there. Fluke sells a nice one for $3500. But I did find a cheaper solution. It is called Pinger plus by Psiber. It cost around $350 bucks. Basically it has it's own mac address and you can assign it an IP address. If you get two of them, you don't even need a PC to do your test.

The Pinger is probably what we need...Thanks

Just to clarify...this test is not the only test regime we do on the product. We do extensively test each individual unit through other processes. Pinging is only a small process after test and assembly for an assembly person with no technical background to do a quick test. The product then goes through a more thorough test before being QC'ed and boxed. I am trying to eliminate a PC usage from a non technical person.

Why do you want to do that, secondhand PCs are cheap, cheaper than any test equipment.

That person may improve their knowledge and become even more useful to you....

Perhaps I am missing some special point, please clarify.

You can run a PC with a program pinging constantly with large text showing the result as pass or fail. The operator only plug the device in and read the result then unplug the device. The operator don't even need the keyboard or mouse.

i could like very dificulty in our product pls send qutation