Third-Party Network Cable Certification: What You Need to Know

Reputable manufacturers promote and label cable, patch cords, and connecting hardware as "third-party certified," "verified," or "listed." It means that a manufacturer has independently determined that their products comply with industry standards. What exactly do these certifications mean? How do they differ from cable certification of an installed cabling plant? Let’s take a look.

What Is Cable Certification?

The dictionary defines "certify" as formal recognition that something possesses certain qualifications or meets certain standards. Certification testing does just that — it determines if cabling complies with a specific category or Class of cable according to the performance parameters outlined in the ANSI/TIA-568 or ISO/IEC standard 11801 industry cabling standards.

Yet the term "cable certification" can have different meanings to different people.

• Manufacturers might tout their cables as certified to industry standards. Third-party certification, such as Intertek’s ETL certification, indicates that the cable is certified to meet industry component standards.

• Cable certification can also refer to the certification testing of installed links to determine compliance with industry standards, such as determining if an installed Category 6A link complies with TIA-568 parameters for length, insertion loss, return loss, near-end crosstalk (NEXT), power sum NEXT, equal-level far-end crosstalk (ELFEXT), attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio (ACR), and more.

The distinction between a manufacturer’s "certified cable" and certification testing is that testing takes place after the installation of the cabling plant. Certification testing is required to obtain a system warranty and is vital to ensuring that the cabling was installed correctly. Certification testing also documents test results for every link, which can assist later troubleshooting or help installers protect their business by showing that the cabling passed certification testing at the time of installation.

What Is Third-Party Certification?

Components can be first-party certified, meaning that the manufacturer is self-declaring their products to meet whatever criteria they have defined for that product. (Is that trustworthy?) Products can also be second-party certified, which typically indicates that a company (perhaps the user or installer) has created its own certification program and its products meet the criteria identified by that program (still seems a little fishy).

In contrast, third-party certification indicates that a product has been certified by an independent, accredited third-party certification body to comply with specific industry safety, quality, or performance standards.

When products are third-party certified, the certifying body conducts random testing of products at their accredited test lab based on recognized industry standards or regulations. Third-party testing is a time-consuming and expensive process for manufacturers; it’s a known cost and time frame built into the budget and schedule for the launch of any new product. Manufacturers also pay annual fees to maintain a product’s certification, and they can expect periodic inspections to ensure ongoing conformance.

What Are the Benefits of Third-Party Certification?

To keep costs down, manufacturers design their products with certification requirements in mind. Some third-party certifiers offer pre-testing consultations during the design process, and manufacturers might choose to pay for these services to ensure that their final products will pass the big test on the first try. Third-party certification also means that any modifications to a product must be submitted for retesting and recertification, meaning more time and money.

With all the cost and time involved, why do manufacturers choose to go through this process?

First and most important, it’s often required by law or code to even sell or install a product within a specific region; in that case, manufacturers have no choice. The other reasons for third-party certification are to instill consumer confidence, to enable products to be immediately accepted in the marketplace, and to demonstrate that the manufacturer has taken the proper steps to ensure you’re getting a product that’s both safe and effective.

Types of Third-Party Certifications

In our industry, cable components are third-party certified for safety and performance. For safety, products are typically "listed," which is usually a requirement enforced by the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs). In contrast, "verified" indicates electrical transmission performance.

In North America, an Underwriters Laboratories (UL Solutions) listing ensures that cabling components meet safety requirements in accordance with the National Electrical Code (NEC), such as for smoke and flame characteristics. These listings determine if a cable is rated as a riser (CMR) or plenum (CMP); cables placed in the plenum (air-handling) space used for air circulation must hinder the spread of fire or release of toxic smoke. Similarly, a CSA Group listing (formerly the Canadian Standards Association) indicates that a product meets the Canadian Electric Code (CEC). CE and UL listings are virtually interchangeable, and a "CSA-US" or "c-UL" listing indicates that the product meets both U.S. and Canadian standards.

The European Union requires CE listing (the CE mark) to indicate that a product meets all the health, safety, and environmental requirements. Other parts of the world recognize UL, CSA, and CE, but some countries may have specific safety listings, such as the PSE mark in Japan or the SNI mark in Indonesia.

Another common cable certification in our industry is Intertek’s ETL certification. Intertek is considered a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) like UL. When "listing" a product to demonstrate it meets minimum safety standards, Intertek tests to UL standards. The only real difference between the two listings is the testing laboratory behind them.

Products can also be ETL "verified" for quality and performance, which indicates that the product has been third-party tested to ensure that it meets appropriate ANSI/TIA, ISO/IEC, EN, or IEEE performance standards. Unlike listings, verifications aren’t required, because electrical transmission performance doesn’t directly impact human safety. What verification does is provide confidence that the product you’re installing will provide the performance needed to support your customer’s network applications.

Does Fluke Networks Certify Cable?

Search Google or Amazon and you’ll find plenty of cables and patch cords labeled as "Fluke Certified." But let’s be clear: Fluke Networks does NOT certify or endorse cabling components.

We manufacture certification testers to help you certify an installed cable plant to TIA, ISO/IEC, and IEEE standards. We also provide test equipment to third-party certification companies and manufacturers for use in their own laboratories.

As a manufacturer, however, we never certify another manufacturer’s components. Our testers themselves are third-party certified, listed for safety, and verified for performance. In fact, Fluke Networks was the first test equipment vendor to obtain ETL verification to IEC Level V accuracy and ANSI/TIA-1152-A Levels IIIe and 2G — which means that our testers can help you reliably certify your cabling plant.

Because we don’t certify cabling components, any vendor labeling their components "Fluke Certified" is likely just saying that they’ve tested their components with a Fluke tester. We appreciate that they’re using our equipment to test their components, but these claims are false advertising. Whenever we see these statements, we act to have them change their wording.

The Value of Certification Test Reports

If you’re not familiar with a vendor who is (falsely) claiming "Fluke Certified," or if they simply state that their components were tested using a Fluke Networks tester, we recommend asking for the actual Fluke test report to verify those claims. You want the native LinkWare™ FLW file rather than a PDF report; FLW files are encrypted for security and cannot be edited and falsified.

For example, Fluke Networks DSX CableAnalyzer™ Series certification testers record all numerical values for every parameter on every link pair and graphically display results in traces. LinkWare test reports also show the selected test limits and specific Fluke tester used in the test, as well as the tester’s last calibration date and software version.

If a vendor provides you with a LinkWare test report, you need to understand how to read the report, know what type of test they performed, and carefully examine the results against their claims. Just because a vendor provides you with a test report showing a PASS doesn’t necessarily mean that the cable complies with industry standards or that it will still do so after installation. You have to trust the vendor that the report you get is for the actual cable you bought.

For example, a vendor may have done a simple single-ended test limit on a 1000-foot spool of cable, which will tell you near-end crosstalk and return loss but won’t determine insertion loss or far-end crosstalk. That’s why it’s crucial to certify every link after installation — and it’s the only way to acquire a vendor warranty.

Tools for Cable Certification Testing

Certification testing for manufacturer warranty and ensuring the standards compliance of an installed cable plant can only be done with a certification tester. Try the Fluke Networks DSX CableAnalyzer copper cable certifiers and our family of fiber certification testers, such as the CertiFiber® Pro for Tier 1 fiber certification and the OptiFiber® Pro OTDR for Tier 2 fiber certification.

Testers are also available for verification testing, which performs basic continuity functions, and qualification testing, which determines if the cabling can support a specific technology or applications (e.g., PoE, 10GBASE-T). These tools are primarily used on existing cable plants to verify cable plant changes, ensure performance for new devices, and troubleshoot network issues. The Fluke Networks LinkIQ™ is an easy-to-use network tester that can verify and qualify installed cable plants.

While some features overlap between test tools, understanding the difference between verification, qualification, and certification testing — and when to perform which type of test — will help you choose the right tool for the job.