Discuss how to use test equipment to detect hardware problems.

What will be an ideal response?

For really difficult hardware problems, such as intermittent connections, it may be necessary to use sophisticated test equipment, such as a cable tester (UTP), time domain reflectometer (TDR) for coax, optical TDR (for fiber), or a network analyzer. After you have used a piece of test equipment enough, you will trust its operation and this will help you when diagnosing a problem. For example, if you just put a new RJ-45 connector onto the end of a UTP cable and your cable tester says there is a reversed pair, you should believe the cable tester. You may look at the connector and think all the wire colors are in the correct position, but looks can be deceiving, and the cable tester does not lie.