Different Types of Testers: Verifyer, Qualifyer and Certifyer

22.05.2023 | What is the difference between a verifyer, a qualifyer and a certifyer? Find out the difference and learn where to use which of them.

Field testers typically consist fo two units which are connected to each end of a link. A common term for the unit that is used at the patch panel is “local unit“ or just “local“, “main unit“ or just “main“ or “display handset“. The unit that is used at the other end of the link is called “remote unit“, “remote handset“ or just “remote“. Depending on the model, either both units or only the main unit might have a display that shows any failures.

When looking for field tester, you might come across the terms verifier, qualifier and certifier. The first two are rated as testers, the latter as a measuring device as it can measure a multitude of high-frequency parameters.

Verifying is a very basic test, e.g. for continuity wire map.

Qualifying means testing what data rates can be transmitted, e.g. testing whether a link is suitable for 10 Gigabit Ethernet according to IEEE 802.3. This can be done by tesing the bit error rate for example. In this case, the main unit transmits a certain series of ones and zeros (bits) and the remote unit checks how many of the received bits are correct.

Certifying is the common acceptance test of the cabling. The certifier measures and calculates different parameters and compares the the results with the values that are specified by the relevant standards like ISO/IEC 11801 and TIA-568.