220-1101 Question 169
Single answerCable stripperA technician is terminating several Cat 6 Ethernet cable runs in a small office. After crimping the RJ45 connectors, the technician notices that one cable fails certification and inspection shows that a conductor was nicked while the outer jacket was being removed. Which tool should the technician use differently to prevent this problem on the next cable?
- A
Cable stripper
- B
Tone generator and probe
- C
Loopback plug
- D
Punchdown tool
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is cable stripper. In twisted-pair cable work, best practice is to remove only enough outer jacket to terminate the cable while avoiding damage to the individual wire pairs. A nicked conductor can lead to poor signal quality, failed cable certification, or intermittent connectivity. CompTIA A+ Core 1 commonly expects candidates to recognize the correct purpose of basic networking tools. A cable stripper is specifically designed for safely removing the jacket from cables such as Cat 5e and Cat 6. By contrast, a punchdown tool is used for jacks and patch panels, a tone generator and probe is used for tracing cables, and a loopback plug is for testing ports. Following manufacturer guidance for the stripper and maintaining pair twists as close as possible to the termination are standard cabling best practices.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A cable stripper is used to remove the outer jacket from network cable without damaging the internal conductors. If used improperly or set to the wrong depth, it can nick or cut the copper pairs inside the Cat 6 cable, which can cause failures during certification or intermittent network issues.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A tone generator and probe are used to identify and trace cable runs, especially in walls or patch panels. They do not remove cable jackets and would not be the cause of a nicked conductor during termination.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A loopback plug is used for diagnostic testing of ports and interfaces by sending transmitted signals back to the device. It has no role in stripping cable insulation or preparing twisted-pair cabling for an RJ45 connector.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A punchdown tool is used to seat and trim wires into insulation displacement connectors, such as on a patch panel or keystone jack. While improper use can damage conductors at the termination point, it is not the tool used to remove the outer cable jacket before crimping an RJ45 connector.