LinkRunner Reviews

My use cases revolve around determining 

• how much PoE power is coming out
• if I have the port configured so that it will present me with an IP address for that access point
• what port that I have it plugged into on the switch.

I use it for other things as well, but those are the day-to-day uses, 98 percent of the time.

I plug in the unit and it will tell me good things like how much PoE power is coming out and whether it can support one of the fanciest wireless access points. In addition, I will know if I have the port configured so that it will present me with an IP address for that access point, and what port I have it plugged into on the switch.

I don't necessarily need to take a laptop with me anymore. I like that I don't have to carry multiple tools to do the basic job of knowing if the cable is good, or if the port or network is available to do the job. It reduces the amount of equipment you need.

The ability to streamline installation and triage is helpful. For example, I had a job where I rewired a room. I had all the cables going to the network closet and terminated all of them. I plugged them all into the network switch, and then it was a matter of going from port to port to port in that room to see whether or not they all had basic connectivity. The results I was able to get with LinkRunner met my "hurry up, let's see if they all work" requirement so that I could put the room and all the furniture back together quickly.

In terms of troubleshooting, it helps when it comes to PoE. If I need a Class 3 or Class 4 level of power, meaning I need all 30 watts to be coming out of my network switch to be able to boot up an access point, I can plug the unit into a network jack and it will tell me if that jack is presenting the amount of power necessary. If not, it will tell me what it did put out. That lets me know there's either something wrong with the cable or the cable run is too long to present the needed power over that distance.

Another example where it helped with troubleshooting was in pulling up IP and DNS. I found out that at a particular site I was actually getting my responses for DCP and DNS from my failover site, not from the primary. That let me know that there was something wrong. When I looked into it in more detail, I found out that the response time was slower from the local server than it was from the remote server. That clued me in that I needed to tell somebody about that.

If I compare the time it takes me now, versus my old mindset of four years ago, to do a single job, LinkRunner has cut it down to about one-third of the time. It has made me more productive.

I like the fact that I can tell the equipment to stop at a certain point during the test of a cable, to see whether or not there is basic connectivity. I can stop it before it starts pinging the outside world, such as Google or, perhaps, our core network switch. Those basic results—do I have a basic connection and power—finish up fast and I can move on. The fact that I can stop it at certain points, if that's the targeted job for the day, is helpful. It does the job fast enough, producing accurate information every time.

I don't use the online results because I don't pay for the account. Right there, on the spot, the handheld gives me what I need to know. I don't have to report to anybody else. I am the guy who needs the information.

The AutoTest feature is pretty much the only button I use. It provides me with 100 percent of the information I need. There are a lot of other cool things available, like speed tests, but I don't use them. The Auto-Test gives me the POE, the DNS, DCP, responses, and which switchport it is on. That one button gives me all the most important information for my needs.

Overall, what I like about it is that I can do jobs quickly and tailor them in a way that I like.

Other than the battery not lasting long, it's easy to use.

A feature that I would like to see is the ability to send a tone down the cable. That would be great. I have to use a separate tool for that. If I'm trying to troubleshoot a cable that is not plugged into a network switch, I need the ability to tone.

I have used two or three different products from NetAlly, but I have been using the LinkRunner 10G for about a year.

I've had no issues with it at all.

I used the technical support one time when I wondered what happened to my online account. I found it was no longer there because that amount of time is what you get with the product. You don't get the online features forever.

When I asked about the software updates, I got all the answers quickly and they were clear. The tech support provided me with the answers to my questions. They weren't necessarily the answers I wanted to hear, but at least they were the answers to my questions.

I have used the company's older products. I also have some Fluke equipment, but not the type that runs IP lookup and the functions that the LinkRunner has. The Fluke equipment is not the same.

Was it easy to figure out, out-of-the-box? I would say that the typical guy doesn't read the manual. If creating the Link-Live Cloud Service account wasn't part of the initial process, the time it would have taken me to figure it out would have been about 30 seconds. And 20 seconds of that was because it took that long to boot up. It's extremely easy. It's just that they send you through a lot of steps to enjoy the Cloud Service features that, after that initial time frame, I didn't use.

Compared to another company's product, LinkRunner is cheaper, but it's still about $1,000 too expensive, considering that the operating system is a free operating system. The OS has just been tweaked to give you a graphical interface. I don't think it's priced right. I don't consider it to be of appropriate value, even though it's cheaper than the competitor. The price is just too high.

If it were $1,000 cheaper, we would see ISDs (independent school districts) using this product. The local ISD here saw me using the product and didn't know about it. When they realized how expensive it was, they weren't able to purchase it.

You do get the ability, out-of-the-box, to save test results automatically to NetAlly’s Link-Live Cloud Service, but it's not a free cloud after your initial subscription. I looked at it and was able to see the results online, but it was useless to me. I don't need to pay for something that's not necessary for this college. Nobody needs that data. For me, the online account and the ability to put things up on the cloud is not important.

I definitely looked at products from Fluke, but there are not many out there that have the level of functionality that the LinkRunner has. It didn't take long to realize there are only two or three choices out there that are in the price range that a community college can buy.

The big factor was the price tag.

We use it for general connectivity issues and trying to determine throughput on fiber and throughput on the wired part of the network. We have a lot of excess network traffic and we are trying to determine if it is inherent to a particular run of fiber or a particular network switch. We've been chasing activity around campus for most of the year, including VLANs and things of that nature. A lot of it was pretty simply explained and it was really easy to see on this device.

The AutoTest feature is really important because it saves time. Instead of chasing something down the old, manual way, with a ping test and a tracer, and a tone-tester loop-back process, AutoTest saves me something like eight to 10 hours every week.

In terms of network validation, and copper and fiber Ethernet configuration, I can't imagine life without LinkRunner devices. The minute I got the 10G, everybody was fighting over it. They had never used such a device before and it was just breathtaking for them to very quickly see the validation you can gain from these devices. Without one, it's a manual process where you're chasing your head in circles.

When it comes to troubleshooting, I don't even know how to measure its value. It gives you the information you need, when you need it, very quickly. When you're dealing with a school, like we are, you don't have a lot of time. When technology breaks, learning stops, and that's the core product. I can't imagine not having something like this to help me and my team track down intermittent issues. The amount of time it saves me on troubleshooting varies but I would estimate it's several hours a week, on average.

The speed of the device means that, for what we're looking for, it usually takes 30 seconds to a minute.

Another benefit is the automatic upload of test results to the Link-Live Cloud Service. Over a period of a month, that feature saves me several hours. I can look back on a particular activity at the time it happened and know what we tested and what we found. It has demonstrated its value that way very easily.

You can very easily see the VLAN structures and which port is involved on the switch. A lot of detailed information comes back.

It's also helpful that I have both my devices connected to email. Every time they're used I get an email that shows me the test results—fail/pass—and the details around it. When I get back, I review where I was and recall all the details without having to scribble them down on a piece of paper.

If the results were not automatically saved to NetAlly’s free Link-Live Cloud Service, it would lose a lot of effectiveness. Without that, you would have to depend on the memory of the device or walk around with a notepad and scribble things down, and hopefully you'd be able to read what you wrote when you got back. Having that automated process is very important, and knowing it is there even made it easier to make the purchase.

Also, being able to do a packet capture is important. 

AutoTest largely gives you a snapshot of what the network is looking like on that particular leg. It helps trace down if we have connectivity. We have a unique setup in the way we structure our VLANs, so it's just important to know which port on a switch is tied to which VLAN structure. When you're out, you're not going to necessarily log in to the switch and automatically start looking. You need to know, "Is this on this VLAN or that VLAN?" Given that they're not necessarily marked clearly, the LinkRunner device makes it a lot easier to really quickly say, "Okay, I need to move this port because this one is dead. Where is another VLAN for it?" You can very quickly determine which of the ports will work.

Also, on very long runs at the end of a building, I am able to do a more in-depth cable test to see if we've got a mismatched pair or a loose wire that needs to be punched down. You can very easily tell when you've got an intermittent connection. 

And, of course, the performance of it is pretty handy too. You can start an analysis of what's going on and look at what outgoing port you're going at.

I've been using LinkRunner for about a year. It was actually the first purchase I made when I got here. I had a couple of LinkRunners, not the 10G but the wired and wireless combined one, the AirCheck G2. I also have that here. I used that at my previous school for a couple of years.

We've never had any issues with the LinkRunner.

I've never had to use their tech support, which is a good thing.

In the school where I'm now working, they didn't have any testing devices before I arrived. They did whatever they could, but there was no intelligent testing available. They would just look at the network activity on a switch, which isn't really helpful at all. 

I went with LinkRunner in my current job because of my prior experience with it. 

Getting it set up was very easy, almost seamless. It was almost plug-and-play. There was just not a lot to it. Within 30 minutes of utilizing it and doing a few tests, you see that it's very user-friendly. Most users adapt to it very quickly and find what they're looking for.

We have seen value from the product from day one. It's worth every dime we paid for it, 100 percent.

The area where the product could be improved is by having a lower cost so that I could have more than one. The price is competitive, but everybody would always like to see the price go down. I'd buy another one if it were cheaper.

When I moved into my current job, I got my manager to get one mainly to do 10-GB network testing for our upcoming products.

We use it every day now. The rest of the guys in my team use it for network discovery a lot, such as for making sure that most of our devices that run 10-GB are getting proper throughput around the network. We also use it for bandwidth checking.

Our company manufactures a lot of AV equipment and there are network ports available on them. We use the tool to set up the network for a particular device or product that we're about to release.

Before I joined the company and introduced the product to my manager, we were running around tracing cables and guessing what port or what VLAN is in that particular port in the field patch. With LinkRunner, we can just plug it into the port and it detects which VLAN and how much power it's outputting and what port on the switch we're plugged into for that field patch. It's made things a lot easier in terms of troubleshooting clients' networks.

It has reduced troubleshooting time immensely. The guys have more confidence when they troubleshoot things now. They don't have to go back to their desks and log in to the switch and check. They can just bring that device to the port and check what VLAN and which port switch number it is. Having this tool and information easily obtainable is a key component for day-to-day troubleshooting.

The fact that test results are automatically saved to NetAlly’s free Link-Live Cloud Service enables remote users like me to see things from the office. If I get one of my guys to go and have a look at a port or to check something, I don't have to go with them. I have a look at the information remotely. That's very useful for us.

And we use the Cloud Service even more for archiving. Our office is more like a campus. People come and go. Being able to configure and check ports, and then archive that particular port in Link-Live is very useful for us. We can go back and say, "Okay. That port used to be that." It's like a change-control. It's good to have that functionality so that we can go back and look at how a port was configured back then.

The most valuable features are the 

• AutoTest for the network
• port testing
• network test performance.

AutoTest is very helpful. It's very streamlined and it's very easy to set up and very easy to identify what we want to achieve. It's probably the feature we use the most. It provides us with LLTD, which is very useful. It helps us to discover devices from the other side. If they have link layer discovery protocol or CDP enabled, we can actually check the device that we're plugged into, as well as the port and tag; the Layer 2 information. 

That is very useful for us because we always have labs testing new products that we are about to release. The ability to record the results from the AutoTest, such as what interface speed it's negotiating, and the PoE on that port, helps us when releasing new products, as a part of our lab networks.

And when it comes to documenting ad hoc additions, moves, and changes of wired ethernet connections, it works very well. We can organize the results by folders, so we can see what's been changed over a certain amount of time. That's really good.

It's also amazing when it comes to troubleshooting. It's really helpful for us, especially if we're identifying a 10-GB network, or whatever our product is negotiating. We're very happy with it.

As for its ease of use, the apps are very well-designed. They're very easy to use and understand.

I'm also pretty impressed with LinkRunner's speed in providing results. As long as it's connected to the internet or WiFi, it's pretty quick in uploading the results to the cloud.

And the Link-Live website is pretty easy to use. You can create folders and tag them. It's very, very well-designed.

It's a bit bulky. It would be nicer if it were a little bit smaller and packed with all its features. I would also like it if the screen were a bit bigger.

I've been using NetAlly since it was called NETSCOUT, when I was with a previous company a long time ago. I've been using the LinkRunner 10-GB for almost six months.

It's very stable. I haven't seen it crash or had any issues with lockup or freezing of the unit.

If we want to go further, it's going to be a bit more expensive. Cost is the factor when it comes to adding to our use. For us, it's not that scalable as a result, but it's a good tool for us to have even just one of. I would like to have more of them. Some of our new products will be moving into a space where we need to start using more network-capable devices such as the LinkRunner.

At the moment there are five of us using it in the roles of desktop support, systems engineer, me as network engineer, another guy who looks after the Cloud Services, and my manager.

I have not used their technical support.

The documentation on the Link-Live support is pretty straightforward. It's a bit confusing sometimes but it's not too bad for figuring out where to go if you need support.

Neutral

We evaluated other options but because I had used this product at a previous job that made it a lot easier for me to show the rest of the team how to use it. 

I looked at Axence NetTools but it was not as feature-rich as LinkRunner.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. This is my second NetAlly product, so it was a lot easier for me to set it up.

We purchased it through a reseller and the experience was great. He invited me over to his office and showed me all the NetAlly products. I told him my use case scenarios and he gave me an idea of which NetAlly product we could use. That was very helpful.

We see return on our investment because we can test 10-GB throughput. That is helpful already because it's hard to find a solution that can do 10-GBtesting with a touch and portable device, one that we can carry everywhere we go.

The pricing and the support licensing is not that complicated. Just make sure you talk to your reseller about how many years you're buying, in connection with your Link-Live account or your AllyCare Premium Support Services. You have to be aware of that.

We did purchase a WiFi dongle so that we can connect it to WiFi.

I would buy another one if I had a chance but they're too expensive. If they made it a bit cheaper, I think a lot of network engineers and network administrators would immediately jump onto it. At the moment, they're just using whatever open-source product they can to do pretty much what LinkRunner can do.

You get what you pay for.

So far, we're loving it. It's a good product. Don't hesitate to buy one if you have the budget.

I work for a college and we have mostly been using it on campus, whenever we've been adding fiber optic links between switches or routers, to identify paths and determine if they're plugging into the intended switch and port, before we plug it in with the actual switch.

The other use case is that we're starting to do troubleshooting with LinkRunner but we haven't done a lot of that yet. If we're seeing errors on a link, we're trying to use it to identify the source or the severity of them using something that is not part of our switching structure. Having something that's a separate standard or measuring device is very appealing.

Given that some of the kinds of links that we need to do on campus are going from building to building, sometimes that can be tricky if you're doing it by yourself. With LinkRunner it is much more practical to do that as one person, without having another at the end or in between. I have been able to pretty confidently evaluate the link all the way, at every step in the process, rather than plugging it in at the end and looking at the switches to see what the status is. 

In addition, with the AutoTest feature, it's good to have the PoE validation or reporting, as well as the detailed LLDP information at the same time. And it provides ping-level information to both local and remote websites. That information is pretty significant because we have a variety of APs with differing power requirements, and a variety of switches with differing levels of PoEs. I anticipate that we'll be able to use this to more readily identify if we've got the proper power when we're installing some of the newer, more power-hungry APs.

In general, I like the idea of the Link-Live Cloud Service a lot. That was something I'm not even sure I knew about beforehand. I may have read about it in the sheets, but hadn't looked at it in any detail at all. It should help save time because I know I don't have to worry about the results on the tester itself. I know that they're going to be on the cloud and I'll get notifications about them too.

One of the most valuable features may seem really small, but it's really helpful. The LLDP decoding is better than on some of the other devices that we've used. Specifically, it goes beyond the minimum of the LLDP data to decode, and it shows the LLDP port descriptions. That makes it vastly simpler to identify which port you're connecting to on a switch that's patched back to some other building, rather than having to figure out an SNMP index or something else.

Its ability to simplify network validation and configuration of fiber Ethernet networks has been very good. It has certainly helped anytime we've been doing something where we wanted to evaluate it beforehand.

On the troubleshooting side, from what I've seen, I think the Link-Live is going to be a big plus with the automatic storing of data on the cloud. I expect to have to take fewer pictures of my tester to record something. And while I haven't used it at all, I'm expecting to like the LAN BERT function for more extensive troubleshooting or validation of a link at higher levels.

It's also pretty easy to use, at least when it comes to the primary functions. I haven't used the most advanced parts yet, but I was certainly able to make use of the basic features relatively quickly. For instance, the AutoTest, was literally a matter of plugging it in and pushing "AutoTest." I was able to evaluate the information that it gave back.

The speed at which it provides results is very good. It seems very quick.

The only thing that comes to mind is that it does take a little while to boot up if it's turned off.

We got LinkRunner in the fall of 2021, so we have had it for about four months.

It has primarily been me using it in my role as network administrator, being involved in physically adding links in different places. What I expect we'll be doing in the relatively near future is to have the couple of people who also do physical port activations and switch installs make use of it in the same way I do.

I haven't noticed any stability problems on the unit.

We got it for 10-Gb links and below. There will certainly be a point where we want to do 40-Gb links, but I realize that that's a big jump from where this device is. And it has already made a big jump, going from 1-Gb links to 10. We're satisfied with that for now.

I haven't used their technical support, although there was one strange issue. The case that it's in has a Velcro strap, and the stitching that held the Velcro on was defective. It was coming undone. I went through customer support and identified that by answering an email and uploading a photo. It was a pretty painless process and, relatively quickly, they sent a replacement case for it.

Positive

I've used another NetAlly product, but it is a lower-level product. I also used an older Fluke model. I haven't used a newer Fluke device.

The key thing we were looking at in switching to LinkRunner was the higher speeds that are available. The 10-Gb capability was a real plus. It's also newer and much more modern.

When I look at its cost versus its ability to save time or solve problems faster, it's good. I'm perfectly happy with it.

It's an expensive device. Don't expect it to be cheap. But the pricing is good. It certainly seemed in line with anything else I was looking at at the time.

The range of NetAlly devices that I saw at the time gave me confidence that I could pick from other devices if I was looking for something with different capabilities at a different price point. But my first priority was the 10-Gb capability, and this was the first in their product line that did that.

I was looking around generally, so I probably ran across some others. But the NetAlly products seemed to have extra features like the test accessory, which is the remote iPerf server. That's a nice, handy thing to be able to plug in somewhere.

I expect the LAN BERT function will take some time to learn because I haven't used that yet. I need to read a little bit more about it, and I need to pair it with another device.

In terms of maintenance, it doesn't require any, as far as I know.

I haven't used those advanced features yet, but from everything I've seen, it's a 10 out of 10. I haven't come across anything that's been disappointing. It has been able to do the things that I've tried to do with it.

We use it to test customers' networks, either fiber or Category 6 cable. We run BERT tests to analyze the fiber or cable.

For example, next week I'll be using it at a customer who is stating that they ran a bunch of data cables and they're hiring us to validate the cables and make sure there are no problems with it. Their IT department is saying when they installed the network, everything slowed down. We'll go in there and use LinkRunner.

The effect on how we work has been huge. It takes the guesswork out of everything. If a customer says that they're having issues with speed and they're blaming it on the cable, we can completely nip that in the bud and show them exactly what the cable and/or fiber is doing. It takes those variables out of the equation, so they can look in other places.

When it comes to troubleshooting, it's excellent. It's great. Although I haven't done that much troubleshooting with it, it takes speculation out of the picture. If there is a bad cable or bad fiber, it will tell you. We can use it to troubleshoot and verify or certify the cable.

LinkRunner has made our networking staff significantly more productive. It cuts down the time they spend, per job, by a couple of hours.

Among the best features are the

• touch screen 
• menus, which are pretty easy
• and the reports, which are great.

In terms of network validation, the tool makes it very easy to run a test.

The AutoTest feature makes it easy for you on both ends. It's an excellent feature, especially if you're by yourself. You plug one end in and you hit AutoTest. It sits and waits for you to plug in the other end and it starts testing. It's also helpful when you're with a second person. Once the second guy goes to the next jack or the next fiber, you hit AutoTest and then that guy plugs it in and it tests. It saves a lot of time and gives you a lot of information, depending on what you're testing.

The speed at which it provides results is excellent. It's extremely fast and efficient. It's not a time-waster.

I also love NetAlly’s free Link-Live Cloud Service where the test results are automatically saved. It's like a backup. It's always there. Later, you can get on your computer and get the results, and you can print them out. It's much easier than transferring the data from the unit to a thumb drive or connecting it to a computer. It makes things more efficient and easier.

I would like to see better documentation on how to use the unit. I watch a lot of YouTube videos about it, but I'd rather have a paper manual. That would be better instead of flipping through a file.

I've been using LinkRunner for over a year and a half.

This is my second unit. I had issues with the first one, it just wouldn't turn on.o they sent me a new one. Since then, everything has been fine.

The tech support is great. If you're not familiar with any of the types of tests, you call tech support and they'll walk you through them. They'll ask you, "What do you want to do?" When you tell them, they say, "Oh, go here, here, here," and you're testing away.

You can call their support anytime and someone will answer. They're very knowledgeable and will help you. We use the tech support for education about the unit. If someone forgets how to do something, they're able to call and support will walk them right through it.

Positive

I used a Fluke in the past, and then it became part of the independent company called NetAlly. I still use the Fluke product to this day. The LinkRunner 10G has many more functions than the Fluke LinkRunner. We switched to stay up with the times.

There was no setup. I was able to use it straight out of the box.

It's a little bit tough getting used to at first, but once you get the hang of it, and once you start using it more, like anything, it gets easier. The difficult part, at first, is knowing where to find each test and how to use the tests. 

There's a lot more that I still need to learn about it. I've had it for over a year and a half and there is still a ton I can learn. It just takes time. Right now there isn't a lot of time during the day to sit down and play with it. Once you do learn something, it takes a while to retain it. But there are now certain tasks that I constantly use it for and I have them down pat.

Compared to what I paid for it, it's paid for itself three times over. It's just a great tool. I was getting value from it almost immediately, and definitely within the first three months.

The first time we used it to test things for a customer who was having problems, it turned out it wasn't the cable, it paid for itself right there. It validated the investment on the spot.

It's worth every dime. It's a valuable tool in our toolbox. All our customers are impressed when we pull it out. We use it and give them the results.

It's expensive but you definitely get what you pay for. I would buy another one if I had to.

We use it as much as possible. It's brought out to validate any type of cabling. It's a great tool. NetAlly is a great company, from my local rep to tech support.

My company has been spinning up a lot of offices, so we use LinkRunner to verify that the copper and fiber cables are installed correctly and will meet multi-gig needs. We also use it for general troubleshooting that occurs with the various built-in tests. We have two devices shared by four or five junior and senior network engineers.

LinkRunner makes the configuration of the copper and fiber Ethernet networks a lot simpler. The kit comes with modules that you can plug in, so it will do pair matching and everything else on the screen. We can ensure that everything has been terminated properly.

It also uploads to NetAlly's cloud, creating a record of all the tests that have been run. We can easily see when something new is tested by a technician in the field and add the test to the documentation. We know when something has been added and whether it meets the installation requirements. This is crucial for us and it's easy to access the data after it uploads. We can sign into the cloud, or it'll email us the results after each test.

The client integration is a huge time saver. Older products from this vendor required us to hook our device to our laptop via USB and manually transfer. At the end of the day, everything is automatically uploaded to the cloud. We're getting the testing done faster, which saves us at least a day per location.

I like that LinkRunner is an all-in-one device with a touchscreen interface. I don't have to pair it with a phone or anything else to get the full functionality. The built-in tests are one of the most significant advantages. It will pull an IP, ping the gateway, ping out to the Intra, and report everything on the screen. It will tell me when a test completes or fails and why.

We don't have to worry about carrying multiple devices. When we’re going into a situation to deploy or troubleshoot, we don't want to take a whole bag of stuff. This comes with a little strap so we can wear it on our hips.

AutoTest is another feature we use. It provides a power rating and does the basics post on IP. It has thresholds to tell me if a DHCP request takes longer than expected or the DNS takes longer to resolve something based on thresholds we've set. AutoTest is critical for troubleshooting because it helps diagnose network issues. If it's an issue with a DNS server or DHB server, then it is not traditionally a network issue.

Overall, it's easy to use. When I hand it to junior technicians, they can figure it out in a few minutes and test whatever they need. The results display quickly after the initial boot and testing. The unit also has a built-in camera, so we can snap pictures of the wall plates and other field items when we're troubleshooting or looking at a new install.

One area where LinkRunner could be improved is the battery life. Depending on which tests are run, it gets a decent six to eight hours. However, sometimes we need to do back-to-back shifts to meet a deadline, and we need access to an outlet to keep it plugged in and charging. It takes about an hour or two to charge.

I'd also like to see NetAlly add the ability to test 40-gig fiber.

We've been using LinkRunner for about a year.

The OS is pretty stable. I think we've only had one crash, and that may just be because Android OS is running multiple test apps at once. We don't always remember to close them, so it's running a lot in the background. The device itself is sturdy, but I've only used it with a protective case, so I don't know how well it would handle a drop without it.

We were using a different NetAlly device previously. It was a LinkSprinter. We switched to LinkRunner because it does 10-gig fiber and 2.5-gig copper. LinkRunner also has cable mapping built into it. 

LinkRunner is a single device, which is an advantage over LinkSprinter. We don't have to pair it with our phone to get the features. With LinkSprinter, we plug it in, and it does the AutoTest. We must pair it to our phones to launch additional tests. We don't have to worry about keeping our phone connected, so it's more convenient.

There is some setup, but it's relatively straightforward. You need to register the device on the portal if you want the results emailed. You go put in the last eight digits of the MAC address for the device and connect to the network. It talks to the cloud, and the cloud is listening to that MAC address.

NetAlly does that for most of their tools, so it's the same portal if you have multiple NetAlly products. If you already have an account set up, you only need to add the new device to the portal. 

I can't give a dollar amount, but anything that saves time is worth the investment. It pays for itself if we look at our usage throughout the year and the time saved.

The price was fair. We bought LinkRunner with a bundle. One of the bundles came with the wireless tester as well as a bunch of other modules and adapters.

We took a cursory look at other solutions to see what's out there. LinkRunner seemed to be the most straightforward and feature-rich option. I can't recall the name of the other vendor, but it was a much larger device. LinkRunner fits in your hand. The other device is more of a tablet with modules and everything else. It was more unwieldy.

I rate LinkRunner ten out of ten. Even though it has some room for improvement, it's still the most feature-rich solution out of all the ones I've used.

We use this for daily work for desktop, network, server and infrastructure sections.  

It can be used in the office environment, factory floor, up in the rafters and out in the elements. With the device being rugged, it has withstood all that we've put it through with minimal issues.

It's a great product and worth every penny if you calculate hours lost with personnel and downtime of equipment.

The unit has saved hours and hours of troubleshooting and manpower on site. Other sections that are not in IT have also purchased these for wire map, tracing and testing.

I highly recommend getting the gold support because of the two issues that we've had over the five years. Throughout all of its use, the LinkRunner RJ45 jack on the top of the unit has been replaced due to wear and tear.

Bluetooth connectivity to a phone/tablet to manipulate if it's toning a line for an Access Point in the rafters and you're 250+ft away and 15" down.  Having to go back up in a lift to use the interface and then go back down again can be cumbersome.

Or something like the remote access that the OneTouch has to access the screen remotely.  That comes in handy.

I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement with a compared cost on the market yet.

Being able to use this as a reflector with OneTouch is very handy.

Top-notch, and I've been using Fluke/NETSCOUT for over 20 years.

Straightforward.

Get the gold support! It's worth every penny for the loaner while your device is in for maintenance.

• Solid body: Network engineers and technicians need devices that have hard bodies because they might drop it, pick it up with other equipment and so on.
• Authorized: It is stable and I am used to its reports. If you need to validate a cable, you can just calibrate it with a one-meter cable, and then test any cable again.
• Long-life battery

It helps me because I don’t have to call another technician.

• No touch screen
• It doesn't support USB flash storage
• It doesn't support WiFi

I have been using it for about two years.

Deployment was very easy. I did not even need a manual.

I never had any stability issues.

I have not encountered any scalability issues.

I rate customer service 80/100.

I rate technical support 80/100.

Initial setup was very easy.

An in-house team implemented it but I use it for my work.

We have achieved an ROI of 90%.

It is very expensive.

The most valuables features are:

• AutoTest (including testing a specific site/IP addresses)
• Cable testing
• POE testing
• Static IP testing-troubleshooting
• Switch port information

By using this product, we have reduced network troubleshooting and we spend less time and effort on installation.

Power over Ethernet (POE) Switch Port Charging Of Batteries is an area of the product with room for improvement.

We have used this product for a year and a half.

We previously used older Fluke Network Tools – NetRunner and NetTool Series 2.

The initial setup was straightforward.

Our procurement department selects the best price from proven and reliable suppliers.

We evaluated Ideal R153000 NaviTek II, T3 Innovation NP800 Net Prowler Cabling, and Advanced Network Tester.

• This is an invaluable tool for testing/troubleshooting network cable switch connections and for cable evaluation.

• Cable wire test: Shows me open wires in the Ethernet run.
• Switch: My favorite feature. Shows me switch IP and switch port. I don’t have to trace a wire run to locate a switch port.
• Auto test: It’s great to know if a problem exists due to DHCP or DNS issues.
• PoE test: My second favorite. PoE failures were a headache, but not anymore.

Troubleshooting doesn’t take as long. I can quickly locate a switch port and change a configuration within minutes. This device has decreased how much time we spend on a trouble ticket pertaining to network drops or connections.

I would like the ability to save screenshots for the switch and cable test. This will help with referencing the information as we move around the building troubleshooting.

Right now, the process is:

1. Connect an Ethernet cable and select switch.
2. The screen shows information about the switch, VLAN, etc.
3. Unplug the Ethernet cable and all the info is gone.

It would be nice to capture a screen shot for reference later. I don’t need a bunch but at least five; let’s say the previous five are automatically saved.

Same scenario with the cable test. You test a cable with the wire map connectors but you are unable to save the screen.

Right now, I have to take a pic with my phone for reference at a later time.

I have used it for just over a year.

I have not encountered any stability issues; works like a champ.

I have not encountered any scalability issues.

Technical support is expert.

We previously had a Fluke tester, but it didn’t give switch and port information.

Initial setup was easy cheesy.

I presented the cost to our manager, who didn’t hesitate, because it would reduce our troubleshooting time.

Before choosing this product, I did not evaluate other options.

You want more information and reduce time troubleshooting? This device is an all-in-one solution for troubleshooting network connectivity issues.