October 22, 2014 – Can you imagine a voltmeter costing you $1500? If so, how many would your shop have on-hand? That’s been the problem with network testers of the past (to the chagrin of “ethernet-touchers” everywhere), until now, that is, with Fluke’s new LinkSprinter.

We spoke with inventor James Kahkoska, who explained the No. 1 customer feedback they were getting was the lack of a “personal tool”; investing in network testers had heretofore been too expensive and, for many, too complicated. Ethernet-touchers wanted a tool that was simple to use and affordable, so everyone could have their own.

“Lots of energy went into bringing the cost down,” said Kahkoska, adding that it wasn’t until the smartphone came along far enough—and the cloud, too—that Fluke could make this tool. Herein lies LinkSprinter’s simplicity; it is a pocket-sized ethernet tester that provides problem isolation within seconds for several key metrics:

• Power over ethernet (PoE)
• Link to the switch
• DHCP connection
• Gateway connection
• Internet connection

LinkSprinter’s power, however, is revealed when combined with your smartphone. “We’re not chasing the app game,” said Kahkoska, meaning any smartphone with a browser (iOS, Android, etc.) will work with the tool. With their devices, users can derive additional information about the tests on-hand. And, when combined with LinkSprinter’s Cloud Service, you can store, manage, analyze, email and annotate network test results, and generate custom reports.