I have looked around the net and have found many network/cable testers and they are not cheap... if you do find a cheap one, >$150, you pay for what you get...

Is there any way I can use the Nerd Kit to make a network/cable tester? I bet there is, I am just not sure how or where to start. First of all, I am talking about Cat5,5e,6 Twisted Pair... just so we are on the same page...

Most cable testers, with a terminator device at one end of the cable, can find shorts, or crossed wires. Others can actually tell how long the cable is. I have played with one Fluke that can do this with out a terminator at the end, and can tell the length of EACH wire. Most can only tell the length of a pair of wire with a terminator to bridge the wires and can tell resistance by the distance (something like that). Most will put tone on a cable so you can trace them out with a wand of sorts, (called a toner, follow the cable with the tone or sound). Some can even be on the network and to pings and other computer like tasks... I can go on...

Is it possible to do this stuff? and how much of these tasks can really be done?

Example of a reasonable/cheap test tool.

"http://www.techtoolsupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TP600"

The answer is unequivocally YES!

BM