Reddit reviews Extech TG20 Wire Tracer and Tone Generator

From the looks of the spaghetti on the floor there, it looks to be 14 gauge.

There appears to be a mix of one 14x4 and two 14x2 wires.

This only looks like where the previous owner spliced and extended the wiring. 14 guage should be enough unless its a really long run.

You need to find where both ends terminate. One end should terminate where the speakers are located and the other terminate where the reciever or amp terminates.

You can use an app or a battery to test, but the easiest way to see where each goes is to use a tone generator.

I used a tone generator to find the wires I put in after my idiot contractor drywalled over all of them and it worked like a charm finding where they ran under the drywall.

Somthing like this would do the trick

https://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=tone+generator&qid=1564597096&s=gateway&sprefix=Tone+gene&sr=8-4

Multimeter and tone generator are going to be a must here.

Something cheap like this https://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1525382409&sr=8-4&keywords=tone+generator+and+probe&dpID=41weL%252BldgUL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch would do the trick nicely.

What you do is put the aligator clips on the panel end of a wire and then take the probe out to the different devices and listen for the tone. If you put the tone generator on a wire and you can't get a tone, switch it to the continuity setting. If the wire is showing continuity, then you'll want to open doors and windows one at a time until you see the continuity go away. You've just identified that wire.

Once you've identified where each wire goes, you'll need to identify where they're supposed to be tied into the DSC system. You'll need to look in the programming for that.

http://cms.dsc.com/download2.php?t=1&id=13598 is a direct link to the manual for your panel in PDF.

Get a tone tracer http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2

Normally used for telephone work. Cross connect wiring in a phone central office is usually all the same blue and white wire... Thousands of them from rack to rack. Tone generator sends out a signal. Receiver picks it up, gets louder as you get closer.

It looks like you have male RJ-45 ends on them. One option would just be to buy a switch and plug them all in that way. Plug your router/modem into the switch as well and they should all become active.

If you want a cleaner look, you could get a patch panel and terminate those cables to that and run patch cables to a switch.

If you want to find out what cables go where, I would suggest something like this toner to trace out the cables.

What about something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413756891&sr=8-2

I've had to diagnose a few mystery circuits in my house, too. Turn off the power, check with your non-contact tester to make sure it's not hot, then you can use a wire tracer like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1495645071&sr=8-10&keywords=continuity+tester

Take pictures of the wiring of every switch you take apart, so you can return things to the way it was before, if need be.

Use one of these to find and label each end.

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_1

Not an electrician, but am working on rewiring my own house:

I've found a toner/tracer to be valuable for more than tracing out circuits. I clip the toner to a 6 ft chunk of romex and put the other end of the romex against the baseboard, which allows me to find where to drill from the basement. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2

I like beaded chain (like the kind that's attached to a ceiling fan pull) that is attracted to a magnet. Attached to a string, and it seems to find itself down holes easily. One of those two foot magnetic screw picker uppers work nicely for grabbing the other end (https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-7611-24-Inch-Flexible-Magnetic/dp/B000NPR3ZW/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1480538832&sr=1-1&keywords=magnetic+screw+retriever). The local hardware store sells the chain for $0.29/foot - just be sure it's magnetic.

I also second fiberglass fish sticks. Harbor Freight has something like a 30 foot kit for about $15 bucks if I remember correctly.

Those Magnepull tools look nice, but man they want a lot of money for it. Is there a generic version?

Something such as this, you clip it to a pair of the wires in the room, in the central location use the probe to touch the wires and it will make noise the strongest when you are on the correct wire. Label both ends and then move on the the next drop.


Extech TG20 Wire Tracer and Tone Generator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_-73YDb7XV6KCC

This is a cheap set, but if all you are doing it this one thing, it should work fine.

Get a wire toner: Extech TG20 Wire Tracer and Tone Generator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Qf4MDbP9GV1ME

(This was the cheapest one, never used it, but I used the cheapest one at harbor freight)



Clip it to the wires at the doorbell button location and turn the sending unit to tone and take the receiver and turn it on and volume up and follow the wire through the walls by following the sound received from the wire

Pickup one of these to trace out the wires. They likely drywalled over them.

I would look harder for a sort of junction box for the cables for the rest of your house. Get a tool like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1488242973&sr=1-2&keywords=tone+generator+probe So you can trace where (2 of) the wires are actually going.

If you're having trouble finding them, connect the black lead to a ground wire and you'll start broadcasting the signal, and make it easier to find your tone.

They may even just be hanging behind drywall somewhere. Installers do that sometimes.

You should pick up a wire tracer if you can't find the ends. http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414521740&sr=8-1&keywords=wire+tracer

https://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/

$20, works great

>I have a home built in 1959 and I believe it must have had a doorbell at some point

Based on what info? Not all houses had doorbells, some had knockers in lieu of doorbells.

>I see some small gauge wiring that looks like doorbell wire going roughly toward the door in the since-finished basement ceiling, but I've not been able to find out where it terminates at either end.

Low voltage wiring could be doorbell, alarm, speaker, irrigation, thermostat......just because you see small gauge wire doesn't mean it was a doorbell wire.

If you're sure that wire isn't used for anything else, I would get a wire tracer, cut the wire in the middle and see if you can find one or both ends. Be prepared to splice it in a junction box if you determine it's being used for something else.

I would think that a thorough search of all lights and outlets in the vicinity would solve the mystery. check that the switch is off, find outlets that are off, flip the switch to see if they come on. Seems like you're done that but not exhaustively?

I've got a box similar to this - I could pull the switch out, clip on the generator and literally follow the wire through the wall to its destination. Make sure the switch is off so you aren't tracing supply. And, still sometimes the wire goes right up the wall into the attic and you end up wandering from device to device hunting for a signal.

Yeah should do if it's something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2

You might have to be literally touching the drywall though.

Also keep in mid that in most cases, when an apartment complex is set up with the ONTs in a common location, like yours, there is typically a Cat5e cable run from each apartment to the ONT room for landline phone purposes. This is very easy to repurpose for Ethernet. Just identify it (you may need a tone and probe kit for this), attach a punch-down Cat5e keystone jack to the end in your apartment, crimp an RJ45 plug onto the ONT end, plug it into the ONT, and call Verizon to have the ONT switched to Ethernet. I did just this for my brother's previous apartment.

No that's not a tone generator, that's just a voltage detector. It's good for confirming a circuit is dead before touching bare wires and for making sure there's not a wire in a wall when you are about to drill a hole.

This is a tone generator:
http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464230762&sr=8-2&keywords=tone+generator

The problem is almost certainly not behind a wall, unless someone put a junction under drywall which is not supposed to be done, or someone put a nail through one of your cables and severed a wire. But that stuff is rare compared to other kinds of problems that don't require ripping out walls.

For the breaker that does nothing, check to see if there's even a wire in it. I would leave it turned off if it was off when you found it, otherwise. You never know if someone left a live wire hanging somewhere stupid.

Can you get your hands on a wire tracer? https://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_5

You'll need to verify the circuit dead then just attach it and follow the wand. If you want to go totally fool proof just open your main disconnect.

maybe try getting a tone generator and then sniff out where all the lines lead and label them.

basically get one with the aligator clip and attach it to the cable in question, then go around to all of the outlets in your house with the sniffer and it will make a noise telling you where the signal is coming out.

you'll want to take the splitters off so it doesn't split the tone on to multiple lines.

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=pd_sbs_indust_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=0XQB5G5BZ1A4G36TP4W3

at least once you have everything labelled you'll know where its all going.

Looks to me like that edge cover should come off allowing you to remove screws or clips to bring down the speaker. You could then see what wires are connected to them and use one of these to trace them back to the termination point.

So the "data" portion of the MDX88300 is probably because of the satellite and probably phones. I am guessing you can tie it in with a security system? But it will be a no-go for internet.

Those Cat5 cables, however, should still work fine. You would just have to cap the ends with a standard RJ45 connector cap, and make sure it is wired correctly at the jack in the room. Then you can just plug it directly to your router at this point, IF you're going to place your router in that closet/room.

Or you can get a real patch panel and wire them directly into that, but you will need a punch tool for that. I only recommend that if you need to wire like 10+ computers to a network.

As far as the tone tester goes, I use this one for work. It's probably Chinese made and might break in a year, but it was cheap and I tested it....it works. You plug the little transmitter into the Ethernet port in the room, flip the switch to "Tone". Then go to your server closest, turn the wand on, and touch each cable until you hear a beep from the wand. That indicates which cable runs to that room. Then you cap it with the RJ45 connector, Mark it (with tape and sharpie), and move on to the next room.

Here's a cheap one :

amazon

>A continuity tester or tone generator with alligator clips will allow you to clip the leads on the bare cable and then take the wand and touch it to the cable, it will start screaming when the wand is touching the right cable.

Like this?

Extech TG20 Wire Tracer and Tone Generator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tswiDbBG6KJZY

I bought a tone generator and learned how to use it by watching youtube videos. worth very penny.

buy one of these

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TG20-Wire-Tracer-Generator/dp/B00APD16D2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463422577&sr=8-2&keywords=tone+generator+and+probe+kit

It's how they made the lightsaber sound, and is best bzzzzz