LinkWare Live passes 50M results uploaded as cabling contractors adopt the free cloud-based software for the new remote workplace

When pending shutdowns and social distancing requirements hit, organizations had to quickly figure out how to continue operations with most or all of their office staff working from home. Cable contractors were in the same boat when it came to cable certification testing. The project supervisor needed to set up the tests and upload them to the testing devices. And the field staff had to get the cable certification test results back to the office. Since most of the office staff was working from home, driving the testers back and forth from the jobsite to the office didn’t work.

LinkWare Live allowed for social distancing while continuing to work during the pandemic lockdown.

Challenges, challenges, and more challenges

In addition to getting the test results into their system so they could certify the install, cabling contractors had to deal with the other challenges of working during the pandemic. They had a leaner field staff at each location. They needed to minimize onsite time for those technicians to reduce potential exposure to the virus. And they still needed to complete the jobs as quickly as possible in case a shutdown might occur.

Cable certification is a major factor in moving construction projects forward so testing efficiency and accuracy became more important than ever. A lot was riding on having cable installed quickly and correctly the first time.

During this time, many cable contractors turned to a service that helped them address those challenges: LinkWare™ Live cable test reporting service from Fluke Networks.

Remote cable test setup and uploads expedite certification

LinkWare Live is a cloud-based service that allows technicians to set up tests at a central point and send them to the jobsite, manage those devices, upload test results from the testers, and generate reports all through the cloud. This allows contractors to manage cabling certification remotely and read the results on any device—smart phone, tablet, or PC—from anywhere.

Before cable links are installed, the cable IDs and test settings can be set up on a mobile device or PC and uploaded to the testers and labelers on the jobsite through the cloud. Field technicians print and attach cable labels, test the links, and upload test results from the jobsite to LinkWare Live via Wi-Fi. Project supervisors can monitor progress from anywhere and receive instant notifications if an error occurs. They can easily share the results with the customer and create quick reports automatically. Best of all, LinkWare Live is totally free.

This service was launched in 2014 and uploads climbed steadily. At the beginning of 2020 we had registered approximately 35 million uploads. As pandemic-driven shutdowns spread in Q2 2020, uploads dropped off significantly. But as construction projects restarted, LinkWare Live test result uploads increased as well, rising to over 50 million by the end of 2020.

LinkWare Live had 35 million uploads in early 2020, and passed 50 million by the end of the year.

Benefits of remote test result management

The growth of LinkWare Live, likely results from many benefits, including:

• Creating cable test setups remotely on a PC or tablet allows contractors to maintain consistency and avoid incorrect setups that would require repeat testing. The project manager can do this, if necessary, without leaving their work or home office.
• Uploading cable test results from the jobsite over Wi-Fi eliminates the time-consuming process of driving testers back to the office to upload.
• By automatically assigning results to the correct job, the software streamlines cabling management and eliminates the danger of overlooking a test, losing data, or assigning it to the wrong project.
• Printing labels directly from the LinkWare Live database ensures that cable identifier labels and test results match.
• Automatic updates through LinkWare Live ensure cable testers are always running the latest standards.

While this service provided some much-needed remote access cable test results during the COVID-19 challenges, the increased efficiency and cost benefits will extend far beyond the pandemic. One LinkWare Live customer reduced individual cable certification times by 79% and reduced overall project completion time by up to 70%. For example, a project that had taken them 12 hours to complete with their old cable testers can now be completed in just four hours. In addition to saving time, this service allows them to share test results with customers as soon as they are collected, through an intuitive user interface.

New capabilities are also being added. One of the most recent is the integration between LinkWare Live and Planet IRM, which allows network teams to view cabling in context with their overall IT infrastructure. This combination provides a unified view of an organization’s IT assets, layout, and interconnections which saves cable installation and troubleshooting time for IT staff and contractors.

To find out more about LinkWare Live, and sign up for your free account go to www.linkwarelive.com.