Test and Management Ports

On NetAlly testers, the Test Port is the interface used for most active network measurement and diagnostics. The Test Port may unlink and relink regularly as testing occurs.

The Management Port provides a more stable connection for software updates, Link-Live access, and basic testing and discovery.

AutoTest, the main comprehensive test app, always uses the Test Port. Other testing apps, such as Ping/TCP or Path Analysis, allow you choose from the test or management ports available on your EtherScope nXG.

The EtherScope nXG has two wired RJ-45 copper ports, an SFP/fiber port, and two Wi-Fi radios, each with specific test or management functions described in this section.

Either the top copper port or fiber port can act as the Wired Test Port at any given time, so in total, the EtherScope has four network interfaces:
1) Wired Test, 2) Wi-Fi Test, 3) Wired Management, and 4) Wi-Fi Management.

The Wi-Fi test radio is controlled by the General Settings in NetAlly applications, such as AutoTest and AirMapper. The Wi-Fi management radio is set up by the tester's system network settings.

See Selecting Ports below for more information.

Also see Buttons and Ports and the technical Specifications as needed.

CAUTION! Review the Network Security recommendations before connecting your tester to any network, and always follow your organization’s security policies.

Test ports can be disabled and enabled in the General Settings – Shared Test Controls.

EtherScope nXG Test Ports

Wired Copper Test Port: The copper test port is the RJ-45 port on the top of the unit. To disable, unplug the connection.

Wi-Fi Test Port: The internal Wi-Fi test adapter is a 2x2 tri-band 802.11ax wireless radio. To disable, see General Settings in the testing apps' left-side navigation drawer.

EtherScope nXG runs Wired and Wi-Fi AutoTests, Captures, Discovery, and other network analysis apps over the test ports. The Wi-Fi test radio is primarily controlled by the settings in applications, especially AutoTest.

START an AutoTest Wired or Wi-Fi Profile, or EZ apps, to establish a link on the Wired or Wi-Fi test ports.

Wired fiber connections and Wi-Fi Profiles must be initiated manually in the AutoTest or corresponding EZ app.

If other applications aren't currently using the wired test port, the EZ Wired Profile in the profile list automatically links when you power on a connected unit or when EtherScope detects a new copper link in the top Wired Test Port. (See When EZ Wired Profile Connects Automatically for details.)

Test Port Settings

The General Settings affect how you can use the test port. These settings are accessible from the left-side navigation drawer in most NetAlly testing apps.

The Use Wi-Fi test port option must be enabled for the test ports to function. (Enabled is the default setting.)

NetAlly also recommends that you enable all Wi-Fi Bands and Channels before setting up Wi-Fi Test Profiles:

  1. Tap the Wi-Fi Bands and Channels option to open the Wi-Fi Bands and Channels screen.

  2. Tap the Wi-Fi band(s) option to open a selection screen, and then enable all available bands.

  3. Tap the option for each frequency band to open a selection screen, and then enable all available channels for each band.

This process makes it easier to set up the Wi-Fi Test Profiles, which you can limit to specific channels, APs, SSIDs, etc. See AutoTest Wi-Fi Profile for more information.

See General Settings for more information about all General Settings options.

EtherScope nXG Management Ports

Wi-Fi Management Port: The internal Wi-Fi management port runs on the main system's 1x1 Dual-band 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5.0 wireless adapter, which is configured in the system Device Settings. See Connecting to System Wi-Fi to configure this connection.

This radio provides full Internet access and a more stable network connection than the Test Ports, which may frequently drop links and reconnect or resume scanning.

EtherScope can run Discovery, Ping/TCP Connect tests, Path Analysis, and iPerf tests on the management ports, but not AutoTests, packet captures, or Performance tests.

Wired Management Port: The wired management port is the RJ-45 port on the left side of the unit. Connect to an active network for management functionality.

Selecting Ports

Some of the individual NetAlly testing apps let you select which port interface to use for tests or analysis.

You may want to verify that you are getting a reliable connection to the Internet and the Link-Live cloud service while you are actively using the Wi-Fi Test port to perform an AirMapper survey. To check connectivity, you can configure the Ping/TCP app to use the Wi-Fi Management port to run a continuous background ping to the Internet.

Each port can connect to different networks. For example, an organization might have one network for visitors and another for staff. You can use different ports to check connectivity on each network without the need to link and relink through a single interface.

To change the port, tap an app's settings icon to display the settings screen. Then tap Interface to select the port from a dialog.

The top two Wired and Wi-Fi Ports refer to the Test ports.