David Bombal

Why you never touch fiber optic cables (the tips)

Big thank you to DeleteMe for sponsoring this video. Use my link https://joindeleteme.com/Bombal to receive a 20% discount or use the QR Code in the video. Also, a Big thanks to Cisco for sponsoring my trip to Cisco Live Vegas 2026. Do you really need Cat 8 Ethernet for your home network in 2026? And what actually happens when you touch the end of a fiber optic cable? We break it all down with hands-on demos. At Cisco Live, I caught up with Jim from Fluke Networks to dive deep into the physical layer of networking. We strip away the marketing hype and look at the real-world performance of both copper and glass. In this video, we cover everything from the crucial safety reasons why you should never look into a fiber cable, to a microscope demonstration showing how a single speck of dirt or finger oil can cause frame errors and take down your SFP modules. We also run a live cable certification test on Cat 6 vs Cat 8 to show you exactly why Cat 6A is all you actually need for your home network, and how pros use an OTDR to find exact breaks in long fiber runs. If you want to build or troubleshoot networks effectively, you need to understand the physical layer. // Jim Davis from Fluke Networks SOCIAL // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimdavisflukenetworks/ Website: https://www.flukenetworks.com/ // David's SOCIAL // Discord: https://discord.com/invite/usKSyzb X: https://www.twitter.com/davidbombal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidbombal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbombal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidbombal.co TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@davidbombal YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@davidbombal Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3f6k6gERfuriI96efWWLQQ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/davidbombal Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-bombal/id1466865532 // MY STUFF // https://www.amazon.com/shop/davidbombal // SPONSORS // Interested in sponsoring my videos? Reach out to my team here: [email protected] // MENU // 0:00 - Coming up 0:31 - Introduction 1:31 - Don't touch fiber optic cables! 04:53 - Single vs Multi-mode fiber 08:04 - Don't look directly into a fiber optic cable! 09:13 - DeleteMe sponsor segment 11:03 - How to find a break in a cable 16:01 - Can ethernet copper cables get dirty? 18:12 - How to test ethernet cables 20:00 - The future of ethernet 21:45 - Conclusion Please note that links listed may be affiliate links and provide me with a small percentage/kickback should you use them to purchase any of the items listed or recommended. Thank you for supporting me and this channel! Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only. #fluke #fiberoptics #ethernetcable