If you suspect that a crossover cable has been mistakenly used, which method can help identify it?

Visual inspection of both connectors is a reliable method for identifying a crossover cable. A crossover cable typically has a different wiring configuration compared to a standard straight-through cable. By examining the connectors, you can determine the arrangement of the wires within the cable. In a standard Ethernet crossover cable, the transmit and receive pairs are connected differently at each end. Specifically, on one end, the transmit wire (pins 1 and 2) is connected to the receive pairs (pins 3 and 6) on the other end. This can often be visually confirmed by looking at the pinouts.

Using a cable tester alone might not provide definitive information about whether a crossover cable has been used unless it specifically indicates the type of cable or the connection status between devices. Testing with a multimeter can sometimes verify continuity and wire mapping, but does not directly indicate if it is a crossover versus a straight-through cable without more complicated analysis. Checking device logs may contain information about the connection status but would not outright tell you if a crossover cable is in use.

This makes visual inspection the most straightforward and effective method for identifying potential misuse of crossover cables in network setups.