ATLANTA, October 23, 2019 — MSolutions, a leading supplier of test devices for commercial and residential AV environments, has changed the way that systems integrators like CX2 verify signal integrity and troubleshoot connectivity issues in HDBaseT and HDMI environments. Now armed with four of MSolutions’ portable MS-TestPro MS104B HDBaseT test devices, installers at CX2 report time- and cost-saving benefits that address today’s most pertinent connectivity challenges, and all but eliminate return visits.

Based in Houston, Texas, CX2 specializes in AV design and integration for commercial AV environments, with a particularly strong customer based in the education, corporate and hospitality verticals. A recent installation at a college outside of Houston represents exactly how MS-TestPro MS104B devices have simplified and enhanced the way that CX2 installers solve connectivity problems in the field.

“We installed a new AV system in a campus restaurant with multiple Cat7 cables of varying lengths, many of which spanned more than 100 feet,” said DJ Virassamy, AV Technical Customer Support Specialist for CX2. “These are very thick, shielded cables that connect to a wall kit. The MS-TestPro MS104B devices allow us to certify the cables and very quickly complete continuity tests across multiple wires. We achieve our desired results in minutes, versus what once could take hours.”

Virassamy explains that previous-generation devices often left an air of mystery. While his previous devices would confirm connectivity, they were unable to detect whether there was
appropriate bandwidth to carry 4K content, for example. The MS-TestPro eliminates that problem but immediately confirming how many packets are sent and received across the cable length.

“I immediately know if it’s simply a faulty connection that wasn’t properly terminated, or a more significant problem such as the cable not being equipped to carry the video or audio content,”
he said. “If I am testing 4K signals and connectivity, I can clock the MS-TestPro to 4K settings on the remote side and the receive side, and monitor the levels as signals are being passed.
This changes the game for installers in the field who not only have limited information at the time of installation, but then need to make return trips to troubleshoot common problems like
video drops and noisy audio.”

The portable HDBaseT test devices offer other benefits behind verifying the performance and quality of HDBaseT uplinks and downlinks. Virassamy points to enhanced reporting options,
including report generation of specific parameters required to certify link quality and status. CX2 installers often transfer those reports, also readable from the built-in GUI, to personal laptops and mobile devices. Those reports are transferrable via USB or WiFi, providing CX2 with options for each location.

Virassamy adds that the devices offer a quick return on investment with upgradability to support emerging formats in many cases. He also plans to purchase MSolutions’ new HDMI Cable test modules introduced earlier this year.

“Our end customers continue to accelerate migration from legacy VGA connectivity, and toward HDMI and category network cabling,” he said. “We want to ensure that we are armed with the right toolsets to quickly solve problems and streamline our installations as more end user adopt 4K and HDR content to move over these systems.”