Softing WireXpert MP Demonstrates Fault Location at NECA Chicago 2025
Join Low Voltage Nation — Find project opportunities and showcase your company to thousands of industry professionals
Softing WireXpert MP
The modular design of the WireXpert MP covers all applications from copper 100kHz to 3GHz up to multimode and singlemode fiber tier 1 certification. Its intuitive user interface lets users perform cable certification with minimum training. To get the job finished in no time, WireXpert MP is packed with various helpers.
Transform cable troubleshooting from hours of guesswork to minutes of precision with advanced diagnostic mapping
Softing Inc.
At Softing IT Networks, our mission is to optimize the way professionals certify, test, and troubleshoot network infrastructures. As a trusted manufacturer of IT infrastructure cable testers, we deliver the precision and reliability you need to ensure performance and compliance—whether you’re working with copper or fiber optic cabling. Our flagship WireXpert Series sets the industry standard for cable certification, supporting a full range of copper and fiber tests to guarantee your installations meet the highest international standards. For active network troubleshooting, the NetXpert XG2 BERT (Bit Error Rate Test) tester empowers technicians to validate and diagnose network performance issues quickly and confidently. Softing’s handheld certifiers and network testers are independently verified by over 30 leading cabling vendors and certified by the ETL international test lab, giving you the assurance that your results are accurate, repeatable, and recognized across the industry. Join the growing global community of cable installers, network operators, and industrial facilities that rely on Softing for faster certification, smarter troubleshooting, and optimized workflows. Make the switch to Softing IT Networks—where precision meets performance.
At NECA Chicago 2025, Softing demonstrated the diagnostic features of the WireXpert MP Cable Certifier, showing how the tool identifies exactly where cable problems occur and which wire pairs are causing issues.
The Problem with Traditional Cable Testing
When a cable fails certification due to crosstalk, technicians typically have limited information to work with. The traditional approach involves:
Reterminating both ends and hoping that fixes it
Replacing the entire cable run
Multiple rounds of testing
A lot of wasted time and materials
The WireXpert MP takes a different approach by showing you exactly where the problem is.
What Happened in the Demo
The demonstration used a 30-meter Category 6A cable link. The WireXpert MP ran a full 500 MHz certification test in a few seconds. Results showed:
The cable was wired correctly (T568B)
It failed due to crosstalk issues
The diagnostic feature immediately identified the problem location
The Specific Diagnostic Information
The WireXpert MP provided three key pieces of information:
1. Distance to Fault
The worst crosstalk was at 2 meters from the near end of the 30-meter cable. Instead of checking the entire run, the technician knows to look at that specific spot.
2. Which Pairs Are Affected
The tester identified pairs 1-2 and 7-8 as the source of the crosstalk. This means the technician only needs to fix those specific connections, not redo the entire termination.
3. Crosstalk Profile
A visual graph showed crosstalk levels along the entire cable length, making it easy to spot both primary and any secondary issues.
Time Comparison
Here's a typical troubleshooting scenario:
Without diagnostics:
Initial test: 5 minutes
Reterminate far end: 15 minutes
Retest (still fails): 5 minutes
Reterminate near end: 15 minutes
Final test: 5 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
With WireXpert MP diagnostics:
Test with diagnostics: less than 8 seconds
See exact location and pairs: Immediate
Fix specific pairs at 2-meter mark: 10 minutes
Verify with retest: less than 8 seconds
Total: 10 minutes
That's 35 minutes saved on one cable. On a large project with hundreds of drops, the time savings add up quickly.
Practical Benefits
The diagnostic features help with several common situations:
Marginal passes: Identify cables that barely pass but might fail later
Documentation: Record exactly what was wrong and how it was fixed
Pattern recognition: Spot recurring problems that might indicate a systematic issue
Training: New technicians can see exactly what good and bad terminations look like in the data
Technical Capabilities Shown
The demo highlighted these specific features:
500 MHz frequency sweep for Cat 6A
NEXT (Near-End Crosstalk) fault location
Individual pair-to-pair crosstalk measurements
Distance accuracy within centimeters
Clear visual representation of results
Why Accurate Diagnostics Matter
As cable specifications get tighter with Cat 6A, 7, and 8, the difference between pass and fail gets smaller. Having detailed diagnostic information helps:
Meet project deadlines by fixing problems faster
Reduce callbacks from cables that fail later
Stay profitable on fixed-price jobs
Train technicians more effectively
Support higher-speed networks that have less tolerance for errors
The Bottom Line
The WireXpert MP demonstration at NECA showed a practical solution to a common problem. Instead of guessing where cable faults are, technicians can see the exact location and which pairs need attention. This changes a 45-minute guessing game into a 20-minute targeted fix.
For contractors dealing with tight schedules and fixed budgets, having diagnostic data that points directly to the problem makes a real difference in productivity and profitability.