+1 we also use Powerlink, and they are amazing. On Tue, May 22, 2018 at 1:02 PM, Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
> We started using the Powerlink from link technologies. > So far our guys love em. The POE and wireless are built in. > a full charge will last them the whole day. > > > > On 05/21/2018 01:10 PM, David Coudron wrote: > > Very true. However, we found that if we have to carry the USB dongle > anyway, that carrying the mAP instead gave us much more freedom and > reliability (the USB dongles seemed a little flaky, if they got pulled > sideways in the port, they didn’t work). We could even sit in the truck > and work on the equipment without having to run a cable to cabinet, etc. > Or have two techs connected to the cabinet at the same time. However, > there are lots of ways to skin this cat as you mention 😊 Probably the > biggest thing is that you can connect to the network using a phone rather > than just an ethernet port based device like a laptop. > > > > Regards, > > > > David Coudron > > > > > > > > > > *From:* Af <[email protected]> <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of * > Dave > *Sent:* Monday, May 21, 2018 11:55 AM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Looking for a new Truck/field Laptop > > > > USB ethernet fixes that :) > > On 05/21/2018 09:12 AM, David Coudron wrote: > > We have been using the Mikrotik mAP in the same fashion as Steve mentions > with some pretty good results. Put IP addresses on the one interface as > needed and then connect wirelessly. We were killing EIthernet ports too > often due to the stiffer shielded patch cables and cable runs on our tower > sites. They just put too much pressure on kinds of Ethernet ports many > laptops have. Now, it is getting tougher to find a decently thin laptop > with an Ethernet port anyway. > > > > Additionally the techs are doing everything they can from their phones > these days. Normal Mimosa installs are entirely phone based. Our main > tech avoids the laptop like the plague. We can firmware update the client > radios, configure the radio, make the customer active in Powercode, etc all > from the phone. We really only use the laptop and mAP for tower work now, > and much of that has moved to the phones too. > > > > Regards, > > > > David Coudron > > > > > > *From:* Af <[email protected]> <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of * > Nate Burke > *Sent:* Monday, May 21, 2018 9:06 AM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Looking for a new Truck/field Laptop > > > > I've thought about the air-router approach, but probably 90% of my > mikrotik work is with MAC-Winbox, setting up new routers. > > I just found the Acer Travelmate Spin B1. $330. Might pick one of those > up and see how it works. > > On 5/21/2018 8:53 AM, Steve Jones wrote: > > I paid 1500 for my Toshiba tecra (not toughbook) like 6 or 7 years ago, > it's been through he'll in the field, roofs, grain elevators, rain, drops, > left running in the bag and getting hot. It's on its 3rd battery, fourth > keyboard, but runs strong and never fails, even has serial port. Price > could have been less but I wanted the biggest processor because at the time > I was running multiple VMs. > > > > Lenovo are decent, the antiglare is still visiblish in the sun. The keys > fall off and batteries don't last, Ether net is questionable, but God only > knows what the techs stuck into it or settings they jacked up. > > > > Other than the need for wireshark occasionally, a cheap air router to > connect to the device with a ton of ip aliases has allowed me to do 99 > percent from my phone now. Onedrive syncs our base config to dump in, we > can test, allocate and finalize a customers installation directly from the > top of their tower. > > > > On Mon, May 21, 2018, 8:38 AM Nate Burke <[email protected]> wrote: > > The Netbook I've been using for a the last couple years bit the dust on > an install last week. Acer Aspire E11. It was working fine one minute, > then the Ethernet adapter was not detected by windows anymore. Of > course now-a-days nothing comes with a built in Ethernet adapter, I'd > really hate having to remember to carry an Ethernet dongle everywhere. > Looking for a small form factor ~11" so I can throw it in a canvas bag > for a hike out to a tower site. SSD and several-hour battery life are > very nice as well. > > It doesn't need any mighty CPU or Video, the only thing that it does is > program Radios/Mikrotiks, and RDP into another machine. > > The only new machines I've found so far that fits this bill are the > Lenovo Thinkpad line. It looks like a current gen 11" Thinkpad is > ~$700. More than the $170 I paid for the Acer 5 years ago. I also > don't like that all the connections are on the sides of machines now, > instead of the back. When it's sitting on the truck console with things > connected, that makes it a lot wider. The Thinkpads also specify that > they have an 'Anti-glare' Screen. Would that make it easier or harder > to see outside? > > Is there a brand or Type that I missed? $700 for a field laptop is a > little more than I'd like to spend for something that has to survive > field work. Although the $170 unit has worked just fine in these > conditions for several years. > > > > > > -- > > > -- >
