Jade Communications has upgraded its popular service and support package for enterprise mobile devices with the launch of Sentinel Plus, adding remote software maintenance and management to its comprehensive and hassle-free hardware repair and replacement scheme.

“Mobile devices from vendors like Intermec, Motorola and Psion are mission-critical to our customers and zero device downtime has become more important for them than ever,” says Mark Brackley, managing director of Jade Communications. “With Sentinel Plus we are offering the combined reassurance of proactive software maintenance and support in addition to our next-day hardware replacement and repair scheme. We manage everything, leaving our customers free to run their businesses more efficiently and without disruption.”

The mobile device management system now available with Jade Communications’ Sentinel Plus package can update software wherever devices are and repair software glitches by remotely resetting or reloading an application. It can also be used to maintain an inventory of mobile devices, detailing their whereabouts at any time. Sentinel Plus will also detect and issue alerts for impending hardware problems, such as a failing battery, so that preventative repair or replacement can be made to ensure zero downtime.

Sentinel Plus is an enhancement to Jade’s standard five or seven days per week Sentinel service, which already offers next-day shipping of a replacement device, fully configured for out-of-the-box operation. There are no delays waiting for a replacement device to be shipped or configured and no need to maintain a buffer stock of devices in-house.

More information

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Posted by Doug on September 25th, 2009 :: Filed under Field Service, Mobile
Tags :: device management, Mobile, Mobility as a Service, Motorola, Psion, Sentinel, service, support

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Last week, the IEEE announced that it’s standards board had finally ratified the 802.11n-2009 amendment.  This in itself is great news, but in truth manufacturers have been producing 802.11n products for a number of years based on the draft ‘n’ standard.  The fact that the IEEE have ratified the standard means that more manufacturers will produce more ‘n’ standard products and finally push wireless technology forwards.

If you’re happy with the 802.11a/b/g infrastructure that you currently have deployed, why on earth should you upgrade to ‘n’?  The following 5 reasons should give you enough to build a credible case to ditch your old WLAN and take advantage of the power of ‘n’.

1. Speed

By leveraging technologies such as MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output),  Channel Bonding and Packet Aggregation 802.11n is much, much faster than older standards like a/b/g and deliveries a net bit rate of up to 300Mbit per second.  Compare this to a maximum speed of up to 54Mbit per second for a/g and 11Mbit/s for b and it’s easy to see why ‘n’ is the ideal choice for real-time wireless data connections.

2. Range

By range, I mean wireless network coverage.  802.11n equipment typically has at least twice the reach of a/b/g equipment.  This, of course, all depends on the environment in which the WLAN is deployed.  For example, a busy warehouse with lots of racking and moving dense metal equipment (such as forklift trucks) can drastically impair the range of WLAN coverage.  However, 802.11n equipment should still transmit a greater range in this type of environment.  (As a sidenote, full coverage in a warehouse can be achieved by strategic placement of APs, use of appropriate antennae and a wireless scan to identify black spots).

3. Less Interference

802.11n operates over the 2.4GHz AND 5GHz frequencies, whereas b and g operate over the 2.4GHz frequency.  ‘So what?’ you may ask.  Well the 2.4GHz band is an extremely noisy frequency, as it’s not just wireless networks which transmit over it.  Microwave ovens, cordless phones and Bluetooth devices also transmit over this frequency, so having any equipment such as this within the vicinity of your b/g WLAN can seriously affect it’s performance.  Using 802.11n equipment over the 5GHz band can ensure peak performance without the worry of someone reheating their lunch impairing your WLAN.  It’s also worth pointing out that 802.11a uses the 5GHz band, but only transmits at up to 54Mbit/s and has a much shorter range than b/g/n with approx 15 metres indoor range.

4. WiFi Certification

The 802.11n draft standard was approved by the WiFi alliance in 2007.  This means that 802.11n equipment which carries the WiFi Certified logo is interoperable with other wireless equipment carrying the logo and legacy equipment (i.e. a/b/g equipment) is compatible with the new technology.

5. More Possibilities and Cost Savings

Using a faster, more reliable WLAN infrastucture with a greater reach means you are able to roll out productivity enhancing and cost reducing equipment.  Technology such as VoWLAN and video conferencing needs a stable connection and high bandwidth, but to a 802.11n infrastructure this would be child’s play.

So, in conclusion, there are plenty of reasons as to why you should upgrade to an 802.11n infrastructure.  On the whole, the management and maintenance of ‘n’ equipment should be easier as it will have a longer supportable life.  802.11n products are widely available now.  Why not take a look at the Motorola ‘n’ products that we carry, and see how they compare to your existing kit?

Motorola AP7131 Wireless Access Point

Motorola RFS6000 Wireless Switch

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Posted by Lee Hoosein on September 17th, 2009 :: Filed under WLAN

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Otis, the world’s largest manufacturer of lifts, escalators and trav-o-lators® has signed Jade Communications, one of the UK’s leading providers of mobile voice and data communications, to supply, maintain and manage Motorola MC70 handheld computers for its UK and Ireland field service engineers.

As part of the contract, Jade Communications will supply 500 Motorola MC70’s to Otis to replace and upgrade the mobile computers currently used by its field service operations. Combining the features of a phone, GPS functionality, PDA, computer, scanner and imager, the rugged and compact MC70 handheld is tough enough to withstand the rigours of years in the field.

For more information, click here

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Posted by Jennifer on September 15th, 2009 :: Filed under Field Service

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Lantronix ManageLinx is a powerful M2M (machine-to-machine) communications solution that provides secure remote Internet access to virtually any piece of IP-enabled equipment – even behind remote firewalls or VPNs.

ManageLinx is a secure and easily managed solution that joins equipment across the Internet to create a “Virtual Device Network” (VDN). More flexible and easier to deploy than a traditional VPN, the ManageLinx VDN restricts access to only the specific IP addresses of authorised equipment and does not allow visibility to any other part of the network. It does not require any changes to network hardware or configurations.

Read more

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Posted by Jennifer on September 8th, 2009 :: Filed under WLAN

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According to Network World, Japanese researchers have cracked the WPA wireless security program in less than 60 seconds.  WPA (or Wi-Fi Protected Access) is a wireless security program introduced by the Wi-Fi alliance when it became apparent that there were serious weaknesses in WEP (or Wired Equivalent Privacy).

Namely, the researchers exposed a flaw in the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (or TKIP) by placing a computer between an authorised computer and an access point.  A flaw had been known in TKIP previously which could be exploited within 12-15 minutes, however the new ‘crack’ has brought about some urgency in updating any aging wireless security systems which use TKIP.

So what does this mean for you?

PCI DSS guidelines recommend the use of WPA in an effort to become PCI compliant.  If you have taken steps to become PCI compliant,  your wireless network(s) may use WPA encryption.

WPA2 and AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) remain unaffected by this finding, so if you employ this standard in your wireless LAN, you need not worry.

However, if you employ WPA, the recommendation is to upgrade as soon as possible to ensure that your wireless network is safe from intrusion.  It is also wise to employ software which can detect wireless intrusions on your network and protect itself from any hacking attacks.

Jade offer a wide range of wireless services, such as a free WIPS scan, which can identify any potential flaws in your wireless network and recommend next steps to rectify the problems.  Our Technical Services team can also reconfigure and install new wireless hardware on your premises.

Book a wireless health check from Jade today and safeguard your wireless network from hackers.  Call 01925 295 400 or email sales@jadeonline.co.uk.

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Posted by Lee Hoosein on September 2nd, 2009 :: Filed under WLAN
Tags :: wifi networks, wireless network, Wireless Security, WLAN

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