#@WiredNot

[grammarlyapp]

Network redundancy design does not always equal resiliency

Lee Badman, blogging in Wirednot, shared his assessment of the new IBwave R9 software for WLAN design. Badman identified pre-existing features ... http://ift.tt/2gjauJT

[wordpress-blaze-15182341]

Missiles and Meal Service: The Hidden Toll of Flying in War-zones

Common occupational hazards in aviation; the not so new flight deck stressors would encompass turbulence, delayed pushbacks, and that one passanger having an issue with someone reclining their seat (this is so very common, believe me). Let’s not forget another one who thinks the seatbelt sign doesn’t apply to them while on active runway (because they are just itching for a snack they left inside their carry-on luggage in the overhead bin. Opens bin, then bag falls off on them and everyone around. SMH)

Back to business. Pilots and cabin crew flying over the Middle East lately, especially in and out of Qatar, well, there’s a new, less subtle source of anxiety: missile attacks. Who doesn’t know the news by now?

Yes, flying into Doha these days might involve dodging airspace closures, U.S. airbase targets, and the occasional Iranian and Israeli news. Glamorous, right?

Very.

While passengers worry about delayed in-flight meals and Wi-Fi speeds being too slow or disconnecting , the crew up front and in the aisles are dealing with something much much heavier: the psychological toll of flying through a region where geopolitics are very unpredictable, stormy, and always just over the horizon.

What Happened in Qatar Exactly, you ask?

In resent years, we’ve witnessed sensitive airspaces and in response, airlines have shut down their airspaces. Flights being rerouted faster than a teenager dodging chores have become commonplace, and airline dispatchers around the world had one collective panic attack.

Now just imagine this. Inflight, flight crew are prepping beverage carts while air defence systems light up the radar. Boom-Chaka-Boom! Just another day in the skies.

Cabin Pressure: Flying with a Side of Adrenaline

Yes, crew (deck crew and cabin crew) are trained to handle demarcates, but war is not an average Emmergency! It’s one thing to worry about fuel efficiency. It’s another to fly over a region where missiles are a real-time hazard.

There is a huge difference between trusting an aircraft, the team, and trusting geopolitics.

Constant anticipatory anxiety.

Hypervigilance, even on layovers.

The unsettling knowledge that their aircraft might share airspace with defense drones, military jets, and… well, more missiles.

Hospitality Meets Hostility

Cabin crew, as you know, are the face of calm, smile and all. Even so, smiling while you serve fish, beef and a gluten free meal on a flight skimming a conflict zone? That’s dark art right there.

Results:

Crew becoming emotionally disconnected from their jobs.

Guilt when evacuating people while others are left behind. 2020 clears throat!

Luxury inflight service inside a pressure cooker floating mid air at 40,000 feet while those on ground are ducking. Definately dystopian!

More Fuel, More Detours, More Fatigue

Yep! Practical stress:

Flights being rerouted to avoid hot zones, adding hours to duty time.

Longer flight hours mean more fatigue, which affects both performance and emotional bandwidth.

There’s no glamour-AT ALL in a 15 hour turnaround because there is no clearance to land.

What Airlines Are Maybe doing

Critical Incident Stress Management teams.

Therapy appointments.

Pre and post dispatch briefings.

Even so, lots of crews feel out of the loop. Why you ask?Because, you get the news that you’re flying a risky zone when you’re already on it.

Hidden Costs: Forget Fuel and Insurance

Mental Health RiskWhat It Looks LikePTSD or traumaFlashbacks, fawning, sleep interruptions, avoidanceBurnoutEmotional numbness, lack of purposeAnxietyReccuring worry, overanalysing proceduresIsolationFeeling detached and lack of support on layovers or at home

These risks don’t show up on a flight log, but hey, they impact safety, morale, and retention. We talk about maintaining aircraft fatigue limits. What about crew fatigue limits?

Where Do We Go From Here?

How about a Flight Plan for Mental Health in Conflict Zones:

Transparent Security Briefings.

Weight & balance before takeoff is paramount, so is mental health balance.

Flight Debriefs After High-Stress Flights.

Better Global Oversight, meaning ICAO, IATA and other relevant bodies must update protocols for mental wellness involving high-risk routes.

Bottom line, pilots and cabin crew are indeed professionals for they train, adapt, and make sure to get the job done. But, they are people too and not robots. People who fly into the world’s most dangerous zones with nothing more than a safety manual and nerves of steel.

We owe them patience, understanding, protection and genuine support as they navigate war zones with grit and grace.

Fly safe. Check on your crew friends, and just maybe skip the missile jokes during boarding.

Source: Missiles and Meal Service: The Hidden Toll of Flying in War-zones

[gbusby]

Tweeted

And now they are jamming 5G into my son’s oatmeal. If this isn’t a plot, I don’t know what it is. pic.twitter.com/hn0bTThKE7

— Lee Deep State Badman (@wirednot) May 29, 2020

[jamestdoleus]

Why Lee Badman’s website is a must read with Glenn Cate

Lee Badman’s “Wi-Fi Question of the Day” has been a great resource and in this review, Glenn Cate gives us more reason to follow Lee and why his website is a must-read for every Wi-Fi Professional.

Want to listen to the interview instead? Go HERE

Matthew Casteel: Glenn Cate, welcome to the show. What Wi-Fi blog review do you have for us this time?

Glenn Cate: Hey, Matthew! I’m doing great and thanks for the welcome. We’re going to review Lee Badman blog (wirednot.wordpress.com).

Lee’s a WLAN architect who works at a large University in upstate New York. He also blogs for network computing and IT toolbox. He is CWNE#200 and his Twitter handle is @wirednot.

Some of you may have heard Lee as a presenter at the depth of different WLAN conferences. He’s spoken at WLPC 2016 and 2017 and one thing about Lee is he doesn’t beat around the bush. He tells you what he thinks about things and whether he likes it and what he doesn’t like about it.

I like his website page. I’m a ham radio operator so I love antennas and he’s got a picture of a radio tower and Florida Prince Haiti where he did some work a few years ago. Wirednot gives us honest and forthright opinions of products and services with his usual twisted humor and sarcasm.

Wirednot gives us an honest and forthright opinion of products and services and usual twisted humor and sarcasm.

His latest blog for example where he says, “will reliability be prioritized before Wi-Fi’s whiz-bang future gets here?” Anyone can discuss the ongoing technologies with Software-Defined Networking in the Wi-Fi space, but he says “Wi-Fi vendors need to fix this stuff now.” Lee aptly puts that a house that is built on sand cannot stand. So, good point on that!

Anyway, he’s a great speaker, writer and I really like the stuff on his website because he just gives honest and open feedback about the technology.

He also quotes complaints about some Wi-Fi or technology that does not work well in an honest and straight forward way. So, I love his Wi-Fi blog. He just had a recent blog on WLAN controller upgrades and bugs that they don’t always fix and that vendors need to work on that. Lee’s website is a must-read.

Matthew Casteel: That’s great! Anything else we don’t want to miss on the site?

Glenn Cate: Lee really gives back to the WLAN community and he does this a couple of different ways on his website. He’s got a #WiFiQ on Twitter where he put out a “Wi-Fi question of the day”.

Lee really gives back to the WLAN community and he does this a couple of different ways on his website.

So, you need to follow him on Twitter to get his Wi-Fi question of the day. It’ll be something simple like what kind of data rates you send to or what type of vendor APs you use? They are more detailed and it’s always great and refreshing to look at.

He has a little snippet on his website for his “Wi-Fi Question of the Day”. Follow Lee on Twitter @wirednot and check out #WiFiQ to give you some information.

There’s also the comic side of Lee. He got a tab on his website called “OH MYSTICAL FI”. They are short little silly cartoon strips about someone talking to mystical Wi-Fi and you’ll just enjoy looking at these. Sometimes just we need a little laughter on a day especially when our code upgrades don’t always go right.

Glenn Cate understands the detail and complexity of WLAN design and thus, has achieved CWNE #181, Ekahau ECSE #605 and other IT certifications from Cisco, Microsoft, CompTIA, Lenovo and Stanley HealthCare. You can connect with Glenn via Twitter.

Go HERE to listen to the entire interview.

The post Why Lee Badman’s website is a must read with Glenn Cate appeared first on Wireless LAN Professionals.

from James Dole Gadgets News https://www.wlanpros.com/resources/why-lee-badmans-website-is-a-must-read-with-glenn-cate/

[adamgdooley]

Deploying Wi-Fi Networks in the Real World with Jason Hintersteiner

Jason Hintersteiner, a Wi-Fi engineer, presented at #WLPC US Phoenix in 2016 about deploying Wi-Fi Networks in the real world, the theory, and practice.

You can watch the full presentation HERE.

Steps in Deploying Wi-Fi in the real world

The first step is admitting you have a problem. I’m going to admit that we are powerless as Wi-Fi engineers to really deploy in the right way. Where does it start? It starts with the customers. They have a lack of understanding of Radio Frequency (RF) and how Wi-Fi works. Most of my customers have lack understanding of how networking works. They got conflicting priorities in aesthetics.

But it’s not just the customers that are our problem, it’s us as well. We’re highly trained people in our craft and we’ve been doing this forever, some of us longer than others. We know better than everybody else, how it’s supposed to be done.

We’re also biased. We choose the vendor equipment we prefer or in some of our cases, the vendor equipment of the people we work for. We don’t always choose the vendor equipment that’s actually most appropriate for the job.

“I’ve certainly worked on a wide variety of cases where certain vendors are more appropriate than other vendors.”

  We also have commercial pressure to sell more versus selling what’s right. We also cheat. We take shortcuts especially if we’re not getting paid.

Let’s proceed with the steps that we normally go through. All the books and the CWNA have written and told us how we should do design and how we should deploy.

Step 1: Gather requirements and constraints

I’m a systems engineer with a background in training, so I’m a huge fan of gathering requirements constraints but this is really hard. They’re not static, they are fluid. The requirements often change during the project.

I don’t know how many of you have worked on surveillance systems, but I have yet to work on a surveillance project where people are mounting cameras. They are “not” increasing the number of cameras while you’re doing the design.

We get to work on one. However, the requirements actually changing over the life of the network. We have networks that are five years out.

Many requirements are unstated or assumed. How many people in their designs make sure that there’s excellent coverage in the bathrooms?

Keep them up if you’ve ever actually explicitly been told to do so in an RFP or by a customer. I’ve never been told that. I always put good coverage in the bathroom, so I’ve never actually gotten that in aspect.

A customer doesn’t always know where the building materials made of. Sometimes, they don’t even know how the network is going to be used, what number and types of devices and what kind of applications.

Step 2: Perform a Predictive Design

Predictive modeling is an oversimplification. We oversimplify the environment because we guess the types of walls. We often don’t draw in bathrooms, closets and other kinds of small features. We’re guessing it is the absorption and reflectivity on each band. We don’t account for things in the actual environment like furniture, appliances, mirrors, and big bags of water walking around.

What about external interference? You can’t do that in a predictor model. We also oversimplify our deployment constraints. Can wiring actually be run to where we plop down those APs on the model? Will the installer actually deploy based on your specs?

Step 3: Perform a Pre-Deployment Site Survey

We don’t want to rely on only one when we want to perform a site survey. We want to go to the site and take measurements, measure the RF through walls.

This isn’t commonly done especially in the small-medium business because the survey doesn’t happen if nobody wants to pay for it.

There are also installer limitations especially as a device manufacturer. We’re not the ones doing the installations, it’s our customers who do it. You have to rely on them to do a lot of this work. Do they have the right tools? Do they actually know how to use the tools even if they have the right tools?

When they do a walkthrough, it’s often to discover basics. Where can I actually run cable not how the RF is gonna propagate?

Step 4: Perform the Installation

Deploying to spec. Does the Installer cut corners and move your APs? I’ve heard several instances of that. Does the installer actually follow your carefully planned channel and transmit power scheme when they configure the equipment?

Cabling. Can wiring be run or is your cable actually validated? Are your connectors properly seated?

Your environment. Has it changed since the design or the survey was done?

Step 5: Perform a Post-Deployment Site Survey

Let’s go back in and validate and assess where we are. Unfortunately, this isn’t commonly done. It won’t get done if nobody pays for it. Often they’re in a rush to finish the job, especially on a new construction where the constructions already delayed and now they’re piling in the Wi-Fi at the very last minute.

Installer limitations. Are the tools available and do they know how to use them? And when they do any testing for basics, can I get out to the Internet? Do I actually have just any coverage at all? In certain sections, it’s a spot check, it’s not rigorous. If there is a problem what are they doing about it?

What can we do as Wi-Fi engineers? You just place the APs randomly and let RRM just figure it all out for us. We could blame it on those ill-defined multi-user MIMO algorithms.

Better yet, we’ll just wait until 802.11ax comes out and retire to @wirednot’s farm to go after a simpler life. Let’s not do any of those things.

What do we do? We do the best we can. We standardized as much as possible. We pick out our set of preferred equipment, our APs, switches, routers, and controllers for particular applications. Then we have to be flexible and actually adapt them to whatever requirements we actually know about.

We’ll also try to build a robust design. We designed those unstated requirements and follow best practices. We build margin and excess capacity. We also keep learning and refining our craft which is why conferences like this are great.

Failure is not an option.

As a field engineer, I’ve got to figure out how to make it work even with the lack of requirements, a lack of data and a lack of survey stuff. Installers who are in way over their heads, I deal with these stuff on a day to day basis.

But failure is not an option. So, we have to figure out how to make it work despite all of those things.

I’m gonna close with a Wi-Fi engineer serenity prayer.

Gods of Wi-Fi grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change: lack of requirements, lack of budget, lack of time. The courage to change the things I can: following best practices, following standards, following a robust design principle and the wisdom to know the difference. Also, the list of not to slap the customer across the face.

“Failure is not an option – we make the Wi-Fi work as best as we can no matter what”

Jason Hintersteiner is the Director of Business Development at LigoWave. He is a Certified Wireless Network Expert (CWNE #171) and a Networking & Wi-Fi Expert. If you have more questions or feedback, connect with Jason via twitter.

Go HERE to watch to this entire presentation.

The post Deploying Wi-Fi Networks in the Real World with Jason Hintersteiner appeared first on Wireless LAN Professionals.

from Computer And Technology https://www.wlanpros.com/resources/deploying-wi-fi-networks-in-the-real-world-with-jason-hintersteiner/

[aaronaknightca]

Deploying Wi-Fi Networks in the Real World with Jason Hintersteiner

Jason Hintersteiner, a Wi-Fi engineer, presented at #WLPC US Phoenix in 2016 about deploying Wi-Fi Networks in the real world, the theory, and practice.

You can watch the full presentation HERE.

Steps in Deploying Wi-Fi in the real world

The first step is admitting you have a problem. I’m going to admit that we are powerless as Wi-Fi engineers to really deploy in the right way. Where does it start? It starts with the customers. They have a lack of understanding of Radio Frequency (RF) and how Wi-Fi works. Most of my customers have lack understanding of how networking works. They got conflicting priorities in aesthetics.

But it’s not just the customers that are our problem, it’s us as well. We’re highly trained people in our craft and we’ve been doing this forever, some of us longer than others. We know better than everybody else, how it’s supposed to be done.

We’re also biased. We choose the vendor equipment we prefer or in some of our cases, the vendor equipment of the people we work for. We don’t always choose the vendor equipment that’s actually most appropriate for the job.

“I’ve certainly worked on a wide variety of cases where certain vendors are more appropriate than other vendors.”

  We also have commercial pressure to sell more versus selling what’s right. We also cheat. We take shortcuts especially if we’re not getting paid.

Let’s proceed with the steps that we normally go through. All the books and the CWNA have written and told us how we should do design and how we should deploy.

Step 1: Gather requirements and constraints

I’m a systems engineer with a background in training, so I’m a huge fan of gathering requirements constraints but this is really hard. They’re not static, they are fluid. The requirements often change during the project.

I don’t know how many of you have worked on surveillance systems, but I have yet to work on a surveillance project where people are mounting cameras. They are “not” increasing the number of cameras while you’re doing the design.

We get to work on one. However, the requirements actually changing over the life of the network. We have networks that are five years out.

Many requirements are unstated or assumed. How many people in their designs make sure that there’s excellent coverage in the bathrooms?

Keep them up if you’ve ever actually explicitly been told to do so in an RFP or by a customer. I’ve never been told that. I always put good coverage in the bathroom, so I’ve never actually gotten that in aspect.

A customer doesn’t always know where the building materials made of. Sometimes, they don’t even know how the network is going to be used, what number and types of devices and what kind of applications.

Step 2: Perform a Predictive Design

Predictive modeling is an oversimplification. We oversimplify the environment because we guess the types of walls. We often don’t draw in bathrooms, closets and other kinds of small features. We’re guessing it is the absorption and reflectivity on each band. We don’t account for things in the actual environment like furniture, appliances, mirrors, and big bags of water walking around.

What about external interference? You can’t do that in a predictor model. We also oversimplify our deployment constraints. Can wiring actually be run to where we plop down those APs on the model? Will the installer actually deploy based on your specs?

Step 3: Perform a Pre-Deployment Site Survey

We don’t want to rely on only one when we want to perform a site survey. We want to go to the site and take measurements, measure the RF through walls.

This isn’t commonly done especially in the small-medium business because the survey doesn’t happen if nobody wants to pay for it.

There are also installer limitations especially as a device manufacturer. We’re not the ones doing the installations, it’s our customers who do it. You have to rely on them to do a lot of this work. Do they have the right tools? Do they actually know how to use the tools even if they have the right tools?

When they do a walkthrough, it’s often to discover basics. Where can I actually run cable not how the RF is gonna propagate?

Step 4: Perform the Installation

Deploying to spec. Does the Installer cut corners and move your APs? I’ve heard several instances of that. Does the installer actually follow your carefully planned channel and transmit power scheme when they configure the equipment?

Cabling. Can wiring be run or is your cable actually validated? Are your connectors properly seated?

Your environment. Has it changed since the design or the survey was done?

Step 5: Perform a Post-Deployment Site Survey

Let’s go back in and validate and assess where we are. Unfortunately, this isn’t commonly done. It won’t get done if nobody pays for it. Often they’re in a rush to finish the job, especially on a new construction where the constructions already delayed and now they’re piling in the Wi-Fi at the very last minute.

Installer limitations. Are the tools available and do they know how to use them? And when they do any testing for basics, can I get out to the Internet? Do I actually have just any coverage at all? In certain sections, it’s a spot check, it’s not rigorous. If there is a problem what are they doing about it?

What can we do as Wi-Fi engineers? You just place the APs randomly and let RRM just figure it all out for us. We could blame it on those ill-defined multi-user MIMO algorithms.

Better yet, we’ll just wait until 802.11ax comes out and retire to @wirednot’s farm to go after a simpler life. Let’s not do any of those things.

What do we do? We do the best we can. We standardized as much as possible. We pick out our set of preferred equipment, our APs, switches, routers, and controllers for particular applications. Then we have to be flexible and actually adapt them to whatever requirements we actually know about.

We’ll also try to build a robust design. We designed those unstated requirements and follow best practices. We build margin and excess capacity. We also keep learning and refining our craft which is why conferences like this are great.

Failure is not an option.

As a field engineer, I’ve got to figure out how to make it work even with the lack of requirements, a lack of data and a lack of survey stuff. Installers who are in way over their heads, I deal with these stuff on a day to day basis.

But failure is not an option. So, we have to figure out how to make it work despite all of those things.

I’m gonna close with a Wi-Fi engineer serenity prayer.

Gods of Wi-Fi grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change: lack of requirements, lack of budget, lack of time. The courage to change the things I can: following best practices, following standards, following a robust design principle and the wisdom to know the difference. Also, the list of not to slap the customer across the face.

“Failure is not an option – we make the Wi-Fi work as best as we can no matter what”

Jason Hintersteiner is the Director of Business Development at LigoWave. He is a Certified Wireless Network Expert (CWNE #171) and a Networking & Wi-Fi Expert. If you have more questions or feedback, connect with Jason via twitter.

Go HERE to watch to this entire presentation.

The post Deploying Wi-Fi Networks in the Real World with Jason Hintersteiner appeared first on Wireless LAN Professionals.

from https://www.wlanpros.com/resources/deploying-wi-fi-networks-in-the-real-world-with-jason-hintersteiner/

[bugtrackersoftware]

RT @WorriedOverWifi: @wirednot I'd be happy with public facing bug tracker so I can more easily see if it is known or not and not spend days with TAC only to find it has been known for several versions... @ArubaNetworks you listening? via @wirednot

[maryprovencher]

Everything You Wanted To Know About The Ekahau Sidekick

This blog serves as a quick Sidekick™ reference: We’ve linked to all the latest news and blogs all about the new Ekahau Sidekick™. Scroll down to find links to:

Ekahau’s Updates

Demo Videos

Other blogs and podcasts sharing their own reviews of the Ekahau Sidekick™.

On September 7, 2017 Ekahau announced the launch of its new site survey device the Ekahau Sidekick™. According to their Press Release …

Ekahau Sidekick™ is a comprehensive wireless design device that allows for faster measurement of wireless networks and provides best-in-class Wi-Fi spectrum analysis.

Highlights of the Ekahau Sidekick™

“…allows for faster measurement of wireless networks and provides best-in-class Wi-Fi spectrum analysis.”

“…dramatically streamlines the site survey process by replacing and outperforming the previously-used USB hubs providing greater reliability, accuracy and convenience….”

“…makes the site survey process faster with state-of-the-art radios…”

“…houses two enterprise-grade 802.11ac adapters previously only seen in enterprise Wi-Fi access points.”

“…plug and play to get 2x faster site surveys, 4-10x faster spectrum analysis (compared to other Wi-Fi spectrum analyzers)”

“…provides over eight hours of Wi-Fi site survey time.”

Read Ekahau’s full blog post all about the Sidekick HERE

Order your Sidekick from Ekahau HERE

Wireless LAN Professionals store is now offering our new ESS Bundle – Sidekick™ Edition HERE

Watch the Ekahau Sidekick™ product launch Webinar

Join Jussi Kiviniemi, Senior VP at Ekahau, and guests as he walks you through the journey to the development and final launch of the Sidekick.

A Deeper Dive into the Ekahau Sidekick™ 

Jussi demos the Sidekick in realtime

What Others Are Saying

Several Wireless LAN Professionals are sharing their own thoughts and reactions to the Sidekick.

Our own Keith Parsons, as an Ekahau Master, was able to be part of the launch process. He sat down with Blake Krone, and Sam Clements, two other Ekaha Masters to share their impressions about this cool new device.

You can listen to their conversation on either podcast:

No Strings Attached Show | Episode 63: HERE

Wireless LAN Professionals Podcast | Special Edition: HERE

Here’s a great shot Lee took of his Sidekick

This Changes the WLAN Site Survey Game

Lee Badman, on his blog WiredNot shares why he thinks the Ekahau Sidekick™ “changes the WLAN site survey game”.

“Whether a single Sidekick is shared among a couple of teams or several teams with a mix of Mac and Windows PCs all have Sidekicks, the new magic strips away all of the variability that came from a mixed bag of adapters at survey time while also providing long battery life (and a platform from which a slew of expected feature evolutions) which can only lead to better wireless when put in skilled hands.

And it looks darn pretty.” 

Read Lee’s full review HERE 

Lee also wrote an another article for IT Toolbox titled “The WLAN Survey Fat is in the Fire- Ekahau Sidekick”

“Sidekick has the ability to be a game changer, if the market accepts its price point, warranty terms, and form factor…”

Read Lee’s IT Toolbox review HERE

Your New Survey BFF

WiFi Nigel a.k.a Nigel Bowden highlights the weight, size, specs and many of the advantages he sees with the new Ekahau Sidekick™

“As a techie, I must admit to having found the SK disappointingly easy to use   It literally is just a case of powering up the SK, connecting it via a single USB cable to your laptop and firing up your copy of Ekahau ESS. That’s it. Throw the SK over your shoulder and start surveying…”

Nigel also creates a nice Pros & Cons list… Here are some of the potential Cons he highlights:

Cost

Hardware Support

Weight

Heat

Read his full review – which includes lots of great pictures – HERE

One of the many great pictures from Nigel’s post. Nigel, where’s your custom survey tray?

Quick Links:

Ekahau Sidekick Website

Webinar from Ekahau

Ekahau Demo Video

Ekahau Press Release

Podcast with Keith, Blake, and Sam

Lee Badman WiredNot Review

Lee Badman IT Toolbox Review

Nigel Bowden Review

No Strings Attached Show Podcast

The post Everything You Wanted To Know About The Ekahau Sidekick appeared first on Wireless LAN Professionals.

from News About Technology https://www.wlanpros.com/resources/everything-wanted-know-ekahau-sidekick/

[faymdsmithus]

Everything You Wanted To Know About The Ekahau Sidekick

This blog serves as a quick Sidekick™ reference: We’ve linked to all the latest news and blogs all about the new Ekahau Sidekick™. Scroll down to find links to:

Ekahau’s Updates

Demo Videos

Other blogs and podcasts sharing their own reviews of the Ekahau Sidekick™.

On September 7, 2017 Ekahau announced the launch of its new site survey device the Ekahau Sidekick™. According to their Press Release …

Ekahau Sidekick™ is a comprehensive wireless design device that allows for faster measurement of wireless networks and provides best-in-class Wi-Fi spectrum analysis.

Highlights of the Ekahau Sidekick™

“…allows for faster measurement of wireless networks and provides best-in-class Wi-Fi spectrum analysis.”

“…dramatically streamlines the site survey process by replacing and outperforming the previously-used USB hubs providing greater reliability, accuracy and convenience….”

“…makes the site survey process faster with state-of-the-art radios…”

“…houses two enterprise-grade 802.11ac adapters previously only seen in enterprise Wi-Fi access points.”

“…plug and play to get 2x faster site surveys, 4-10x faster spectrum analysis (compared to other Wi-Fi spectrum analyzers)”

“…provides over eight hours of Wi-Fi site survey time.”

Read Ekahau’s full blog post all about the Sidekick HERE

Order your Sidekick from Ekahau HERE

Wireless LAN Professionals store is now offering our new ESS Bundle – Sidekick™ Edition HERE

Watch the Ekahau Sidekick™ product launch Webinar

Join Jussi Kiviniemi, Senior VP at Ekahau, and guests as he walks you through the journey to the development and final launch of the Sidekick.

A Deeper Dive into the Ekahau Sidekick™ 

Jussi demos the Sidekick in realtime

What Others Are Saying

Several Wireless LAN Professionals are sharing their own thoughts and reactions to the Sidekick.

Our own Keith Parsons, as an Ekahau Master, was able to be part of the launch process. He sat down with Blake Krone, and Sam Clements, two other Ekaha Masters to share their impressions about this cool new device.

You can listen to their conversation on either podcast:

No Strings Attached Show | Episode 63: HERE

Wireless LAN Professionals Podcast | Special Edition: HERE

Here’s a great shot Lee took of his Sidekick

This Changes the WLAN Site Survey Game

Lee Badman, on his blog WiredNot shares why he thinks the Ekahau Sidekick™ “changes the WLAN site survey game”.

“Whether a single Sidekick is shared among a couple of teams or several teams with a mix of Mac and Windows PCs all have Sidekicks, the new magic strips away all of the variability that came from a mixed bag of adapters at survey time while also providing long battery life (and a platform from which a slew of expected feature evolutions) which can only lead to better wireless when put in skilled hands.

And it looks darn pretty.” 

Read Lee’s full review HERE 

Lee also wrote an another article for IT Toolbox titled “The WLAN Survey Fat is in the Fire- Ekahau Sidekick”

“Sidekick has the ability to be a game changer, if the market accepts its price point, warranty terms, and form factor…”

Read Lee’s IT Toolbox review HERE

Your New Survey BFF

WiFi Nigel a.k.a Nigel Bowden highlights the weight, size, specs and many of the advantages he sees with the new Ekahau Sidekick™

“As a techie, I must admit to having found the SK disappointingly easy to use   It literally is just a case of powering up the SK, connecting it via a single USB cable to your laptop and firing up your copy of Ekahau ESS. That’s it. Throw the SK over your shoulder and start surveying…”

Nigel also creates a nice Pros & Cons list… Here are some of the potential Cons he highlights:

Cost

Hardware Support

Weight

Heat

Read his full review – which includes lots of great pictures – HERE

One of the many great pictures from Nigel’s post. Nigel, where’s your custom survey tray?

Quick Links:

Ekahau Sidekick Website

Webinar from Ekahau

Ekahau Demo Video

Ekahau Press Release

Podcast with Keith, Blake, and Sam

Lee Badman WiredNot Review

Lee Badman IT Toolbox Review

Nigel Bowden Review

No Strings Attached Show Podcast

The post Everything You Wanted To Know About The Ekahau Sidekick appeared first on Wireless LAN Professionals.

from News About Technology https://www.wlanpros.com/resources/everything-wanted-know-ekahau-sidekick/

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Missiles and Meal Service: The Hidden Toll of Flying in War-zones

Common occupational hazards in aviation; the not so new flight deck stressors would encompass turbulence, delayed pushbacks, and that one passanger having an issue with someone reclining their seat (this is so very common, believe me). Let’s not forget another one who thinks the seatbelt sign doesn’t apply to them while on active runway (because they are just itching for a snack they left inside their carry-on luggage in the overhead bin. Opens bin, then bag falls off on them and everyone around. SMH)

Back to business. Pilots and cabin crew flying over the Middle East lately, especially in and out of Qatar, well, there’s a new, less subtle source of anxiety: missile attacks. Who doesn’t know the news by now?

Yes, flying into Doha these days might involve dodging airspace closures, U.S. airbase targets, and the occasional Iranian and Israeli news. Glamorous, right?

Very.

While passengers worry about delayed in-flight meals and Wi-Fi speeds being too slow or disconnecting , the crew up front and in the aisles are dealing with something much much heavier: the psychological toll of flying through a region where geopolitics are very unpredictable, stormy, and always just over the horizon.

What Happened in Qatar Exactly, you ask?

In resent years, we’ve witnessed sensitive airspaces and in response, airlines have shut down their airspaces. Flights being rerouted faster than a teenager dodging chores have become commonplace, and airline dispatchers around the world had one collective panic attack.

Now just imagine this. Inflight, flight crew are prepping beverage carts while air defence systems light up the radar. Boom-Chaka-Boom! Just another day in the skies.

Cabin Pressure: Flying with a Side of Adrenaline

Yes, crew (deck crew and cabin crew) are trained to handle demarcates, but war is not an average Emmergency! It’s one thing to worry about fuel efficiency. It’s another to fly over a region where missiles are a real-time hazard.

There is a huge difference between trusting an aircraft, the team, and trusting geopolitics.

Constant anticipatory anxiety.

Hypervigilance, even on layovers.

The unsettling knowledge that their aircraft might share airspace with defense drones, military jets, and… well, more missiles.

Hospitality Meets Hostility

Cabin crew, as you know, are the face of calm, smile and all. Even so, smiling while you serve fish, beef and a gluten free meal on a flight skimming a conflict zone? That’s dark art right there.

Results:

Crew becoming emotionally disconnected from their jobs.

Guilt when evacuating people while others are left behind. 2020 clears throat!

Luxury inflight service inside a pressure cooker floating mid air at 40,000 feet while those on ground are ducking. Definately dystopian!

More Fuel, More Detours, More Fatigue

Yep! Practical stress:

Flights being rerouted to avoid hot zones, adding hours to duty time.

Longer flight hours mean more fatigue, which affects both performance and emotional bandwidth.

There’s no glamour-AT ALL in a 15 hour turnaround because there is no clearance to land.

What Airlines Are Maybe doing

Critical Incident Stress Management teams.

Therapy appointments.

Pre and post dispatch briefings.

Even so, lots of crews feel out of the loop. Why you ask?Because, you get the news that you’re flying a risky zone when you’re already on it.

Hidden Costs: Forget Fuel and Insurance

Mental Health RiskWhat It Looks LikePTSD or traumaFlashbacks, fawning, sleep interruptions, avoidanceBurnoutEmotional numbness, lack of purposeAnxietyReccuring worry, overanalysing proceduresIsolationFeeling detached and lack of support on layovers or at home

These risks don’t show up on a flight log, but hey, they impact safety, morale, and retention. We talk about maintaining aircraft fatigue limits. What about crew fatigue limits?

Where Do We Go From Here?

How about a Flight Plan for Mental Health in Conflict Zones:

Transparent Security Briefings.

Weight & balance before takeoff is paramount, so is mental health balance.

Flight Debriefs After High-Stress Flights.

Better Global Oversight, meaning ICAO, IATA and other relevant bodies must update protocols for mental wellness involving high-risk routes.

Bottom line, pilots and cabin crew are indeed professionals for they train, adapt, and make sure to get the job done. But, they are people too and not robots. People who fly into the world’s most dangerous zones with nothing more than a safety manual and nerves of steel.

We owe them patience, understanding, protection and genuine support as they navigate war zones with grit and grace.

Fly safe. Check on your crew friends, and just maybe skip the missile jokes during boarding.

Source: Missiles and Meal Service: The Hidden Toll of Flying in War-zones