Tony onsite: Site Visit

 Yippee, i just got an email that the telecom room is now ready for me, again,., ;)

lets see if it's really ready.

Tony on site: Documentation Progress

I just got word that 'more documentation' to help me with my testing, etc. 

I was excited to see what that meant so I went over to check it out. 

Its definitely better than nothing, that's for sure.

IoT WiFi goes offline at Night (Carlo Zakarian)

 It’s great when we come across IoT devices that can save us time and perform many automated tasks, like switching on our sprinkler lawn system, turn on lights as we walk into a room, make our morning coffee on a schedule, and set our AC/Heat thermostat temperatures.

Let’s face it, these devices work great most of the time, however nearly all lack wired connectivity which means most will work on WiFi only.  The problem with that is on occasion IoT WiFi devices can sometimes go on the fritz and not reconnect.  A simple reboot of your AP or device can usually fix it and other times a software update fixes it.  However, in some situations when you’ve tried just about everything else and it still doesn’t work, it may be time to a call in a qualified WiFi technician with some fancy commercial tools.

This brings us to the wonderful story of how I got called into a consulting gig to diagnose WiFi thermostats at a high-end gym.  The initial story was, thermostats are online during the day, but during the night some would turn off without a warning.  

As I quickly paced the hallways of my office, I thought to myself what could cause such an interesting problem - Is it a power issue?  Could it be WiFi interference? Is it a ghost, or some rodent having fun with wires at night?  So, I reached out for my duffle bag and placed in it my NetAlly AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer, NetScout Spectrum Analyzer, Fluke cable tester and headed out to the site.  
Let’s dig in and dissect this issue.   Follow along with me as I hunt down the culprit that is causing this issue and how I solved it.

Tony Onsite: Rack Mounting A Switch On My Own

 

I will keep is short and sweet.

There are many occasions when I have to work alone, so I have figured out a lot of tips, tips, and safe shortcuts to get the job done.

in this example, i show you how I rack-mounted a Cisco switch on my own.

Tony onsite: Bag your equipment??

 

As part of this new install, i will be installing, configuring, and testing the network equipment,

It is still an active construction site there is a lot of dust flying around, so I unplug my equipment after I'm done testing and 'bag it'.

This will reduce the amount of dust that gets sucked into the equipment and protect it from paint, coffee, or whatever the trades might spill on it.