Unstable Software

biometrics

biometrics

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I've been using the "Vodafone Mobile Connect" PCMCIA card for two weeks in an area where you get 2/5 bars. Generally it works pretty well but sometimes it disconnects and the software becomes unstable displaying "Not Connected" in the first status bar and "No Network" in the second status bar while the "Mobile" toolbar button is disabled.

This required killing the application and restarting it to reconnect.
 
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Hi biometrics, the usual questions:
  1. Which make/model of PCMCIA 3G data card do you have?
    [Option or Novatel...?]
  2. What firmware version do you have on the data card?
  3. What dashboard version are you using?
 
Option card

Hi biometrics,

With my Option card I found the most stable environment was:

1) Latest firmware
2) Do not use dashboard (only possible with Option card AFAIK)
3) 64k SIMM card
 
wot is the latest firmware i.e 9 10 11 check unda revision should give u a no.

tools diagnostics remember u have to be disconnected to view this :eek:
 
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Just want to add i have EXACTLY the same instability issues with my Dash. I'm now busy downloading V5 of the dash and hopefully that'll solve my problems.

Card: Novatel
Firmware: V14
Dash : 4.02.0006
OS : WinXP
System : Laptop AND Desktop with PCI-PCMCIA adaptor [same problems on both].

[just recap of what happens with me, sounds identical to original posters issues]
Although this isn't a critical thing, just annoying. My dash takes ages to disconnect [a disconnect box will float for minutes]. If it DOES actually disconnect you can rarely re-connect, the "connect" button remains disabled and no network signal appears.... (This happens both if i disconnect voluntarily or when i loose connection involuntarily. Generally i get the problem when ive been connected for a lengthy period of time, i don't get it if i disconnect within say 10 minutes).

When you close the dash it will do the same [a closing box floating for ages].

So as the thread-creator said , you have to kill the entire dash with ctrl-alt-delete and restart it. [At least i dont have to reboot].
 
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The dash instability seems to affect certain users more than others and it seems to be a combination of multiple variables, thus no easy answer on what's causing it. We've found correlations with some or all of the following:

1) Dashboard version
2) OS
3) Laptop Model
4) Card type
5) Card firmware
6) Dashboard setup, profiles for example.
7) SIM (32K) vs USIM (64K)
8) Network conditions
9) Laptop Power Management

From the very scientific, empirical analysis above, you can see that just about every instability case takes a lot of fiddling before it goes away.

It's hugely frustrating, not just for you guys, but us as well.
 
Is this only a problem in SA, or al over the world?

If it is all over the world, then it's just difficult to understand why it doesn't get sorted.
 
I too have always had the same problems as noted in this thread.
I have grown to accept that this is the way the it works, as it generally does not degrade my 3G experience (unless you're disconnecting and the dash is holding up your weekend! :D ).
Hopefully the wrinkles will be ironed out in updates/upgrades to come.

The questions begs however, for my own curiosity:
Is anyone using 3G absolutly flawlessly ?
Perhaps a brave question, in the light of the fact that 3G is such a new technology.
 
Installed V5 of the dash, things seem to be working better regarding disconnecting and closing the dash. Haven't been able to actually get a disconnect [involuntarily] to see what happens with dash under those conditions [ironic :P]

When i installed V5 , windows re-detected and re-installed all the components of my data-card [primary/secondary ports etc], so i assume it is new drivers as well etc
 
1) Dashboard version: 5.00.0017
2) OS: XP SP2
3) Laptop Model: IBM R40
4) Card type: Novatel U630 UMTS, Driver Date: 2004/11/09, Driver Version: 1.3.5.1
5) Card firmware: 14.0-14.0 [2005-05-18 15:39:38]
6) Dashboard setup, profiles for example: 3G Only, default settings
7) SIM (32K) vs USIM (64K): Not sure, I got it a month ago so assume 64K
8) Network conditions: 2/5 bars connected at 384 Kbps on 3G
9) Laptop Power Management: maximum speed, no shutdown timers

As mentioned generally it works pretty well but every now and again something goes wrong. Not only the description above but also complete crashes.
 
Crash crash crash ...

So I go get a pizza and when I get back it has crashed. This is pretty much useless if I was trying to upload a 100 MB file to a client. I hope Vodacom can sort out this flaky (read "sh*t") software! I often have to upload 60 MB+ files to clients ...

Here is the typical "blue screen of death"-type crash I experience:

3GCrash.JPG


Abnormal! Come on ...

This really isn't good enough. I will recommend to all I know to hold their 3G purchases until this crap is sorted out. This is quite pathetic.

Crash crash crash ... I am having a happy crash crash crash ...

Note I have all the latest hardware, firmware and software. So basically this stuff doesn't work. And by "work" I mean 99% uptime not 80%.
 
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vodacom3g said:
We need to get the 'dash-less' Novatel setup working.
Click to expand...

Windows dial-up/networking would be better than having to run a custom app.

But from my experience with 2/5 bars it's a bit like wifi where it helps to have a signal strength/quality display so you can move around to get better reception.

Best to have a signal strength/quality app and windows dial-up/networking.

vodacom3g said:
BTW, I've noticed on my own setup, when the dash crash, the connection often stays up.
Click to expand...

Lucky you, that's not my experience though. It dies, your connection dies.
 
What I've often seen is the 'GUI' portion of the dash crash, but when you look in the task manager, the VMCONNECT process still runs and thus keep the card up.

I've also recently saw both lights on the Novatel come on, resulting in a purple looking LED. This has been logged with the manufacturer.
 
Vodacom3G

Could you let us know what is being done about this? As you said, it's not nice for us, your customers, and not nice for you. The suggestion seem to be to get rid of the dash, and use DUN, etc. For the people in these threads, it's propably a workable solution (my DUN hangs), but then we are all quite technically inclined. If I tell me Mom that she has to go through all this, she will book herself into a mental insitute.
 
The 'official' way of managing the connection is through the VMC Dashboard, so it receives a huge amount of attention. Vodacom (along with all the other Vodafone companies) are putting a huge amount of pressure on the developers to work these issues.

So DUN is a short-term workaround for those installations where we seen to battle with instability.

The Data Card product managers (and myself) put constant pressure on the guys, trust me.
 
I know this might seem like heresy, but it might be an idea to push for the VMC software to become an Open Source project, or to have an Open Source alternative to the VMC s/w - on Sourceforge.net...something that works on other platforms as well, does whatever it needs to do for sms sending/receiving, VLive via data card, etc etc etc...
 
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