Low-voltage Cabling, the Whats and Whys

With most forms of communication going wireless these days, many ask the question, "Why should I have a wired network?"  There is no doubt that a majority of data communication is transmitted through the air waves these days to and from devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops and even many printers.  However, there is still a very strong need for wired networks and for particular devices and technologies to be connected via ethernet.  Although wireless networking is a cost productive way to connect many devices to a single router, it isn't always the most reliable.  Since wireless signals are broadcast through the air, interference and interruption are always a possibility, due to causes such as hacking, inclement weather, and the path that the signal must travel being blocked or lengthy.  These issues arise mostly when dealing with business IT, where network consistency is a must.

Businesses usually (and should) have in place some form of server, and some implementation of a backup system and disaster recovery plan.  These systems require what is known is a dedicated connection, usually from an ISP that provides T-1 or similar service, that has no downtime.  Downtime in such a scenario can be very costly for a business as it could totally halt productivity for the time that the network is inaccessible.  With the aforementioned issues that wireless networks can have, it makes sense that these systems would be wired to prevent downtime and/or network interferrence.  This is where we come in.

Data and voice cabling, also referred to as low-voltage cabling, must be performed by licensed and insured individuals, and sometimes requires that a building permit is pulled to perform the work.   It's not as easy as simply plugging your computer up to the wall, the cabling part is what enables an actual network connection to go from your network equipment to the wall plate or jack so that it is live.  It's a similar concept to electrical work as well, where the light switch will not function without an electrical current and fixture attached to it.

We at Vital Computer Services are fully licensed and insured low-voltage electricians, with heaps of experience in the industry.  We are able to provide both residential and commercial data and voice solutions, and coupled with our IT specialty, can provide what is called system integration.   We would love to have an opportunity to help you get connected!

Most Useful iPhone/iPad apps

The iPhone and iPad, and similar technologies from Apple, have taken the world by storm.  Infact, if you aren't an Android user, I would be personally surprised if you didn't own an Apple based device or two, yourself.  The Apple mobile devices provide a great variety of applications for many different usages through the App Store.  However, how are we to know which apps are worthwile, and which ones are simply lacking in quality?  Here I have compiled a short list of what I have found to be the most useful iApps, and a short description of what their functionality is.

1. Dropbox

Dropbox is a great cloud service that automatically syncs a folder of files between multiple computers (Windows, Mac, or Linux). This app extends Dropbox to the Apple devices and includes a built-in reader for PDFs, image files, and Microsoft Office files.  A great way for those on the go to have immediate access to important files stored elsewhere, Dropbox has become the standard of mobile file syncing, and better yet, it's free!

2. RedLaser

 This is a great app for shoppers. It turns the iPhone camera into a barcode scanner and it’s quite accurate. You simply scan a product’s UPC code and let the app go to work to find it in Google Product Search and TheFind. For food it will even look up allergen information and for books it will scan to see if you can get it in a local library. You’ll be amazed at how fast it works. A similar product is SnapTell, which not only scans barcordes but you can also take a picture of the cover of a book or DVD and it can look them up that way. These apps are great when you’re shopping at a retail store and want to check the prices of products online before buying. It also reads QR codes.

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3. Instagram

The camera and camera app on the iPhone are now good enough to replace a point-and-shoot. You can even take pictures that are worthy of saving in your family albums. For those, I upload them to Flickr using the iPhone app. For the everyday photos that I just want to quickly post on social media, I use Instagram. It is very quick, dead simple to use, and very social media friendly. But, do me a favor and go easy on the filters. They are badly overused by most Instagram users, while 90% of photos are better with no filter at all.

4. Evernote

 Once you get used to typing on a virtual keyboard (and it honestly took me over a year to do it), then these devices are great for note taking, and Evernote is a great note taking app. It is similar to Dropbox in that it saves data locally but syncs it across all your machines and devices.

5. LogMeIn Ignition

More useful for the iPad than the iPhone due to the ease of use with a larger display,  LMI Ignition is incredibly useful too for managing a computer from your mobile device.  The software must be installed PC side (which is free) and mobile side (which is not free), and has a username/password login design.  With an above average internet connection to your PC and good to great connectivity on your mobile device, you can control your PC using the touchscreen as if you were sitting in front of it, which again is great for those in the move who need to stay connected, like a contractor who needs access to server files at his office.  The drawback?  The price, which is now $99.  Ouch.

6. Skype

 

Another extremely useful app used for making voice or video calls with friends who also use the program, either on their mobile device, or on a computer.  The best part, is that Skype is a free service for both PC and mobile, and is a great alternative to FaceTime mobile, which only allows for video chat between iPhone/iPad users of the most recent generations of each product.  There are plenty of bugs, however, associated with the mobile app, most of which have been around for quite awhile with no forseeable fixes in the near future.  If you can live with a few glitches in exchange for a great, free method of keeping in touch with friends, Skype will definitely impress.  You can do conference calls, too!

I hope this gives you a good headstart on loading up that Apple device of yours with some of hottest, most useful apps on the market.  There are plenty more worth mentioning, but I don't want to take the all the fun out of exploring the App Store for yourself.  Now get to downloading!

-- credit to apple.com and zdnet.com

Backups with AppAssure Replay 4

Soon to come we will be testing AppAssure's Replay 4 backup solution. Looking forward to sharing the results. Stay tuned.