Fluke Networks
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@Minion-Queen said:
I know a lot of guys around here talk about SMB cost for things. How can a single shop IT guy not use this stuff? Yes there is a cost to purchase said item but, the cost saving in time and frustration, now that is where it's at!
That's a great point - we had one university that used to verify the connection of all ports in all of the dorms. With student help it used to take them 4 full weeks running around with a laptop and a clipboard verifying each drop, and with a LinkSprinter they could cut the project time down to one week. And with the online results management platform that automatically flags failed tests (and stored all of the test information), their follow time on any issues decreased dramatically as well!
Another school district I talked to had multiple locations, and left a LinkSprinter with each on-site admin (because it's so simple anyone can use it). And when someone had an issue they would go plug it in, the IT team could see the results remotely, and sometimes they could avoid a truck roll to the district which saved them a ton of time and money. Then they had a LinkRunner that all of their techs shared for some more advanced troubleshooting. Quite a cool set up!
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@KendallHershey said:
@dafyre It runs on the 2.4 band, but they are for checking wired only, it's just a way to communicate from the Linksprinter to your mobile device.
But we do have a killer wireless troubleshooting tool called AirCheck that can tell you all kinds of information like signal strength, detecting rogua APs, interference testing (if you have a crazy microwave or something), etc. But that tool is definitely a bit pricier around $2,000.
http://www.flukenetworks.com/enterprise-network/network-testing/AirCheck-Wi-Fi-TesterThanks!
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@Dashrender said:
@Minion-Queen said:
I know a lot of guys around here talk about SMB cost for things. How can a single shop IT guy not use this stuff? Yes there is a cost to purchase said item but, the cost saving in time and frustration, now that is where it's at!
So I'm thinking about this. I guess it boils down to - how much do I have to pay someone who already owns this equipment to come in and do a survey versus buying the equipment myself, learning to use (always a good skill - I do get this) and then using it. If the cost of purchase vs paying a company to do a survey is close, then buying starts making sense, especially when you look at the ability to use it in the future at low/no cost.
The MSRP of the Survey/Planner bundle is $4,360. The skill is very valuable to learn! But, that's always the key question. We've got a ton of resources to help you learn about migrating to 11ac, for example, if you're interested: http://www.flukenetworks.com/content/802-11ac-University?ls=PRML&lsd=WLAN11acUni
But I think either way, you're going to want a post-install troubleshooting tool. Wireless can be extremely tricky. Sometimes something like getting a new microwave in the kitchen could cause issues for the users on the other side of the wall. In my experience, it can require more upkeep than something more static like a wired infrastructure. It's very dependent on many different factors.
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@KendallHershey said:
The MSRP of the Survey/Planner bundle is $4,360.
And there's the reason we'll never own one. A survey will cost less than $1000. It would take dozens or more calls after a survey to make it worth the cost.
Definitely a tool meant for someone who does this regularly.
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Didn't think I had any questions for Fluke, but I do! What's the pricing on your gigabit network taps?
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@Dashrender said:
@KendallHershey said:
The MSRP of the Survey/Planner bundle is $4,360.
And there's the reason we'll never own one. A survey will cost less than $1000. It would take dozens or more calls after a survey to make it worth the cost.
Definitely a tool meant for someone who does this regularly.
Yea, I will say most of the users I talk to of these tools are installers. Or someone with multiple locations that they're doing deployments for.
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@KendallHershey said:
... (because it's so simple anyone can use it)...
Even a caveman ?
Sorry... I couldn't resist!
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@dafyre said:
@KendallHershey said:
... (because it's so simple anyone can use it)...
Even a caveman ?
Sorry... I couldn't resist!
LOL - No soup for you!
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@KendallHershey and the winner of the LinkSprinter 300 is????
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@travisdh1 said:
Didn't think I had any questions for Fluke, but I do! What's the pricing on your gigabit network taps?
It can range - from several hundred dollars for a single port inline tap to 100K for multiple port 10/40G taps. I could track down more info for you if you like, just let me know.
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@KendallHershey said:
@travisdh1 said:
Didn't think I had any questions for Fluke, but I do! What's the pricing on your gigabit network taps?
It can range - from several hundred dollars for a single port inline tap to 100K for multiple port 10/40G taps. I could track down more info for you if you like, just let me know.
I'd be interested in that too. I can already think of a couple of good uses for it!
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@KendallHershey said:
@travisdh1 said:
Didn't think I had any questions for Fluke, but I do! What's the pricing on your gigabit network taps?
It can range - from several hundred dollars for a single port inline tap to 100K for multiple port 10/40G taps. I could track down more info for you if you like, just let me know.
I'd be interested to see some marketing materials. We're on almost all "smart" switches at work currently so it's not so important here, but if/when I do any side/consulting work I'll need something.
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Thanks to everyone who participated in the AMA! Some great conversation today, we had a ton of fun.
I know I owe you some more info on network taps @travisdh1 and @dafyre so I will post back in here once I can track something down for you.
I'm super happy to announce the winner of the LinkSprinter Network Tester chosen at random very scientifically by me closing my eyes and scrolling through the thread is... @Dashrender! Congrats!! I'll PM you for shipping information.If anyone has any other questions, feel free to PM me or tag me in a thread. As one last note, just a reminder that the Enterprise/network test side of Fluke Networks (everything we talked about here today) is now with NETSCOUT! So be sure to check us out there in the future.
Thanks again everyone!!
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Gratz, @Dashrender !
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@KendallHershey said:
As one last note, just a reminder that the Enterprise/network test side of Fluke Networks (everything we talked about here today) is now with NETSCOUT! So be sure to check us out there in the future.
I'm not sure what you mean?
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@KendallHershey said:
I'm super happy to announce the winner of the LinkSprinter Network Tester chosen at random very scientifically by me closing my eyes and scrolling through the thread is... @Dashrender! Congrats!! I'll PM you for shipping information.
Aww.. thanks!
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Thanks to @Minion-Queen for setting this up, and to @KendallHershey for fielding our questions and the contest!!
And most of all, for supporting MangoLassi.it!
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@Dashrender Did you hear that Fluke Networks split and part of us was acquired by NETSCOUT? So we're currently transition our products and part of the company to NETSCOUT - although the datacom installation and certification will stay with Fluke. Here's a link that outlines everything a bit more: http://www.flukenetworks.com/content/fnet-netscout-social-migration-page
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@KendallHershey said:
@Dashrender Did you hear that Fluke Networks split and part of us was acquired by NETSCOUT? So we're currently transition our products and part of the company to NETSCOUT - although the datacom installation and certification will stay with Fluke. Here's a link that outlines everything a bit more: http://www.flukenetworks.com/content/fnet-netscout-social-migration-page
Nope I didn't, thanks for the link.
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@KendallHershey thanks for taking some time to answer questions today and to all of you for asking questions and making ML great!
