Yet another Monday

guyinpv

Why am I not surprised?

LAN ports on router are completely dead. Lightning or something on the previous Friday (when I wasn't here of course).
So I try to get a few people online using a Verizon passport thingy. One computer got on but another one I plugged in a USB wireless stick (brand new) and after it was just about to connect, BSOD. BSOD every time the USB is plugged in.

I give up on that and head to Best Buy. That's a 10 minute drive, I show up, and they are still closed for another hour.
Staples is closed.
The only one open is OfficeMax. I head there.

I pick out a router and bring the empty box to the counter, but nobody is doing checkout. I wait for their one employee to come over from the printing station, only to find the box I picked is not in stock. I go back and pick a different router, now someone is in front of me. I wait some more. And that one is out of stock too.

Well finally they go in the back to see what the crap they DO have in stock, and luckily they had a newer model and gave me a price match to the one I wanted.

I head back to the office and start installing and all that, then find the port on the switch also blew out. And now our finance person is trying to remote in and can't.

So I sort out a port to use (our switch is completely used up so somebody has to get unplugged).
Then I fix finance computer.
Then I start getting others online and letting the new network through the firewalls.
Then I gotta fix the BSOD computer.

Now finally, three hours after getting here, we're finally online, but looks like I'll be replacing our switch next.

And just how am I supposed to prevent lightning strikes through the network?

Freaking Mondays!

scottalanmiller

We've had clients have that happen, too. Spare parts on shelves is about the only solution to that.

Dashrender

An ER-X is so cheep, $60 sitting on shelf in case of this happening.. but a switch, nah, I'd just go shopping.

guyinpv

I really really wanted to get a Ubiquiti product, but they aren't sold locally and I didn't have a spare in the office.

Ended up with this monster http://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/cat-5506_Archer-C5400.html

That's not the price I paid though, through twist of fate, I got a price match on a leaser model that wasn't in stock so they gave me this one.

I avoided a Netgear router cause I bought a decent one for home and had nothing but problems for months. Just buggy software or firmware or I don't know what, don't like it.

Also avoided Linksys/Cisco stuff. I hate their UIs and I do have a pile of dead Linksys stuff at home.

Never used TP-Link, so what the hay, I'll try it. The thing will blow up next year anyway like all the rest! But already I can say the UI is much better. My old Linksys AC1200 didn't even tell me what my external IP was. Everything was like for babies or something, never giving me the technical details. But this Tp-link actually shows me everything I need. Feels more advanced.

Dashrender

Are you seriously going to keep it?

I guess i figured this was a stop gap measure until the Ubiquiti stuff arrived.