Why is this important?
Connectivity issues stemming from dead spots in your wifi coverage can affect the flow of data from the handheld Android units into the OPS-COM system.
Syncing the tablets can become an issue but there are some workarounds or habits that you can adopt to mitigate the problem.
Typical issues that affect wifi strength:
- Proximity to your wifi source is of course the number one factor in signal strength. The further you get from the closest wifi source the weaker the signal.
- Structural objects (buildings, walls etc) can contribute to weakening signal strength. Even a load bearing wall in a building can severely affect signal strength.
Therefore both the placement of your source as well as your location in relation to the source is also important. - Other materials in your area can also cause signal degradation. Along with concrete, brick and stone, foil-backed insulation foam, some wallpapers and damp can all hinder the radio waves. It's normally quite difficult to determine which materials are installed in your place of business, and which are causing issues, but using a Wi-Fi repeater or relocating your router can help improve things. You may want to keep this in mind if patrolling interiors such as parking garages, parking levels below ground etc.
- Electrical devices around you may also cause problems with your Wi-Fi network. Devices such as microwaves and refrigerators can interfere with the radio signal from your router; anything that communicates on the 2.4GHz frequency can interfere.
It's not common for these items to cause major problems, however it could be worth keeping them in mind if you are having problems resolving any issues you have.
Simple test to ensure you are connected:
When in the field patrolling it may be difficult to tell if you have enough signal strength to be confident that OPS-COM is communicating through wifi with the main server. A quick and easy test would be to go to the browser on your tablet to test connecting to any web page. If the browser can not connect to a web site it will not connect with OPS-COM.
Syncing
First rule: Don't Panic! If you can't sync immediately it's not a critical issue. As long as you perform a sync when you
Autosync as opposed to manual sync
How to tell if you had a successful sync
Link to restore procedure