teqniqal
Well-Known Member
This post affects anyone using networks, so if the moderator can cross-post this to the Sound and Lighting groups as well, it would be appreciated.
I just came from a meeting for a school project where the School District IT department wanted to have a coordination meeting with the sound and lighting contractors regarding the Wireless Access Points (WAPs) for the two systems.
Background:
The difficulties I see are this:
What other gotcha's might I need to look-out for?
Open for comment. The systems aren't up and flying yet, but will be within a month or so. Fingers crossed.
I just came from a meeting for a school project where the School District IT department wanted to have a coordination meeting with the sound and lighting contractors regarding the Wireless Access Points (WAPs) for the two systems.
Background:
- We specified that the dedicated and fully isolated network for the digital audio and A/V controls have a dedicated WAP to allow the owner's sound staff (and authorized students) be able to remotely control the sound mixing console and Dante network with a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone with an app.
- We specified that the dedicated and fully isolated network for the dimming system and controls have a dedicated WAP to allow the owner's lighting staff (and authorized students) be able to remotely control the lighting console from their tablet or mobile phone with an app (remote focus function).
The difficulties I see are this:
- If their system goes down, our local remote control of our systems are screwed.
- Bluetooth also operates in the WiFi band, so will this 'seek and destroy' mess-up simple things like Bluetooth wireless keyboards, mice, and headsets? Will it disrupt a wireless sound feed from a guest's phone into our sound system?
- Any WiFi band (2.4 or 5GHz) type DMX extenders become useless in this environment.
- Any casual use of a laptop or phone to create a local temporary WiFi hotspot is shot to hell.
- WiFi links between camera memory cards and bulk storage or a laptop will be shot to hell.
- Any guest artist that might bring a WiFi or Bluetooth connection between their own equipment will be hammered into non-usability.
- We are wanting to keep the A/V and lighting networks TOTALLY isolated so software can't and won't automatically update, but it is my understanding that MS Windows (10) has some curious 'sub channel' tunneling is does to get updates and it is difficult to kill this activity (persistent little MF!). Truth? or rumor?
What other gotcha's might I need to look-out for?
Open for comment. The systems aren't up and flying yet, but will be within a month or so. Fingers crossed.