Remote Qunatar Programming (RS232 over IP box)

[jmfirefighter20]

Hi Folks,

I maintain a five site radio network with between two to four Quantars per site. It's a real PITA when I need to do any programming adjustments, device log checks, etc....as much as I like getting out of the office for a day or two sometimes I just don't have the time since I work by myself and there are always a million other projects going on.

I had a vendor recommend "Brainboxes" brand RS232 over IP devices to allow remote programming of our Quantars. Is anyone using anything different out there that they may be able to recommend?

Thanks,

[d119]

While it's not quite the same thing, it can be done and it does work.

Some of our customers use Baytech serial switches that are connected together via subrate (serial) cards on the channel banks. From the main site, I can access all devices (Channel bank, site reference, Quantars, Comparators, etc) via the main Baytech device. When you connect to the Quantar you want, you exit the terminal emulator and run your RSS, and it "sees" the Quantar on the far end.

Doing this over IP would be even easier, so I think you're on the right track.

http://www.baytech.net/

[Bill_G]

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of legacy support. You're going to get to learn about serial and terminal servers, port redirection, and application layer compatibility. And if you have a million things to do already, who knows when you'll find time to build this out.

Quantar Windows RSS com port support is not very sophisticated. It does not natively let you select an ip connection. You have to do port redirection which means an application has to run in the background. It intercepts calls for a specific virtual com port, and sends them to an ip addy/port. You'll need to make a list of which station is connected to which virtual com port. If you have a lot of stations, it becomes a long list.

Then you get to decide if you want one serial server per station requiring more ip addys, or do you want a multi-port server with a single ip addy with multiple port addys. Cost and complexity add up quick. And then, what networking features do you need in the box? You have some decisions to make.

Black Box makes serial, console, and terminal servers of all kinds. They have good tech support, and can help you select the right product for this application.

DataComm for Business is another good company. They are a lot smaller than Black Box, with fewer selections, but you'll find more features, solid equipment, and competitive pricing in US made product.

Moxa and Lantronix are two other companies with solid reputations for this sort of project.

[Astro Spectra]

Lantronix have been doing this for years:

http://store.lantronix.com/product_p/eds00812n-01.htm

8 ports for less than $700 per site rack mount. You don't need two ends as you can use their virtual Com port redirector driver in your PC to access this as 8 separate Com ports over IP.

[jmfirefighter20]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll definitely look into these other products! I'm sure this will be another adventure. Even though it may take some more time to learn all the ins and outs, it will be time well spent!

[jmfirefighter20]

Just as a follow up, after evaluating costs and such and doing some research we ended up buying the Brainboxes http://us.brainboxes.com/small-form-ethernet-to-serial

These things are pretty slick I must say. Lifetime Warranty, Lifetime Support, and under $200 each for a two port. I got a few of them to distribute around the network. You plug them into power, plug them into your laptop via the ethernet port directly, install the included windows software package, "search" for the device, and configure it. It installs itself as a COM port in the computer. Now when you want to program, you simply open the Windows software, make sure the device is awake on the far end, open the Quantar CPS, and off you go. I'm VERY pleased with these things, and it will save many hours of driving around from site to site to check the device logs, make adjustments, etc. (Although every once in a while the device may not "wake up" as an excuse to get out of the office!!)

If anyone is looking for a similar solution for RS-232 over IP, I highly recommend you check these out. You can even buy them on Amazon with free shipping.....