Sign In App - Reliability/Just Me?

[JRA]

Morning everyone.

 

We've had Sign In App here for a few months now. I've known from previous sites there have been reliability issues with the bluetooth printing setup (and we had the same here too) but resorted now to cabling in the ipad and printer for the sake of networking. Still getting issues with the app falling over and I've come in to a dark screen and unhappy reception staff one too many times now.

 

Does anyone else have ongoing reliability issues with it or is it generally well-behaved out there in the world? On paper it's a great product and I'm reluctant to take any frustration out on them if it's a ropey adapter here or a loose cable letting it all down.

 

If you've got any experience with it either way do let me know how you're finding it! 

[Olliedawg]

No issues with the app here, we have a similar setup using a bluetooth printer.

 

The only problem we have is sometimes the bluetooth printer disconnects...

[DalekSec]

Constant issues with BT printers disconnecting, putting it down to just BT as a technology never being overly reliable! 

[JRA]

1 minute ago, Olliedawg said:

No issues with the app here, we have a similar setup using a bluetooth printer.

 

The only problem we have is sometimes the bluetooth printer disconnects...

 

Thanks. Yes we've had that here and at previous places, multiple visits a week to it. Swapping out a label reel was also a full-on delete/re-add job too. I'd hoped the flakiness in the bluetooth setup had been ironed out in the intervening year or so but it hadn't. Had imagined we'd have either cabling it in or even USB-ing them together would be options but, whilst printing has certainly improved doing that, the app just tends to close and shut the ipad off now, mostly overnight, couple of times a week.

[synaesthesia]

Bluetooth side of it is hit and miss for us too, but the app itself has always been absolutely rock solid. Biggest issue is reel changing - process for us is swap the reel out, clear the print queue and turn bluetooth on and off on the ipad then it kicks in. When it falls over, it's also inaccessible by anything else on the iPad so I'm more inclined to think it's an Apple and/or Bluetooth thing. Or maybe even the printer itself - in our case it was the recommended Brother QL thing.

 

[Synkrox]

We had issues, although I'm not sure it's SIAs fault. Restarting the printer often fixed it. Still have this setup in one building.

In the main building we have our printer hardwired into the network and it never really misses a beat.

[JRA]

Cheers everyone. Yep cabling it in seems to be the way to go. I wonder that something's designed into this that makes it unworkable if it's left on 24/7.

 

I have our ipad mounted in a secure case on the wall; didn't want their mount on an arm left on a reception desk where it's visible (it'd get nicked around here, it just would) so we've had to do something slightly different. So ideally it'd always be powered on and charging and cabled in for network (via ethernet and charger > lightning adapter) with all the cables fed through the wall to ports on the other side - leftovers mostly from the previous signing in box setup.

 

So, might just be a case of needing to bite the bullet and get reception staff plugging it in and putting the pin in and starting the app at the beginning of the day. Probably my next experiment tbh.

[synaesthesia]

How are you cabling them in out of interest?

[JRA]

28 minutes ago, synaesthesia said:

How are you cabling them in out of interest?

 

Ipad is network cable and a charger in a socket, both into a combi charging + ethernet adapter --> lightning extension ----- (wall) -----> ipad in a case.

 

Printer is just plugged into power and network cable goes into it.

 

I have a couple of IoT VLANs set up here to keep "dumb-but-maybe-hackable-maybe" devices right off the LAN also and these two got one.

 

Had a little review of the CCTV pointing at it over the times it's dropped these last couple of weeks and it does just look like the app kinda turns off and the ipad goes dark along with it - no signs of battery running out.

 

Might just revisit this and give it the night off and get reception staff to plug it in of a morning.

Edited April 24 by JRA

[Synkrox]

I have my iPads on WiFi in bouncepads screwed to wall and a larger one on bendy desk mount for disabled users.

 

iPads are in kiosk mode and never turn off. SIA goes into night mode and I have a custom video that plays to stop too much burn in.

 

Printer is ethernet and all power saving off.

[JRA]

12 minutes ago, Synkrox said:

I have my iPads on WiFi in bouncepads screwed to wall and a larger one on bendy desk mount for disabled users.

 

iPads are in kiosk mode and never turn off. SIA goes into night mode and I have a custom video that plays to stop too much burn in.

 

Printer is ethernet and all power saving off.

 

Sounds like a nice setup tbh. How reliable have you found that? We also went with the video bg for that reason - nice/flashy feature.

[Synkrox]

6 minutes ago, JRA said:

 

Sounds like a nice setup tbh. How reliable have you found that? We also went with the video bg for that reason - nice/flashy feature.

Fairly resiliant I think - no complaints!

The other building I have with one sign-in point and bluetooth connection the printer ocassionally goes offline then comes back up - I think someone down there might be turning it off/on though. It's not that often.

 

I would say our printers were getting on a bit and had started acting weirdly. Control panel on but not responding, web portal freezing etc, going offline but appearing on and ready. A restart fixing them. Having replaced them with visually identical but brand new printers (the standard Brother ones) seems to have solved it since then.

[JonFromRHS]

2 hours ago, JRA said:

 

Ipad is network cable and a charger in a socket, both into a combi charging + ethernet adapter --> lightning extension ----- (wall) -----> ipad in a case.

 

Printer is just plugged into power and network cable goes into it.

 

I have a couple of IoT VLANs set up here to keep "dumb-but-maybe-hackable-maybe" devices right off the LAN also and these two got one.

 

Had a little review of the CCTV pointing at it over the times it's dropped these last couple of weeks and it does just look like the app kinda turns off and the ipad goes dark along with it - no signs of battery running out.

 

Might just revisit this and give it the night off and get reception staff to plug it in of a morning.

 

 

Have you checked the settings on the iPads Sign in App for night mode etc.

We had a member of staff (cleaner) who was coming in at 6am to clean and the iPad sign in app settings didnt switch the app on until around 7am.

I had to go into the settings for the app (within the app itself on the iPad) and adjust its dark mode times.

 

Just a thought.

[JRA]

8 minutes ago, JonFromRHS said:

 

 

Have you checked the settings on the iPads Sign in App for night mode etc.

We had a member of staff (cleaner) who was coming in at 6am to clean and the iPad sign in app settings didnt switch the app on until around 7am.

I had to go into the settings for the app (within the app itself on the iPad) and adjust its dark mode times.

 

Just a thought.

 

Cheers, yeah certainly not that, slightly more randomness to the dropoffs - however at least one or more were the result of people turning the socket off in the early days!

[JonFromRHS]

1 minute ago, JRA said:

 

Cheers, yeah certainly not that, slightly more randomness to the dropoffs - however at least one or more were the result of people turning the socket off in the early days!

 

 

I get the occassional connection issue with the printer especially at Sticker roll change. 

Our WiFi turns off over night from around 8pm until 7am too which doesnt seem to affect the Sign in App iPad.

However when our VM's undergo maintenance from our LA and need to be restarted sometimes this can cause an issue on our iPad with either BT or WiFi or both lol.

[JRA]

Just by way of an update, we've had four solid days of it being on now since I changed the NIC+lightning adapter over. Now using the even more ropey (potentially) lightning+USB adapter with a USB NIC plugged into that which gets the network.

 

Now I've typed this it'll blow up tomorrow but that's the long weekend gone and no issues.

 

Tempted to say it was that plus single app mode now on and it's showing signs of cooperating nicely. For the moment...

[JRA]

...And with that, it died last night.

 

Once or twice a week I can cope with, so let's hope it stays being once or twice a week.

[thebatman]

We have an issue with some of our SIA iPads going off line now and then, some more than others. We use PoE to USB C nic converters (see link below) and a 3 in 1 cable (see link below) to power the iPad and RFID scanner at the same time. This works well for most of out SIA but I think the ones that keep going off line is due to network traffic. After I have put them on there own VLAN, they look to be more stable.

 

Links

PoE to USB C nic

USB to USB C, Micro and Lightning

[JRA]

I'm going to persist with it until half term, when I'll get two seconds of breathing space to address this.

 

All the weird adapters can come out of it and it'll just be plugged into a charger in the wall. I'll bridge to that VLAN through the wifi (can even set up a dedicated AP for it as I've got some old Ruckus ones spare) and it can join that VLAN that way; same one as the printer, only two devices on it - the same way it's cabled in now just wifi-ing that and eliminating adapters.

 

Honestly I'm at the end of my tether with this now. If it's not dramatically better after that it's not the solution for us.

[synaesthesia]

Is it those adapters? 

Hundreds of schools using SIA and raving about it, we are one of them and they don't stop a beat, except for Apple related shenanigans like updates and MDM policy inexplicably not working every now and then. We're just on WiFi for ours.

 

[JRA]

Just now, synaesthesia said:

Is it those adapters? 

Hundreds of schools using SIA and raving about it, we are one of them and they don't stop a beat, except for Apple related shenanigans like updates and MDM policy inexplicably not working every now and then. We're just on WiFi for ours.

 

 

Could well be, next thing to try and eliminate.

[gszech]

For our school reliability is hit and miss. The app works most of the time, the bluetooth ID printer is not stable.

I've just had to order a replacement ID card reader and for £250 + £14.95 - Total excl. VAT £264.95.

Does anyone know if you can use an alternative one ?

[DavR]

We have ours on the wireless, and unless it's me forcing the update, or someone does something weird to the keyboard settings, it's rock solid for us. We did have some trouble setting up the power supplies to them initially, but, we just had to make sure we were using official Apple charging plugs plus decent cables.

 

We're not using a Bluetooth printer, though. And I'm sure there's a reason you guys are forcing it onto a wired NIC to lightning adapter - security, or, lack of wifi coverage?

[Danp]

Bluetooth printer for 5 years no issues unless the iPad is not plugged in at night and shuts down. Then, when it comes back on, the printer does not auto connect. Power cycle the printer and it's fine. Only happens once or twice a term and staff know what to do.

[TheHyperTechie]

5 minutes ago, Danp said:

Bluetooth printer for 5 years no issues unless the iPad is not plugged in at night and shuts down. Then, when it comes back on, the printer does not auto connect. Power cycle the printer and it's fine. Only happens once or twice a term and staff know what to do.

Same here!