TheHyperTechie

I saw these recently on Stone's 'refurb' website, and thought the price was good. Should handle 1080p with decent FPS on most games.

I was in a similar situation a while ago when it came to refreshing our 1:1 devices. I wanted something where parts were readily available and not mega money. I settled on the Dell 3100 chromebooks, replacement keyboards are roughly £20 (link) screens £30 (link) and can be purchased easily when needed. Trolley wise, I would recommend Zioxi.

Yes, two virtual machines if you are using Windows Server standard.

Also fair points. But if you have automatic backups enabled, it isn't really an issue. I think the last time I restored our cloud key from a backup it took about 5 mins max. I feel some could argue that finding a replacement desktop, or building a new VM on your host, and installing the controller software on it, could be more problematic and time consuming. I don't think there is a right or wrong choice really OP.

This is a fair point. However, the controller is only needed for changes to config and for notification purposes. So if it did fail, the access points would still work.

I suppose it depends on budget, I would probably get a new cloud key (Gen2 Plus ~£160) and manage the devices through that. However, you could simply host your controller in a virtual machine on an old desktop. As for changing the Wi-Fi key, you should simply be able to go into the settings of your location (site) and then click on the SSID and edit the password there. If you can't see this, it sounds like you might not have manager access (?) I had this at the school I currently work at. I spoke to their old MSP and they wanted to charge me £60 for simply clicking a few buttons and assigning me as the new owner. I politely declined, took a back up of the config and reset/restored it with me as the owner.

Thanks for the added info...! I do have a Curry's near by actually, so probably worth a look. I have one last question. Having looked online there seems to be conflicting information regarding what size bag/rucksack I would need. I currently have a nice Dell 15.6" laptop bag which I would be sad to see go, but some forums online state that the 16" model would fit this size bag. What size bags do your staff use? Thanks

Ok, it's nice to hear that others are expecting a while of future updates then. I think I will pull the trigger! On the topic... how do you find the size of your 16" model? I was tempted but not sure if it would be overly heavy and hard to carry around. Thanks.

All very true! Chrome OS Flex is a good option though... I didn't think of that.

Hi all, Looking at getting a new laptop for myself. I don't want to spend a fortune, I would like to go for a MacBook. No hate against Windows, I just prefer MacOS! I have been looking at the M1/M1 Pro models in particular, as you can pick these up for what appears like a good price nowadays (around ~£500 refurbished) The only thing that is holding me back is the longevity of the device, I would like it to last at least 3 years in terms of OS updates. Has anybody else been put off by this? or recently purchased one and has had the same thought? Thanks.

We have installed 10+ BenQ panels over the last year. Exact model is RE7503A, they seem to be working very well. I manage them centrally via DMS, so am able to remotely update them, and set certain automation settings on them. I have used iiyama in the past also, and they were good.

Before I removed our on-prem servers, I used Action1 for remote monitoring and patching. I still use it for our desktops, laptops etc. Free for up to 100 endpoints.

I have used a couple. Snipe-IT hosted locally on a server (on-site) and Civica Parago which is what we use now, accessible through a web browser. Both did a good job, but Snipe-IT was free. Snipe-IT do offer an option for them to host your instance, so you could look into that as an option?

Hi all, not sure if this has been mentioned here, or if people are experiencing issues with this. I was, and it turned into a real head scratcher. The link below, describes a Windows 11 bug where update policies change from being managed via your MDM, to Local Group Policy (even if you don't have any set) This bug stops updates from being deployed automatically, and pauses updates in a loop (with the option to resume greyed out) The fix is to delete a certain reg key, and then re-sync your device to the MDM you are using. The script is available via the link below. https://www.everything365.online/2024/10/06/kb4023057-sets-mdm-managed-windows-update-policies-to-managed-by-group-policy/

My thoughts exactly!

Previously moved our ~100 iPads from Lightspeed @ £6.50 a license, to Mosyle which is completely free. Took a while to do, but honestly Mosyle has so much functionality, even the free version. The only thing you basically lose by using the free option is the ability to do operations in bulk e.g. update all of the iPads at once. I have used Jamf in the past, and that was also very good.

Hi all, I am looking for the best software to replace iMovie... for years my school used an old MacBook whenever they needed to make a video and edit/add layers etc. I am trying to search for an alternative rather then spending £££ on a new MacBook. The old one updated, and iMovie is no longer available on it (yes it's that old!) Does anyone have any suggestions? Canva maybe? Thanks.

Depending on where they got them from, just ask the supplier to enroll them into ASM. It usually takes a couple of days, but it's worth it. Better than battling with Apple Configurator!

Thanks! This is really helpful. After going through the process again, I think I have managed to get it working. I did everything exactly the same so I have no idea what the issue was (The headache I have right now lol!!)

Hi, As title suggests, has anyone successfully setup Azure/Office as their IdP for Google Workspace? I seem to get so far but then encounter some sort of issue, this time the error displays that the users email account could not be verified. But it takes them to Office 365 for authentication and appears to work before this. So frustrating!

Can't comment on the old ones haha, but in my last job they were our go to. The StoneBook Pro models, they were good and easily upgradeable (RAM & SSD wise). They always came with 3 year next day on-site warranty as well which was nice. If we reported an issue at midday or even late afternoon they would send someone down first thing the following morning. We weren't close to their support centers either.

Stone make nice laptops, and their warranty is great.

Have you looked into Lumio? When we were decommissioning Smart Notebook at my old job, this seemed the popular choice. Basically a browser version of Smart, might be worth a look?

You could plug it into a PC and remove the picture folders that way? I back my stuff up to Amazon Photos (Perk of having Amazon Prime). From memory I know Google Photos has an option to delete all backed up photos off the device once uploaded. I think you get 15gb of free storage.

We just had a bulk delivery of some Dell 3100 chromebooks. They were only about £100 a unit, and auto updates expire in 2029. They seem to be doing a good job so far