2013 Robot Bridge-Rev B Only

[R.C.]

Originally Posted by dcarr

On another note...I wonder if there has been any talk to release an updated FMS Lite. At all of the non-official events I've been to, field problems are incredibly persistent, and I hope that the changes and improvements brought to official competitions can benefit off-season events as well.

California should soon (next year) have FMS for all the off season events. We used FMS Delta 2010 this year, it wasn't bad but the updated seasonal FMS would be awesome!

-RC

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by R.C.

California should soon (next year) have FMS for all the off season events. We used FMS Delta 2010 this year, it wasn't bad but the updated seasonal FMS would be awesome!

-RC

That's awesome news, thanks RC!

[omgnocomms]

Let's see if we can't clear some things up.

Originally Posted by dcarr

Now that everyone will have a 5Ghz radio...will they be switching entirely to that? [...] and that there will be a lot less happening on the 5Ghz band in most cases, that could be good...I trust they've taken this all into consideration.

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

Rev A supported 5 GHz as well. In fact, the field has used 5GHz for a couple of years now.

That's right, the field has been 5Ghz only ever since the new control system was implemented in 2009¹. There's a lot less going on in this band (in general), and there seems to be an easier time getting a clear channel at many venues.

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

The Einstein report highlighted the "Failed Client Authorization" on page 7/8. Notably, they tried 5 different access points (including Rev B), and only Rev A was susceptible to the FCA attempt. Switching everyone to Rev B should help with this.

It's true that only the Rev A radios were affected², however only that specific version of the Cisco 1252 firmware caused that effect.

Originally Posted by dcarr

Any thoughts on why there always seems to be a request for all mobile hotspots to be turned off? Those typically run on 2.4 and wouldn't interfere with a 5Ghz field.

A common problem that occurs with wifi devices in areas with a lot of networks has to do with the sheer number of networks, and the space in memory to store all of them. It is to my understanding after talking to field personnel at FLR that the issues that they see there aren't a problem with networks in the 5Ghz band, but instead with the vast number of networks filling up the memory on the bridge before the field networks are detected. As far as I know, there is no way to ask the bridges to search only in the 5Ghz band for networks.

Originally Posted by dcarr

I'm glad that they are standardizing everyone on the newer hardware. But my $0.02...it's going to take a lot more than a slightly newer WiFi radio to fix the underlying problems we've dealt with for years. Looking forward to the additional upcoming announcements.

Specifically, what information are you looking for? In my opinion, the Einstein report was pretty thorough on it's evaluation on most aspects of the field... Coupled with the FMS White Paper³, I think that FIRST has done a great job informing the community about the operation of their system, in addition to the challenges that they face, and that we face as a community.

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by omgnocomms

Specifically, what information are you looking for? In my opinion, the Einstein report was pretty thorough on it's evaluation on most aspects of the field... Coupled with the FMS White Paper³, I think that FIRST has done a great job informing the community about the operation of their system, in addition to the challenges that they face, and that we face as a community.

Thanks for your great answers - cleared up a lot of my questions.

The Einstein report was outstanding in its thoroughness. It brought to light many underlying issues. They also implied (and Frank has also implied on the blog) that there are more announcements yet to come in terms of improvements to the control system for 2013. I'm sure we'll see exactly what this entails at kickoff.

[Gdeaver]

About the power connector on the 1522 rev a and b. Are they the same? In previous posts it has been mentioned that a specific power plug should be used and that the Radio Shack one does not fit correctly. Does some one have the correct power plug part number for the 1522? I think my team did buy it from rat shack and may be the cause of some of our recent 1522 reboots. I can't find that CD thread.

[plnyyanks]

Does anyone have a link as to where we can buy the B version online? I can't find any online seller differentiate between the two versions...

[Mark McLeod]

The barrel connector is the same on both Rev A & B, but I'd have to look up the part number as well. I still have a bunch I purchased when we first got the DAP a couple of years ago.

[linuxboy]

Originally Posted by plnyyanks

Does anyone have a link as to where we can buy the B version online? I can't find any online seller differentiate between the two versions...

My understanding is that most (maybe all) DAP-1522s you can buy now are Rev. B. We also all are getting Rev. Bs in the kit.

Edit: It appears I was wrong about that first bit. My apologies.

- Oliver

[Gdeaver]

Be careful. New egg has the 1522 on sale. It is a rev A. They are clearing them out. I would be care full if you see a fantastic price.

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Gdeaver

Be careful. New egg has the 1522 on sale. It is a rev A. They are clearing them out. I would be care full if you see a fantastic price.

Did you buy one, or just look at the picture? By my experience, you can't trust the picture to tell what revision of consumer networking gear you are getting. In addition, the retailer doesn't care what revision, and won't put an older revision on sale, as long as the part number is the same.

[Siri]

Originally Posted by linuxboy

My understanding is that most (maybe all) DAP-1522s you can buy now are Rev B. We also all are getting Rev. Bs in the kit.

- Oliver

This (the former) wasn't true at the few places I checked. It looks like people are trying to dump them, but on the other hand many aren't updating photos or adding the revision label. I'd make sure before purchasing, especially if it's a RevA photo (or specs, though that's difficult to pinpoint given the limited differences). At least several of the Amazon hits are still RevA. Best Buy took a looong time but claims it's B. AndyMark sells a definitive RevB.

EDIT
@Joe: Unfortunately, that makes it exceedingly difficult to verify which version anyone's selling. Most everyone I contacted, including newegg said essentially "we do have both right now, but can't tag for a specific order" (plus a couple "we don't know and can't find out"). Difficult.

[kjohnson]

Originally Posted by Gdeaver

Be careful. New egg has the 1522 on sale. It is a rev A. They are clearing them out. I would be care full if you see a fantastic price.

I asked Newegg if they would differentiate between the hardware revisions. See their response below:

Originally Posted by Newegg Customer Service

Dear Kyle,

Thank you for contacting Newegg.

We do have D-Link Wireless Bridge (DAP-1522) in stock http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...reles%20Bridge. Unfortunately, currently we do not have the exact version information of this item. Generally, our stock moves so fast that we have the latest version or revision of everything. Unfortunately, we do not have a way to physically get our hands on our most current stock and tell you what revision we have at the moment. We do not guarantee revision numbers unless it is specifically noted on the description on the website. We do apologize if this may cause you any inconvenience.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please visit our FAQs page. If you still require any assistance, please feel free to reply directly to this email.

Thank you,

Newegg Customer Service

[dcarr]

$15 more at AndyMark seem worth it to ensure we get the right version...unless anyone wants to take the hit and order one from Newegg and see what they get? Even then, it's no guarantee...they might happen across another pile of Rev A's

Newegg does offer will-call from their City of Industry location, I believe - might be an opportunity to check it out in person and cancel the order if it's not a Rev B? Not sure, haven't done it before.

[Kristian Calhoun]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

Did you buy one, or just look at the picture? By my experience, you can't trust the picture to tell what revision of consumer networking gear you are getting. In addition, the retailer doesn't care what revision, and won't put an older revision on sale, as long as the part number is the same.

Originally Posted by Siri

I'd make sure before purchasing, especially if it's a RevA photo (or specs, though that's difficult to pinpoint given the limited differences). At least several of the Amazon hits are still RevA.

Very true. We ordered a new radio from D-Link via Amazon before the MAR Championship and while the picture showed a Rev. A, we received a Rev. B.

[Siri]

Originally Posted by dcarr

$15 more at AndyMark seem worth it to ensure we get the right version...unless anyone wants to take the hit and order one from Newegg and see what they get? Even then, it's no guarantee...they might happen across another pile of Rev A's

I have an order in to Best Buy that's due by next week, if anyone wants to know about them. They claim they only have B, and went through several hoops to check. We'll see.

It's not game-changingly cheaper anyway though: $80+tax with free shipping, versus AM's $95+tax+shipping. I did it mostly to know (a little worried AM will run out the day we break ours...), and because I'm happy with their in-store return policy. Ordered today and my last return date is in like Week 3 of build.