Phones

Phones: the thought of even discussing this topic gives me a headache!  Who would think that one of the oldest technologies we use could still give us such problems?

Given the numerous phone issues that we have been experiencing, I thought it appropriate to discuss what is happening and how we got here.

Until recently many of the offices have been using POTS lines.  POTS is an acronym for "plain old telephone service" meaning use of the analog signal over copper lines that carried one call each, that have been in use for a century.  POTS lines have proven dependable, but are very expensive compared to other options and also do not allow us to take advantage of many advanced telecom features.

Reasons for Change

Even if we wanted to remain with the old system, that was no longer an option.  Verizon moved all its lines to digital a couple of years ago.  So even if your call started on a copper line, it would be moved to a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) at some stage of the process.

We decided to move most of our phone lines from Verizon to Windstream a few years ago.  Part of the reason was price, but the other big issue was that Verizon had shut down most of its support.  We no longer had a contact to call for problems.  Rather, we had to call a toll free number and go through lengthy, confusing, and frankly faulty automated attendants in hopes of eventually speaking with someone who could help.

Windstream offered a solution that would replace the firm's MPLS network (this is the network that ties all the offices together so we can communicate with each other on the computers) as well as all the voice dialing.  It also offered us a team of dedicated professionals who would manage our account and allow us to resolve problems quickly.

Our Pittsburgh office had been using Windstream for many years, since it moved into its current offices.  The service had been working well there, so we decided to expand it to the rest of the offices.  Many of the office had been experiencing problems with the Verizon lines. I thought this move would resolve those issues as well.  The new MPLS network also allowed us to connect our smaller offices directly to our network, rather than go over VPN connections as they had for years.  The equipment used for those connections was aging and out of warranty, meaning some expensive upgrade would be needed regardless of anything else.  Overall, the Windstream proposal looked like a good option when we signed up in 2013.

Problems from the Start

Unfortunately, service has not worked out as hoped.  First, the installation process took much longer than hoped.  It took nearly 18 months to get all of the services ported over.  Much of that was due to difficulties getting new wiring done in many of the older buildings, as well as disputes on who would pay for it.  Eventually, however, everything was completed.

The data side of things  has worked reasonably well.  There are occasional problems, as there were with the old network as well, but generally the data side has proven reliable.  The voice side is another matter.  We have fielded innumerable complaints about calls be cut off, inability to make or receive calls to certain numbers, strange error messages, misdirected calls, caller ID issues, etc.  While most calls are fine, a unacceptably large number are not.  This is a big problem and we continue to work with Windstream to resolve them.

If you have a problem

If you experience a problem, it is a good idea to let me know about it.  To open up a trouble ticket with Windstream, I need to have the following information:

• Caller number and called number
• Time and date of the call (as close as possible)
• A description of what went wrong
• Whether the problem happens with every attempt or just occasional

If you have a problem, send me an email with this information and any other relevant information so that we can figure out what is happening.

No Going Back

A few have told me they think this whole change was a mistake and that we should move back to the old system.  This would be difficult for several reasons.  We are only part way through a three year contract with Windstream.  It's possible we could get out of the contract based on the considerable problems, but that would be a fight by itself.  More importantly, the old cabling we had in many places in gone.  Getting new cabling installed would itself take many months to get in place, not to mention a whole new implementation process that would also take months.  I'm also not convinced that even if we did that, our problems would be solved.  A great number of the issues we have are with the way Windstream interfaces with our PBX phone system, parts of which pre-date my joining the firm more than 15 years ago.  Moving to another digital provider would likely suffer under many of the same issues.

We are continuing to work with Windstream and our PBX vendor to resolve the ongoing problems.  We are also looking at some upgrades or other fixes that could help our PBX integrate better into other systems.  I wish I could be optimistic enough to say this would all be resolved soon.  While we have resolved many problems, I know others persist.  Until we can nail down exact causes, it is impossible to say how long all fixes will take.

Longer Term Solutions

While I don't want to get too far beyond the immediate problems, I am considering some longer term phone plans as well.  At some point, our aging PBX will need to be retired.  Rather than investing a large capital expense in a new one, I am looking at some cloud based virtual PBX solutions.  These would require new IP phones, replacing existing models.  But given the age of our phones, equipment replacement is going to be inevitable at some point anyway.

Such a major change is at least a few years away.  If the main office determines to move its office at the end of its current lease agreement in a few years, that might be an ideal time for such an upgrade.  But there are a number of variables that would affect such a change, so I'm not ready to set out a schedule now.

Poll

As we continue to work through problems, it would help me to get a better idea of how widespread the problem is.  If you have not already taken the phone survey mailed to you, then you can access it from this link.

You can view the poll results from this link.

End of Java?

Google Chrome's most recent release has been causing problems for people.  Specifically, if you use a site that uses Java (and many Courts do) the site will no longer work properly.  You may be redirected to Oracle's web site to download the latest version of Java.  However, updating Java will not help.

Google has decided that in its most recent release of Chrome (ver. 42) it will no longer support the NPAPI (Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface).  As you might guess from its name, it was developed for Netscape Navigator 20 years ago.  It has been a very convenient way to run other applications through your browser Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight (used by Netflix), and several other systems have used it as well.  Most of these other applications have complied with Google's demands to work with newer APIs, but Java has not.

As a result, Java will no longer work in Google Chrome.  There is a fix for this for now.  In Chrome, go to the following address:

chrome://flags/#enable-npapi

Click on the "enable" link.

This should re-enable the NPAPI, and Java will work once again.

However, this is a temporary fix.  Google has announced that with the release of Chrome version 45, which will probably be released in a few months, it will no longer offer the option to enable NPAPI at all. Once that happens, unless Java comes up with a new build, Java will not work in Chrome, period.

Microsoft has also announced that will no longer support the NPAPI in its new browser for Windows 10, although it offers limited support in Internet Explorer for the foreseeable future.  Mozilla Firefox also offers limited support.

Although this API has proven very useful over the years, it is being retired because it is a gaping security risk.  Hackers are using this to load malware on your computers from compromised web sites.  I understand why it is being retired and cannot understand way Java is resisting change.

During this transition, there may be other problems as well.  Essentially, web sites need to rebuild their sites to stop using Java or Java needs to come up with a fix to use more a more modern API.  As of today, Java has not announced that it is planning for a fix.

We, the end users, are stuck in the middle of this.  For now, I recommend using Internet Explorer if you have a problem getting to a site in Chrome.  If there is more new on this, I will let everyone know.

If you care to read more about this issue, this Tech Republic Article is quite informative.

VPN from Phone or Tablet

I have been asked by several people whether it is possible to make a VPN connection to our network from an iPhone or Android device.  My short answer is that while it is technically possible, it is difficult and you will likely still have problems accessing your files.  Therefore don't bother.  But for those who want a longer answer, today's post is for you.

VPN is Possible

I was able to make VPN connections through both an Android and iPhone and connect with our system.  I am not going to post the details on our public blog since doing so would give hackers most of the information they need to access our system.  But I'm happy to explain the details to anyone in the firm who is interested.

Making a VPN Connection Accomplishes Little

Before we go into VPN details, my first question would be why you wanted to do this?  Making a VPN connection to our network does not get you access to much of anything.  You might be able to get access to our network, but you would still need a program to access the servers and yet another program to access your files.  And that is assuming you have an app that can open files at all.  Most documents are in WordPerfect format.  Unless you have purchased a WordPerfect reader for your phone, you will not be able to read these files.  There is no known app to edit them. Directly accessing files via VPN is a difficult cumbersome process, which I do not recommend using.

File Explorer App is Needed on Your Device

Say, despite my warning, you still want to do this.  The next thing you will need is a file explorer App that can access LAN devices.  On my Android, I downloaded a free one called ES File Explorer.  Using that, I can access a file server by it's IP address, then log in using my LAN name and password, and access the files on it.  Once in there, I can open PDF files or MS Office documents using the free WPS Office App.  I don't have the WordPerfect reader app, so I'm out of luck there.

There are similar file explorer apps for the iPhone, I used a free one called Documents (by Readdle) that allowed me to connect.  As with the Android App, I needed to know the IP address of my file server, then had to log in using my network login name and password.  Once connected, I could access my files, but still needed to have a program that could read them.

VPN Access For Things Other Than Files

VPN would also allow me to access the Research Home Page via my browser.  However, time permitting, I hope to move the Research Home Page to a public location on Google Sites, where you will have access to it without VPN.  You will only need to be logged into your Google Account.

I would not be able to enter time in Webview since Webview restricts access to Internet Explorer, which is not available for iPhone or Android devices.  Of course if you want to enter time on your device, you can use iTimeKeep, which is available over the Internet without VPN.

There is no need to use VPN for email since that is available over normal internet by going to gmail.com (or preferably using a Gmail or other Email App on your device).

If you want to access files outside the office, I recommend placing those documents in Google Drive, again no VPN required, so you can access using the free Google Drive App on your smart phone or tablet.  I discussed use of Google drive in this earlier blog if  you care to read it again.

Remote Desktop: 

In an ideal world, we would have a Citrix server that would allow you to connect into our system into a virtual desktop that would show up on any device, giving you full access to all documents and programs that you have when in the office.  But such a system is very expensive and is cost prohibitive under current budget restraints.  As a result, making use of VPN from your mobile device is technically possible, but not really worth the trouble.

If you leave your computer turned on in the office and you make a VPN connection to the firm's network, could could make a remote desktop connection to your computer.  Microsoft makes a Remote Desktop Client for both the Android and iPhone/iPad that will allow such a connection.  To make this work, you will need to know the IP address of your computer at work, as well as the login name and password.  This is usually the same as your network login.  You may also need to authorize Remote Access in Control Panel /.System / Remote Access on your computer.

Even if you get Remote Desktop to work, you may find it very frustrating to use.  I found that dragging around the mouse cursor with my touch screen to be very tedious, and typing anything on my phone to be much more difficult than using a computer directly.

Other Reasons for VPN

VPN offers a level of security by encrypting all data packets that pass between your device and the VPN server. If you are on a public WiFi network you can make a VPN connection to provide an extra level of security for normal internet use.  If you are in another country, certain features on some internet services may not be available.  For example, I had a problem using some parts of Skype while in Europe.  A VPN connection back to the office will fool any Internet service into thinking you are accessing it from a US location.

Going Offline with Google

Google is all about the cloud.  Everything should be done online.  Unfortunately internet access is not as ubiquitous as we might like.  We may be in a car or other transport.  Our home internet could be on the fritz.  We may be visiting in a building without WiFi (or more likely with WiFi we cannot access).  Even our phone's 4G connection is not available everywhere.  There are other times when offline is simply easier or faster.

Email Offline

In these cases, there are some good offline solutions.  Offline mail readers are available in many situations.  For the computer, there are good offline mail programs such as MS Outlook, or the free Mozilla Thunderbird.  Google also has a Chrome App called "Gmail Offline".  Any of these will store your mail and make it available to you offline.

The mail programs on most phones will allow you to access your existing messages and draft messages to be sent once Internet is available again. However, most by default will only store your for the last few weeks by default. This is done to reduce the amount of data stored on the relatively small drives on most phones and tablets.  You can usually change the settings to store all of your mail, but this may quickly fill up all of your phone's drive storage capacity.

Any of these programs will allow you access to all of your mail messages even when there is no Internet connection.  You may also find them more convenient to use in situations where the Internet is running too slowly.  I like the Google Offline option as it has a light footprint on my computer, although if you have a great many emails, you still have to accommodate room on your hard drive for all of those.

Document Editing Offline

Working on documents has traditionally been an offline process.  If you have WordPerfect, MS Office, or LibreOffice installed, you don't need internet access to use them.

But with more and more documents being stored in the cloud, this can become an issue.  If you store many of your documents in Google Drive, as I do, you enjoy the ability to access them from almost anywhere, and don't have to worry about keeping files in sync on different devices.  But accessing Google Drive is contingent on accessing it through the Internet.  I have the Google Drive App installed on both my laptop and tablet.  This allows me to access documents offline as they are stored in a designated folder on my device.  Drive will automatically sync my changes as soon as the device gets back online.

Maps Offline

I am a big fan of Google Maps, as you may already know from my earlier post on the topic.  But the place where maps are most useful is when I am on the move, and least likely to have internet access.  Sure, I can view maps on my phone, but the screen is often too small to be convenient.  On my tablet, the Google Maps App allows an option to save a portion of the map for offline use.  If I know ahead of time I will be somewhere I need the map, I can save it.  I then have it available for viewing when I am on the road.  This is useful for a particular area, but unfortunately, you are limited in how much you can save, making offline use for longer trips impossible.

There is not an offline option that I could find for Windows.  Perhaps someday there will be a Chrome App for this, but I could not find one now.  There is, however, a free open source program called GmapCatcher which can do the same thing.  I will download a portion of Google Maps, or other online map programs, for you to access on your computer offline.  The trick there is that you need to go online to all the zoom levels you may later want to use.  If you do that, they are saved and available for offline use.

Taking a Poll with Google Forms

Have you ever needed to collect information from a large group of people?  You probably sent out an email asking for responses, then waited as dozens of responses were emailed back.  Then you had to sort through all those responses and determine who responded how.

With Google Apps, there is a much easier way to do the same thing.  I have sent out several email based surveys to the firm asking about what people think about various policies.  When you get the email, you respond to the questions and hit the "send" button.  From there, all the responses get added automatically to a spreadsheet on Google Drive. There is an option for me to see a quick summary chart of all the responses or to look at each one individually.

Google calls this feature "Google Forms".  It can, of course, be used for far more than surveys.  You could use it to collect people's contact information, have people register for an event, ask your family where they want to go on vacation, ask a work group where they want to go to lunch or hold a party, administer a quiz, etc.  If you are sending an email that is going to require responses from more than five or six people, Google Forms is going to make it much easier to track the results.

To create a form, simply open Google Drive, Hit the "create" button and then select "forms."  Google will guide you through the process of setting up question types (e.g. multiple choice, write-in, select from list, etc.).  The document can be emailed to respondents or simply posted on a web site.  Recipients need not be in the firm nor even use Gmail, although you can restrict responses if you choose.  You then need only view the results in detail or summary form from your Google Drive spreadsheet.

Because of its ease of use, I recommend giving Google Forms a try.

Editing Documents on a Phone or Tablet

More and more I hear from people who don't want to deal with carrying around their laptops with them.  Phones and tablets are much more nimble.  But we are also a document driven world. Working with documents on mobile devices can take some setup.

WordPerfect

First I have to say this is one big area where WordPerfect is a near total failure.  There is no good way to edit WP documents on a phone or tablet.  Corel has a WP Reader app that will let you read but not edit WP documents on your device, at a cost of $5.99.  Further, because so few people use WordPerfect anymore, no third party app I have found is compatible with WP documents.  To get around this problem, you can save a document in Wordperfect as another format.  I prefer RTF (rich text format) since it is a widely accepted default format that works across many different browsers and maintains almost all formatting).  Saving as RTF will make it easier to access from other programs.  You could also save as an MS DOC file or as PDF.

Most formats other than WordPerfect allow many options.  Various Microsoft documents, PDF, and a wide range of open source documents are supported by a great many apps.

WPS Office

My favorite is WPS Office (formerly known as Kingsoft Office).  This is a free app available both on Apple's App Store as well as Google Play. It does a very good job reading and editing all Microsoft documents as well as a host of others (including RTF).  It can also serve as your default PDF reader.  You can also connect to your Google Drive, Dropbox, or several other cloud based storage services. I make it my default document reader on all of my devices and heartily recommend it.

MS Office 

Microsoft also recently made an Android and IOS version of MS Office available as a free download.  Early versions only allows you read, but not edit documents.  The most recent free version does allow editing.  Still, the product is considered "freemium" meaning you can use the basic functions for free, but many advanced features require a subscription to Office 365.  For example, you cannot use the compare documents feature in the free version (although you can do this in the free WPS Office).

I am not a big fan of freemium products since it is typically the company's ultimate goal to get you hooked but then frustrate your experience until you fork over your money.  But if you prefer to use the basic version of MS Office rather than WPS Office, it is an option.  If you want to read more about the benefits and limitations, you might this article from PC World worthwhile.

Google Drive

The program I most commonly use on my mobile devices is the Google Drive App.  Again, this is a free download from the App Store and Google Play.  It gives me access to all of my documents stored in Google Drive and allows me to edit them.  I mostly work with documents in the native Google format, but you can also work with documents that you have uploaded in various Microsoft or some other formats as well.  My preference, however is to use WPS Office when working on non-Google files.  But since I keep almost all my key documents on Drive and in Google's native format, I get full functionality on the Google Drive App.

A major benefit of the Drive App, is that you can save a Google Drive document for offline use.  I like this on my tablet, which is not always connected to the Internet.  I can work on my Google Drive documents offline, then have it sync automatically back to my Drive when I am back online again.

Other Apps

There are several other pretty good free Apps, including Office Suite, Docs To Go, and Polaris Office.  Any of these will work well for most functions, but without going into lengthy explanations, I will just say that WPS Office remains my favorite of the bunch.

Options for Editing

Once you have decided on the App you like, you should also consider how you will edit these documents.  Typing a quick message on your screen is fine for a sentence or two, but not for a multi-page document.

You might want to consider investing in a Bluetooth keyboard for typing.  There are many different ones out there.  You will need to decide mostly if you want a full size device for maximum comfort, or want something smaller and lighter for easier mobility.

For me, the best option is dictation.  As with virtually all Android or IOS Apps, you can dictate directly into your device using the microphone that shows up on the pop-up keyboard on your device.  I find that the dictation is very accurate.  The big negative is that there are almost no voice commands for editing.  You will still need to do that with your thumbs.

Carry Your Wifi With You

I have been hesitant to write this post because of my concern about abuse.  But this is a feature that can come in handy in a pinch.

WiFi hot spots available on all firm phones

All of the partner cell phones with Verizon now offer the ability to create a WiFi hot spot using your phone's 4g connection.  If you are somewhere that does not have internet, you can create a hot spot on your phone, then connect your laptop or other device to that hot spot and access the Internet.  If you have a personal phone, check your contract to see if a hot spot is available.  Some subscriptions charge extra for this service.  So even if your Android or iPhone has the capability, you still need to have a service provider which allows this option.

Use hot spots sparingly

Before I explain how to do this, I must issue a warning.  The firm pays for a limited amount of shared data each month.  If we go over that limit, we have to pay overage charges.  We usually stay safely within our limits with current usage, but it will be very easy to blow through that limit if people begin using their phone as a WiFi hot spot on a regular basis.  If your data usage begins to spike, we will notice and ask for an explanation.  Don't use this feature except on an occasion when needed for work.  Don't use it for high bandwidth activities such as streaming video or music.

There are other reasons not to use your phone as a hot spot.  It will drain your battery rather quickly. Also, a 4G connection is much slower than most traditional WiFi.  Don't expect to see the same sorts of speeds you see on your home WiFi or at Starbucks.

Set up Android hot spot

OK, with those warnings aside, here's how it works: on your Android, go into SETTINGS, then MORE NETWORKS, then add your hot spot:

Your Network SSID can be anything.  That is the name you will see when you try to connect to your phone.  My SSID is my initials, but you can make it whatever you want.

You have the option to "hide my device".  This will prevent your SSID from being broadcast.  If you are in a public area, this is a good idea as you don't want strangers seeing your hot spot and trying to access it.  If you do hide it however, you will need to remember your SSID and enter it manually when trying to connect to it.

Next, select Security.  I recommend using WPA2PSK.  This provides encryption so that others cannot see what your are transmitting over your network.  It also prevents others from accessing your network without a password.  Again, this is very important in a public place.  Your password can be whatever you want, but I use my cell phone number.

Set up iPhone hot spot

The iPhone has a few less choices.  First, go into SETTINGS, then PERSONAL HOTSPOT.  There, you can turn on the Personal Hotspot and set the WiFi password to whatever you want (you will need to enter this later on your device, so memorize it or write it down).  You have no security choices and your SSID is set to whatever your phone's name is.  Save your settings and you are ready to connect.

Connect your computer to the hot spot

That should be it.  Once turned on, you can look for the hot spot on your laptop and connect to it, just like you would any other WiFi location.  If you hid your SSID, you won't see it and will need to enter it manually.  If you like to prepare ahead of time, don't hide your SSID until  you have connected once.  Then hide it, but you will have that network saved on your laptop and can still connect with a simple click.

Remember to turn it off

When you are done, be sure to go back into your phone settings and turn off the hot spot.  Otherwise, it will continue to drain your battery at a rapid pace.  The hot spot turns itself off after 15 minutes of inactivity, but you don't want it running that long if you are on battery.

Alternative Connections

WiFi is the easiest way to connect, but you can also connect via Bluetooth (assuming your computer has Bluetooth) or via a USB cable (Android calls this "tethering").  These options are set up in the same place as your set up WiFi.  USB is obviously more secure, but requires using cables, making it more cumbersome.  However, it has the advantage of keeping your phone charged through the cord while you are using it.  But since WiFi is easiest, that is my recommended option.

Use as a last resort

Because these hot spots are slow, battery draining, and use up the firm's shared data, it should only be used if no other WiFi is available in the area.  Since you can do most of the same work directly on your phone, that is usually a better option even where Wifi is not available.  Still, there are times when this can be useful for one reason or another.

Editing MS Documents Online

Microsoft remains the de facto standard for editable documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.  Working with MS formats, however, can be problematic if you do not have MS Office.  Fortunately, there are several solutions:

Chrome Extension for Google Docs

Google will allow you to view any MS documents, such as Word or Excel.  You can also download them, but cannot allow you to edit them directly in Google Drive.  There is, however, a fix for that.  There is a Google Chrome Extension that will allow you to edit Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents in Google Drive.  If you would like to get this extension, click here.  Make sure you are doing this using your Chrome Browser. These extensions will not work if you are accessing Google Drive from Internet Explorer or some other browser.

Creating MS Documents in Drive

If you are creating a new document you can do in Google Drive using the native Google format.  When done, you can download the document to your computer.  One of the options is to download the document as a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document.   Once downloaded you can send the document to others who need that format.

Office Online

In an earlier post, I discussed how to open up a free personal account with MS Office 365.  This can also be helpful, especially if you are already comfortable operating with the MS Office interface.  Still, it involves downloading an email attachment to your computer, then uploading it again to MS Office online.  So the process takes longer than simply using Google Docs.

LibreOffice and WordPerfect

In the offline world, there are also options that don't involve having MS Office installed on your computer.  Both LibreOffice and WordPerfect are capable of reading MS Office documents and saving in that format.  However, they do not do a perfect job.  Changing document formats sometimes messes up how the document appears.  There are also instances of document corruption.  LibreOffice seems to do a much better job with MS documents than WordPerfect, but there can be problems with both.  Also, because LibreOffice is open source, you are free to download and install it on as many computers as you like without working about licensing restrictions.