For my 2c – I ‘complain’ because I’m trying to help… and because it feels like it falls on deaf ears sometimes. Not always – Cambium and I used to have a very, very cozy relationship I thought. I would have been considered in the top-10 ePMP forum contributors at one point, and my forum interaction/comments/etc was in the top 1-2-3 for a LONG time.
But – when there are suggestions (some of which seem so helpful and seem easily achievable) which don’t get any reply, response, or implementation… especially when they are suggestions which I really think would help Cambium overall… then it just doesn’t seem like we’re pulling on the same team.
FOR EXAMPLE: (and again, this isn’t a ‘rant’ - this is an attempt to help) the PTP550. It’s neat product, a great product The ‘fatal flaws are’
- Not being able to connect to a Force300, and
- Not being able to adjust one radio link, without tearing down both radio links
So – lets just take #1 (Not connecting to a Force300). To me, this seems like a no-brainer. They seem to have the same chipset, the same firmware, the same heritage… they are essentially an ePTP550, but yet they can’t link to a Force300. Talking to a Cambium employee they said it was a ‘decision by the sales team’ not to allow 550 - F300 links.
Now (IMHO) that is a fatal flaw. We have a number of F300 PTP links as backhauls. When we outgrow them, IF WE COULD go to each end of the link and install a PTP550 (programmed with the same IP, same setting, in ‘1 Radio’ mode… and we could just simply switch the ethernet cable (and 56v/30v power supply)… and then go to the other end, and switch that F300 to a PTP550 (one end at a time) and have any combination of PTP550 & F300’s link in single-radio mode… I think that would be helpful to smaller WISPs, but also helpful to Cambium. It would make a PTP550 the obvious upgrade choice… whereas if we need to do a total overbuild, then the options are wide open for any brand/make/model of upgrade.
Likewise, if we ever had a PTP550 fail, and a replacement wasn’t available, it would be great to be able to run and put a F300 in it’s place temporarily… just change powersupply & radio, and have it relink.
Anyway – Cambium disagrees, and that is the type of thing I complain about. Not because I’m a whiney disrespectful complainer - but rather because I am trying to help make the product a better product. AND YES, of course there may be engineering reasons that certain things can’t be accomplished so easily, but in cases like the PTP550 to F300 links, they said "decision by the sales team’
So – I do agree that I have become too negative. But it honestly feels like a slap in the face, after another slap in the face sometimes. And as I said, I used to be one of the top 3 ‘kudoed’ members, so if I can get disenchanted with ePMP (over what I think are a few relatively easily addressable issues) then I’m concerned that anyone can get disenchanted. And because of that – yes, it honestly feels to me like no one in engineering actually uses the products.