BridgeTab software won't give us feedback

[g***@gmail.com]

At my Bridge club we have BridgeTab software
www.bridgetab.com/

Our clubrooms are surrounded by apartments / townhouses and there are a lot of wifi signals coming into the building. We have a problem with getting feedback on a tablet after a score has been entered. The tablet says "comms failed" or something, "click retry or skip". Using "retry" fails repeatedly however the wifi is still connected and if I try and get to the internet I can get web pages up quite happily. The problem is intermittent and erratic and I think it's highly likely that it is wifi interference that causes the problem, however it seems the BridgeTab software isn't handling it properly. We're using 2.4 GHz wifi.

Is anyone else using this software and encountered this problem?

[a***@hotmail.com]

Post by g***@gmail.com
At my Bridge club we have BridgeTab software
www.bridgetab.com/
Our clubrooms are surrounded by apartments / townhouses and there are a lot of wifi signals coming into the building. We have a problem with getting feedback on a tablet after a score has been entered. The tablet says "comms failed" or something, "click retry or skip". Using "retry" fails repeatedly however the wifi is still connected and if I try and get to the internet I can get web pages up quite happily. The problem is intermittent and erratic and I think it's highly likely that it is wifi interference that causes the problem, however it seems the BridgeTab software isn't handling it properly. We're using 2.4 GHz wifi.
Is anyone else using this software and encountered this problem?

This sounds like an unrelated problem I experienced. I bought a 2 band USB (2.4/5GHz) wifi dongle that picked up the signals I wanted. Don't know if tablets have USB ports. $10 on ebay.

axman

[g***@gmail.com]

Post by a***@hotmail.com

Post by g***@gmail.com
At my Bridge club we have BridgeTab software
www.bridgetab.com/
Our clubrooms are surrounded by apartments / townhouses and there are a lot of wifi signals coming into the building. We have a problem with getting feedback on a tablet after a score has been entered. The tablet says "comms failed" or something, "click retry or skip". Using "retry" fails repeatedly however the wifi is still connected and if I try and get to the internet I can get web pages up quite happily. The problem is intermittent and erratic and I think it's highly likely that it is wifi interference that causes the problem, however it seems the BridgeTab software isn't handling it properly. We're using 2.4 GHz wifi.
Is anyone else using this software and encountered this problem?

This sounds like an unrelated problem I experienced. I bought a 2 band USB (2.4/5GHz) wifi dongle that picked up the signals I wanted. Don't know if tablets have USB ports. $10 on ebay.
axman

Android tablets have USB ports but there are no drivers available that would let the wifi adapter work. I guess because tablets and phones have wifi built in unlike some PCs. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Trick13]

We get this occasionally. Seems quite random. Haven't discerned a cause, and we have commercial strength WIFI.

[g***@gmail.com]

Post by Trick13
We get this occasionally. Seems quite random. Haven't discerned a cause, and we have commercial strength WIFI.

Thanks. Do you mean that you have to turn the wifi off and on to get the feedback working, or just that you have to click retry sometimes.

[Trick13]

Sometimes there may be just one or two tablets with the problem, sometimes more at different spots over the room. Switching the wifi on and off sometimes seems to help. Just ignoring the problem and waiting for it to self correct can work too.

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Post by Trick13
Sometimes there may be just one or two tablets with the problem, sometimes more at different spots over the room. Switching the wifi on and off sometimes seems to help. Just ignoring the problem and waiting for it to self correct can work too.

thanks, sorry to persist - I just want to be sure - do you mean that if you do retry, retry, a few times, it fails repeatedly until you either turn wifi off and on or you wait a minute or two and it starts working? What kind of tablets do you have? We have Lenovo TB3 710F.

Are you using the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band?
Do you have more than one access point?
Do you have nearby buildings that could be producing interference?

I appreciate your information.

[Trick13]

Usually if it happens, it will keep recurring no matter what we do. If you check the control program and see that at least some tablets are sending results, I would just wait. Ask players to press the 'try again' option once each time but if it persists then 'ignore feedback'. The tablets will usually catch up and sent any unsent the results. You can also go to a tablet and enter the directors menu and send unsent results. You could try turning flight mode on and off for a recalcitrant tablet.

It is really annoying. I am computer literate and there is just no logic to it. But for us I don't think it is wifi interference.

Our club is quite large - there are about 10 events a week and we will have up to 40 tablets operating. We have been using the tablets for over two years and we like them a lot. It is not a big problem.

I think we we 2.4GHz, 2 Unifi Pro APs, mild interference, Lenovo tablets.

[g***@gmail.com]

Post by Trick13
Usually if it happens, it will keep recurring no matter what we do. If you check the control program and see that at least some tablets are sending results, I would just wait. Ask players to press the 'try again' option once each time but if it persists then 'ignore feedback'. The tablets will usually catch up and sent any unsent the results. You can also go to a tablet and enter the directors menu and send unsent results. You could try turning flight mode on and off for a recalcitrant tablet.
It is really annoying. I am computer literate and there is just no logic to it. But for us I don't think it is wifi interference.
Our club is quite large - there are about 10 events a week and we will have up to 40 tablets operating. We have been using the tablets for over two years and we like them a lot. It is not a big problem.
I think we we 2.4GHz, 2 Unifi Pro APs, mild interference, Lenovo tablets.

Hi, thanks. I'm in Christchurch NZ. Are you in Christchurch too by any chance?

If not, if it's not too much trouble could you let me know the exact model of Lenovo tablet? If your tablets support 5 GHz, you might find the problem goes away if you use 5 GHz instead of 2.4 GHz. For 5 GHz, all tablets need to have line of sight to an AP and be within around 20 metres.

[Trick13]

Auckland Bridge Club.

We are using Lenovo Tab 7 Essentials, about 3 years old now.

The APs we have simultaneously broadcast on both bands.

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Post by Trick13
Auckland Bridge Club.
We are using Lenovo Tab 7 Essentials, about 3 years old now.
The APs we have simultaneously broadcast on both bands.

Thanks. We have the same tablets and access points as you. The Lenovo TB3 we have don't support 5GHz.

[Trick13]

So this happened tonight. Talking to the director it seems that it happens maybe 1 time in 7, and it is actually more common for all the tablets to have the issue.

You can usually get the tablets talking again by clicking Stop on the controller program, wait a few seconds, and click Start again.

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Post by Trick13
So this happened tonight. Talking to the director it seems that it happens maybe 1 time in 7, and it is actually more common for all the tablets to have the issue.
You can usually get the tablets talking again by clicking Stop on the controller program, wait a few seconds, and click Start again.

ok. I've been trying to persuade my club to enlist the help of the BridgeTab software maker. Some nights we get almost no problems and some nights we get lots of problems. I'll pass on your suggestion, thanks.