Radionics Software Question

The RPS license disks appear to be copy-protected, and they appear to be version-specific, meaning your old license disk won't install the new version. I'm guessing this is why they did it that way.

Try calling Bosch for the update. Your excuse is that the update includes bug fixes, not just support for the newer panels. Not that they're likely to interrogate you.

- badenov

Thats not true, I've used the same license disk in all older 3.x versions and beginning with v5.2 a license disk isn't even required, the license disk is not copy protected as I've copied it to my drive and updated the software from that directory.

No but they might ask for your dealer number since a dealer would have paid the initial $800 for the software

I think what he was talking about is the 3.5" diskette you mentioned that used to come with the older software. Now that "diskette" is on the CD itself. In any case I have found the dongle works on any version. The only version difference I found is one is parallel port and one is USB. I was told that Bosch doesn't like to put it on the net for downloading is because of some third party software (like the convert to PDF and such) that it doesn't want to pay for.

Thanks for the recommendations!

I am working with the Bosch rep in trying to get the upgrade, but I've been waiting a long time for an answer... I've already been shot down a few months back for becoming a BCSD only because I just do this work part-time and they want a commitment from me to purchase several thousand dollars worth of product... I've been told that once approved, you can in fact download the latest version of RAM IV from Bocsh's secured web site.(I think this is something Bosch just started)

This tells you something about your future prospects should you press forward with Bosch. You'll end up with customers you can't support because Bisch will drop you after a while.

If it were my business -- part or full time -- I'd look at some of the other manufacturers that don't play elitist games to try to make their very ordinary products appear "upscale." Take a look at Napco's Gemini line of control panels. They're among the best built, most configurable systems on the market and you don't have to make promises you can't keep just to buy the product. Napco is available from scores of distributors all over the country, not to mention online retailers like myself.

Honeywell (nee: Ademco) also makes a wide range of quality alarm products. Their panels aren't as flexible as Napco but they're easy to program by keypad or modem. They make a full compliment of wired and wireless sensors as well. Some here like to bash Honeywell but their controls are reliable (not

*great* like Napco, perhaps) and widely accepted.

Both Napco and Honeywell offer free software (downloadable from their servers) an d lots of online as well as phone support. Note: If you call Honeywell for tech support you'll eventually speak to someone who is knowledgeable but the queue tends to be a bit long so bring a copy of "War and Peace" of the complete "Narnia Tales" and several cups of coffee. :^)

BTW, I used to dislike Ademco (now Honeywell) due to QC issues with their products from many years ago. That was then. Things have improved a lot in the 30 years I've been in the trade.

I would also mention GE Security but working with the company is becoming progressively more difficult. Sales and customer service are bottoming out (assumiong they don't find a way to make things worse). Their website is a disaster -- difficult to maneuver and loaded with useless pages. They do have a handy online guide that newbie installers and end users find helpful. It explains in great detail how to use all sorts of detectors. You can download it in PDF format from here:

Place a check mark in the box labeled "Application Notes" and click the "GO" button below there to download it. The guide is of course designed to teach you to use their products but the techniques are mostly portable to other brands.

I've used both

True

Last time I checked it just had advertising logos and icons. No real tech stuff yet. Most times they just mail the RPS upgrades. To become a BCSD is it usually a minimum of $50K in any major city of IFAS and or $150K of CCTV or a combo of the two that exceeds $200 (for a BCSD in a large city). The minimum is usually $12K a year for a small market area. If you miss the numbers for one year they don't get worried. More than one? Could be problems. Being a Bosch dealer brings in a lot of business almost automatically from all the places it's already spec'd in. Everyone has to start somewhere. If you are a one man show now then you need to know if you have the desire to expand. Along with the desire you need the capital. Bosch is one of the worst about offering financial terms a dealer can live with. If you get much beyond $25K they really start to squeak and you can't get much else out of them. If you have a big job it usually limits what you can bite off at one time. I say that to contrast them with GE who will finance just about anything for almost as long as you want. If your are a technician that likes hands on challenges then Bosch has it going there (mostly in the CCTV world now). The IFAS products now are getting a little long in the tooth since they are basically 1996 designs. Some folks think of Bosch and BCSD as "elite". It might be better to think of it as elite in the sense of limited distribution, rather than as elite in the feature set sense. If you're afraid of not making it as a BCSD and losing the Bosch product line, don't be. You just go on repair status and you can keep what you sold running. If your goal is to stay small (and there is nothing wrong with that) Bosch is probably not a good fit.

"Alarmdude" wrote in message news:09Cdne7Mdo snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com...

When I got the first version of RAMIV that used a license disk, my suspicions were aroused, and before attempting to install the software, I tried to make a copy of the license disk, and the process failed. That was why I concluded the disk was copy protected. I didn't try copying it to the hard drive, though. I think the installation process also insisted on writing something to the license disk. But it's been a while, and apparently the point is now moot.

- badenov

You probably had a bad disk. I purchased a copy of RamIV on fleabay. I have my copy backed up on CDROM and on a flash drive. I must have reinstalled RamIV at least a dozen times over the years due to HD crashes or system upgrades without any troubles.

Jim Rojas

Nomen Nescio wrote:

If you can copy it to the hard drive you can copy it to anything and as far as I can tell it doesn't write anything to the floppy although I could be wrong, easy to test tho by enabling the write protection tab on the floppy and see if it errors on an installation, since almost no computers I work with have a floppy then its not worth it to test for me

How much are the dongles for this program. I have one for the newer Bosch version, however, the older DOS version doesn't work properly on XP, so I have to change it from computer to computer. Any solution to this without getting an additional dongle? Or, if they're not expensive, how much are they?

Somewhere around $100US or $3,400CN

Actually, I think you're confusing Pesos with CDN Dollars. That would be around $95.00 CDN (what with "free trade", Government subsidy 'n all). If you bought it in Alberta, it would be even cheaper. Now if we could only figure out how to build a keypad with "softwood products", the sucker would be practically "free"... :-)