Web Worker Daily

Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector: A Good, Free Troubleshooting Tool

Posted: 27 Feb 2009 04:00 PM PST

I’ve written before about optimizations for home and office Wi-Fi networks and how to keep public Wi-Fi sessions secure. Xirrus has long provided free tools for monitoring Wi-Fi performance, finding hotspots and more. Now, the company is out with Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector, and after giving it a try, I recommend it, especially if you suspect you’re not getting ideal performance from your wireless networking.

Here’s what’s under the hood, and a tool you can use to complement Wi-Fi Inspector.

Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector is basically a free, improved version of Xirrus’ long-standing Wi-Fi gadet application. It’s designed for managing and troubleshooting a laptop's Wi-Fi connection in addition to scanning and monitoring the Wi-Fi environment. There is a complete inventory of its capabilities here. (PDF)

You can use Wi-Fi Inspector for searching for and locating Wi-Fi networks, such as hotspots; managing laptop Wi-Fi connections; troubleshooting connectivity issues; verifying the Wi-Fi range you’re getting; and locating rogue access points. I used its four-step process for IP address information that let me know I was communicating with my Wi-Fi network correctly, and ran a series of ping tests to see how my performance was faring. The results of the tests are displayed on a radar-like graphic (showing available Wi-Fi networks, for example) and in table format. You can get at your signal level, security level, and more.

It’s very easy to end up with less than ideal Wi-Fi performance. If Wi-Fi tests let you know that performance is sub-optimal, that’s a good time to experiment with the location and orientation of your router and your access points, among other things.

Wi-Fi Inspector also sends packets to an external Internet server and reports on the actual throughput you’re getting. For these types of tests, I also strongly recommend QCheck, a free, similar tool that tests network throughput and wireless performance from several angles. To really keep your finger on the pulse of your Wi-Fi network, use both of these applications.

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Thanks to Our WebWorkerDaily Sponsors!

Posted: 27 Feb 2009 03:00 PM PST

Written by Edit Staff.

We’d like to say thanks to this month’s WebWorkerDaily sponsors:

BrainKeeper: Collaboration that works
FreshBooks: Online Invoicing for freelancers

Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST

Written by Simon Mackie.

Just in case you missed any of them, here are the five most popular posts on WebWorkerDaily this week:

More Efficient RSS Reading

In this post, Dawn shares some great tips on how to get more out of your RSS feeds, while spending less time reading them.

MindView 3: Wrap Your Head Around Anything Via Mind Maps

Darrell takes a look at MindView 3, the newest version of MatchWare’s nifty mind mapping tool.

Pencil: A Flexible Drawing Extension for Firefox

Samuel reviews the updated Pencil, a Firefox drawing extension.

10 New Ways to Make Money Online

A perennial WWD favorite, Anne lists 10 ways that you can make money from the web.

Web Work 101: Planning, Budgeting and Goal-Setting

Part of the Web Work 101 series, Darrell discusses three things that are critical to the success of any new web worker: planning, budgeting and goal-setting.

Relenta: A Single Solution for CRM, Email, and Task Management

Posted: 27 Feb 2009 10:38 AM PST

Written by Darrell Etherington.

Looking for an alternative CRM and email solution? It can get kind of tricky trying to keep track of all that information using Outlook or Gmail, in combination with other third party customer relationship management software. Try as you might, you’ll probably lose track of some things once in a while. Relenta, a new CRM solution that combines email, contacts and tasking in one place, aims to help minimize those dropped threads.

Relenta aims to replace your web-based email and popular CRM apps like Salesforce and SugarCRM, all in one convenient package. It offers the same features as these apps, but with tight integration with your email and task management software as well, since it’s all managed from the same central location. That kind of streamlining is priceless in the web working world, when keeping tabs on so many different apps can quickly become an overwhelming chore.

The email client that’s included with Relenta allows you to use your own existing company domain name, and gives you the option of sharing email, so that multiple people can share a single alias, like info@yourcompany.com. Combined with the calendar and task manager, staff using shared email accounts can see exactly what’s been attended to, by whom, on what date, and whether or not any follow-up action is required. It also resembles desktop clients in its physical layout, and provides quick access to contacts in the left-hand menu, so it’s a comfortable environment to work from.

From the same central dashboard, you can access your contacts list, which displays a list of truncated entries in its default view. Contacts can be created from directly within the web view, or imported from existing sources via CSV files, like those exported by most programs and web-based clients. Clicking on any contact entry in your list expands that item and displays detailed information, including all the fields you’d expect if you use Apple’s or Outlook’s address book applications.

Each contact can also be assigned tags, which provides another useful sorting method that transcends organization or other common groups. And, true to their goal of intertwining contact management, email and tasks, you can instantly attach an activity to anyone, and view any emails that may have been sent or received from the contact inline, without having to switch to the Email tab.

Under the Calendar tab, you can see your upcoming appointments. Each event has its task type in front of its name of the event, and has a column listing guests or contacts from your address book. Clicking on them displays their contact details, food preferences, and other notes, and shows an activity stream of what you’ve done with that client in the past.

Relenta also offers a file manager and an email campaign manager. You can customize your email campaigns, allow people to unsubscribe, and set up various templates all from within Relenta with no prior experience of email marketing required. The file manager is very basic, offering no inline viewer, and only the ability to download, delete and rename files, but that should be all you need out of this kind of app. The ability to attach files you’ve uploaded is also available, which is a big plus if you’re not at your home computer.

As a full-featured, yet simple and direct CRM tool, I think web workers, and especially whose who do a lot of sales-related work, will really appreciate Relenta. It keeps everything together and tightly integrated for those of you who love organization. Personally, I like how it enables me to keep everything nicely contained within my browser, so that if I need a break, all I have to do is quit Firefox and the air is cleared.

Relenta offers a free 14-day trial, and quarterly ($20/month) or monthly($25/month) pricing plans for the full version after that. I tested the demo. There’s also a free version, though, that they tuck away under the paid options, which limits you to 1 user, 100MB storage, and 100 contacts, but if you’re a freelancer working solo, that might be all you need.

What do you use for CRM?

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Hear Microsoft, IBM, Dell and Cisco execs at GigaOM’s Green:Net.

Web Work 101: Where to Work?

Posted: 27 Feb 2009 09:10 AM PST

Written by Scott Blitstein.

Woman-typing-on-laptop As web workers, we like to feel that we can sit down just about anywhere and be connected and productive. Armed with our laptops and Wi-Fi, or mobile broadband, that is usually the case.

But just because we can work anywhere, doesn’t mean that we should. Our work environment is a critical part of our work process and can have tremendous influence on our productivity.

So what are our options?

Home: It’s no surprise that many web workers set up their work spaces at home. With a spare room or out of the way corner, you can be up and running with minimal cost and effort.

However, many of the benefits of a work at home environment are also potential drawbacks. Being close to family is great but they can also be a distraction. And while I would love the zero mile commute, maintaining a work-life balance can be a real issue for some.

There can also be privacy concerns when your home address or phone number is also used as a business location. PO boxes or mail stops can assist with the physical mail, and many folks use their mobile as a business line. Using a virtual phone service like GrandCentral or PhoneFusion can help keep your home line clear, as well as presenting a more professional appearance.

Hot-Spots: If you have ever walked in to a Panera or Starbucks, or a local coffee shop or cafe that offers free Wi-Fi, you’ve seen the scores of folks set up with their laptops diligently tapping away.

Working in a public spot like this certainly offers its advantages. The availability of Wi-Fi makes access to work easy, and we all know that caffeine fuels the web worker. Also, there is a feeling of community that can develop and the presence of other folks around can ease the sense of isolation that can be an issue for solo workers.

While I think hot-spots can serve as great meeting places, it would be a challenge for me as a full time work location. Making and receiving calls can be difficult, and sometimes power availability can be a big issue.

Also, rules for purchasing requirements and time limits can vary widely by location, and the costs of a daily coffee / bagel can add up quickly.

If you do utilize the space and services of a local establishment, be sure to also support them with your purchases.

Traditional Office: Many web workers do work in traditional office environments or set up shop by renting local office space. I found a nice space in the downtown area of my village that is quite affordable and gives me a conveniently-located space to work and hold meetings.

I appreciate never having to worry about finding a comfortable chair or a power outlet. I like maintaining control of my own Internet connection, and I don’t know how I would function without my whiteboard. Having a distinct work space, located out of the home, also makes that end of day transition much easier.

There are additional costs like insurance that can come along with a rented space but it is a good option for those that want to have a distinct work environment or a physical presence in your community.

Coworking: We’ve written a lot about coworking here on WebWorkerDaily and it is an exciting trend for the solo web worker. A good coworking facility can offer a lot of the benefits of a coffee-shop or cafe, while also providing some traditional office luxuries like whiteboards or meeting rooms. It is an emerging trend, though, and finding a good space can be difficult, especially in smaller suburban or remote areas.

When you’ve decided where you’re going to work from, it’s important to remember that the title of “web worker” is given to those who use the web to work productively and efficiently, no matter where you set up.

Where do you work?

(photo via Matthew Bowden)