FAQ's
Customer Base
Data
- How does my data get on the phone? Use text/web?
- What happens to my data?
- Lose cell signal?
- Need to make/take a call?
- Phone stops working/dropped/battery/removed?
- How do operators manage facilities without log sheets?
- Is BirdNest compatible with SCADA and other back office systems?
- Is BirdNest a back door or portal into my enterprise system?
- How do I share reports?
- How Secure is my DATA?
- Use text messaging?
Equipment/Hand-held devices
- Work on other handheld devices/PDA/Palm/Smart Phone?
- Phone stops working/dropped/battery/removed?
- What do we do if regulators or permit requires an onsite log sheet?
- What is involved in getting started? - How hard is it to set up?
- How long does it take to get started, conduct training and deploy?
- What kind of agreement is required?
- How much does BirdNest cost?
- Do you offer GPS tracking or consulting services?
Cellular
- Work with any cellular provider?
- Use cell minutes to send/receive data?
- Drain battery?
- Lose cell signal?
- Need to make/take a call?
- Poor coverage area?
- Phone stops working/dropped/battery/removed?
- Use text messaging?
CELL PHONE & HANDHELD DEVICES:
Which cellular providers does BirdNest work with?
BirdNest works today on the Verizon, Sprint/Nextel and AT&T networks.
If you are on another network, call us for the most current network information.
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Does BirdNest use my cell minutes to send and receive data?
No! BirdNest uses the data network.
Some carriers require a separate data plan and we will be happy to answer questions specific to your carrier.
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Does BirdNest drain my cell phone’s battery?
BirdNest is designed to work in the background and to “sleep” when not in active use.
A phone that has been sufficiently charged should have enough power to run BirdNest for a full day.
Many of our customer’s keep a car charger to insure they have sufficient battery life at all times.
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What if I need to make or receive a call?
BirdNest does not get in the way.
You will receive all calls that come in and can make an outgoing call at any time.
BirdNest returns you to the same place you were at before the call.
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What if I lose the cell signal?
Once you log in to BirdNest in the morning, you do not need to be in cellular coverage to do your job.
All your information is stored on the phone after logging in.
When you send data the phone stores it if there is no signal or uploads it if a signal is available.
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What happens if my phone stops working, phone is dropped or the battery is removed?
Once you push "Send," data is uploaded or saved to phone memory.
It is stored even through loss of power until the upload is complete.
If the handset is destroyed, data not yet uploaded will be lost.
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What if I’m in a poor coverage area?
BirdNest runs independent of a cellular signal.
It needs a signal to upload data and for you to log in each morning.
If a user was outside of a coverage area data sent would stay on the phone until back in coverage.
You need a signal to logon and to logoff.
If you were out more than one day, you could still do your job but the history would not change since recent data is still on the phone.
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What does BirdNest work on?
BirdNest requires an Android smart phone or a data-capable cell phone that runs JAVA MIDP2.
We are deployed on the Verizon, Sprint/Nextel and AT&T networks.
If you are on another network, call us for the most current network information.
BirdNest for iPhones, iPads and Blackberry devices is coming. Let us know if you use these devices today.
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HOW DOES IT WORK
How does information get to the phone?
When a user logs in, BirdNest retrieves the user’s proflie, which includes all locations and information to be collected.
It also includes the last readings that were taken, the date of those readings and data entry format.
History is immediately available on Android devices and is available on phones when a signal is available.
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Do you use text messaging or web access?
BirdNest does not use text messaging or web access from the phone.
Smartphones use the BirdNest application to submit information and can access BirdNest through their web browser if needed.
Text messages are an option for notifications. Otherwise, notifications are available on the web and through email.
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What happens to our data?
Data is transmitted to the secure BirdNest server.
From any Internet connected device you access your account with an authorized user ID and password.
This allows personnel to view, edit and share data. Reports and graphs can be produced on-demand or scheduled to run automatically.
All your information can be shared as needed.
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How do I share my reports?
User ID and Password access can be setup for your staff and guests.
Permissions and access rights can be set to allow users to:
- Create, edit and save reports, or
- Provide access to view specified data or reports.
Reports can be generated for hard copy use or viewed and saved for repeated usage online.
Reports can be exported and saved where they can be printed or distributed as required.
Reports can be used to import information into other software programes when needed.
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How Secure is my Data?
BirdNest customers control what their users can see and do.
BirdNest authenticates who is requesting access by verifying unique User IDs and Passwords that you set and control.
Once logged in, each user’s functional rights are authorized as you assigned.
Handheld device users have a third level of security applied when they access BirdNest.
The user is required to have a BirdNest application running on their device before we authenticate and authorize access.
During training, we will review and recommend user ID and password management procedures.
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COMPATIBLE APPLICATIONS:
Is BirdNest compatible with SCADA or other back office systems applications?
BirdNest data is compatible with many SCADA and back office systems.
Data is stored in XML, which allows software packages to “talk” to each other.
Let us know what programs you have deployed so we can help.
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Is BirdNest a back door or portal to my existing enterprise system?
BirdNest is NOT a back door or portal to your enterprise system.
Data is accessible from your BirdNest account and can be exported as a comma delimited file format, such as Excel
It can be posted in XML format as a web service to be retrieved by your SCADA software or other program
It can be posted as an OLE DB or ODBC data source for output integration
These are common practices for integrating data with other back office or enterprise systems.
Let us know if you want to collect data using BirdNest and have that available to your other system(s).
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GETTING STARTED
What is involved in getting started? - How hard is it to set up?
Customers need an Adnroid device or a JAVA MIDP2 capable cell phone with a data plan.
BirdNest will setup your account and train your personell.
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How long does it take to get started? Train our people? Deploy?
From a few days to a few weeks depending on the size of your organization and the number of users to be setup and trained.
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PRICING
What kind of agreement do you require?
BirdNest is a monthly service. No long-term contract is required. A written 30-day cancellation policy is in effect.
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How much does BirdNest cost?
Pricing includes a one-time implementation fee for setup and training plus a monthly subscription.
Cost includes unlimited access to use your data, run, print and export reports and share your data.
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Do you offer any add-on services such as GPS tracking or consulting?
GPS is optional. With BirdNest GPS you can locate personell and track users for route optimization.
Historical records of route and data activity can be recalled and displayed.
BirdNest is available on a consulting basis to help with any of your data monitoring, tracking or verification challenges or opportunities.
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GENERAL INFO
How many facilities are currently using BirdNest services?
Thousands of facilities nationwide are using BirdNest today.
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Where is BirdNest deployed in the US?
We started in Houston, Texas and are currently deployed throughout the United States.
BirdNest is a web-based service designed to serve a broad national market.
BirdNest is proud to be a leader in “software-as-a-service” (SaaS) for enterprise applications.
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What do I do if regulators or permit requires onsite log sheet (paper records)?
If permit requires a handwritten, onsite record, BirdNest suggests maintaining a local compliance-only logbook.
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How do my operators manage their facilities without a hand-written log sheet?
Hundreds of users have been successfully using BirdNest for more than 8-years.
In 2011, trigger points, trending, standard deviation and notifications will be deployed.
These will greatly enhance the field users' tools and if used, will provide notifications when information does not add up.
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