Panasonic air con and some stellar support

Email chain with panasonic support below…. asking for the totally unreasonable option to setting a timer for auto-off within the “comfort cloud” app. Long version below – short version, Panasonic seem to have some mind-blowingly unhelpful people working for them…. go with a different brand.


My initial request via web form

Support type: ContactUs(Feedback or suggestion)

Product details:

Product type: Air Conditioning and Ventilation

Product category: Split Systems – Wall Mounted

Product model: CS-Z42TKR / CU-Z42TKR

We have 2 x CS-Z42XKRW units (didn’t appear to be listed in the model drop-down) … and we would like to be able to set a timer within the comfort cloud app – but we cannot find this setting. Just to be clear, we don’t want a weekly schedule… we want to be able to turn the unit on – and then say “auto-turn off in 2 hours”… our existing panasonic ducted unit can do it (which granted is not controlled by comfort cloud) – but these new units don’t seem to be able to do it. What are we missing ?


Their 1st response ignoring i specifically mentioned i was not after a weekly schedule

Dear Hayes,

Thank you for your email.

As per the attached user manual page 16, the application only has a weekly for timer.


My attempt to try and get something… anything out of them.

So… no plans to add this? Anywhere I can request it ? Anything that actually helps at all ?


The Microsoft-support-level-bad response

Hi Hayes,

The comfort cloud app gives you the opportunity to switch your air conditioner off and on at you leisure from anywhere, anytime. It does not have a 2hr timer to automatically turn off your system.

The suggestion is that you set an alarm on your phone to prompt yourself to turn off the air conditioning system from your phone after 2 hrs. if that is your requirement.


So… there you have it…. there is no way to request a multi-billion $ company to add a basic function to their app….. and the response just indicates that the product is, like many things currently, effectively unsupported.

Microsoft Surface Pro With 4G in Australia, and the people rejoiced!

It’s been a loooooong time coming, but it’s almost here!

A number of our clients provide Surface Pro’s for their staff, and for what seems a very long time, have been complaining about the lack of a Surface with LTE. It seems like such a simple thing, yet Microsoft haven’t released it in Australia. IT departments have gone out and purchased a number of other devices to try and meet the requirements, some have been successful, others sooo very not so, but all have added complexity or diversity to the number of devices that these departments have had to provide and support.

But the wait looks to be over, the Surface Pro with 4G is set to launch in April. You can pre-order specific hardware configurations now from the Microsoft Store, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi.

Microsoft Surface Pro With 4G: Australian specifications

Microsoft Surface Pro With 4G
OS Windows 10 Pro
Dimensions (mm) 292.10 x 201.42 x 8.5 mm
Weight From 768g
Storage Solid state drive (SSD) options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
Display Screen: 12.3” PixelSense Display, Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (267 PPI), Aspect Ratio: 3:2, Touch: 10 point multi-touch
Battery life Up to 13.5 hours video playback
Processor Intel 7th Gen Core m3, i5, or i7
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 615 (m3), Intel HD Graphics 620 (i5), Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 (i7)
Security TPM chip for enterprise security, Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
Memory 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB RAM
Wireless Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible, Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology, LTE Advanced (optional)
Ports Full-size USB 3.0, microSDXC card reader, Surface Connect, 3.5mm Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port
Cameras, video, and audio Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing), 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video, 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p Full HD video, Dual microphones, 1.6W Stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
Sensors Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope
Warranty 12 months limited hardware warranty

Now all I need is a compatible external battery, I have been less than impressed with the support of the current 3rd party battery that was purchased.

https://arstechnica.com

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Windows or Office deployment: it’s Microsoft’s shout

Adexis is known in Adelaide as the number one experts in SCCM and windows deployment. Did you know you can engage an Adexis expert and have Microsoft pick up the tab?

moneyMany customers aren’t aware that they’re entitled to a little golden nugget called Desktop Deployment Planning Services. DDPS  is a benefit provided by Microsoft to customers who purchase Software Assurance through their Volume Licensing whereby you can engage qualified partners to provide services for you and Microsoft will put in the dollars. In addition to our SCCM and deployment expertise, Adexis is also a qualified Desktop Deployment Planning Services partner, meaning you can engage under this scheme.
Through this scheme we can help you to plan and/or impliment on-premise, cloud-based or hybrid solutions for the deployment of windows and office to your user base utilising products including SCCM, Windows, Office and Office365.

Imagine for example you would like to try out Windows 10 for your users. In order to do that you would need to assess it’s suitability and compatibility, plan an upgrade of SCCM to 1606 or later, plan the windows deployment and impliment both solutions. These are services that Adexis can help you with and can be provided for under Desktop Deployment Planning Services. Perhaps you’ve been thinking about doing an upgrade like this but budget constraints have proven to be a challenge, this is where DDPS comes in.

Microsoft does have some strict guidelines on how these services can be utilised however. For example, they can only be utilised for the improvement of your environment using approved products. So, don’t be thinking “I can get that tricky issue fixed in my SCCM environment”, Microsoft won’t cover that one. Engagements are set up in groups of days and can allocate funds of between $3000 and $15,000.

So, you’ve decided you’d like to utilise your entitlement, how do you go about it?
The first step is to call us and let us know what you have in mind. We can provide some guidance on what is eligible and what would need to be covered by you. You should also check your eligibility with Microsoft by visiting the Volume Licensing Service Centre. You can also download the DDPS Fact Sheet for more information. Once we’ve worked together to come up with a scope of work and an understanding on it’s eligibility for DDPS, you can assign a voucher to Adexis to start the work. Here’s how;

1. Sign into VLSC.
2. Select Software Assurance from the top menu.
3. Click Planning Services. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance Benefits page.
4. Click the LicenseID for which you want to manage Planning Services. This will take you to the Benefit Summary page.
5. Select Planning Services.
6. Select the voucher type and service level (length of the engagement in days).
7. Assign the Planning Services voucher to a project manager within your organization by entering their name and email address, and any special instructions.
8. Click Confirm Voucher Assignment.
9. Once the voucher is created, click Assign Voucher. This takes you to a benefit details page confirming voucher information, including voucher status and expiration date.
10. You can then assign this voucher to Adexis by searching for our name or using our Microsoft ID: 1388832
That’s it!
We manage the rest of the paperwork on your behalf and you’re good to go with your engagement.

To find out more or to get started on your engagement under Microsoft Software Assurance Planning Services with Adexis give us a call on (08) 7228 6188 or email us at Contact@Adexis.com.au