Hi, Is anyone using TAP-based paging software with any of the major two-way pager companies or any cell phones that have paging features? Specifically we were looking at PageMart 2-ways, SprintPCS, and Nextel. Any other suggestions are more than welcome. The only thing we are NOT interested in is any email-based paging (doesn't work too well if the internet is 'broken'). Qpage.org lists all three of those providers as having a TAP number, but they all deny any knowledge of such a thing. We are dropping PageNet, as they have no unlimited plans, yanked service without notice, and charge $.25/page past the limit. Thanks in advance, and apologies if this is not an "operational" issue, Charles | Charles Sprickman | Internet Channel | INCH System Administration Team | (212)243-5200 | spork@inch.com | access@inch.com
Charles Sprickman wrote:
Hi,
Is anyone using TAP-based paging software with any of the major two-way pager companies or any cell phones that have paging features?
Specifically we were looking at PageMart 2-ways, SprintPCS, and Nextel. Any other suggestions are more than welcome. The only thing we are NOT interested in is any email-based paging (doesn't work too well if the internet is 'broken').
Qpage.org lists all three of those providers as having a TAP number, but they all deny any knowledge of such a thing.
Arch perhaps? http://www.archwireless.com I have an Arch two-way pager - they have a kickass network (lots of coverage in this area, even in rural Geauga County), and they are inexpensive. I dropped Skytel 1.5-way for Arch WebLink. It rocks. They do have a TAP number which works. I know this because I have my two-way set up on Keynote's RedAlert service for alpha paging. I'd have to check what the TAP number is. I'm paying $24.95 per month for 50K characters. Billed *per character* with overcalls set at one penny for every, umm, 23 or 27 additional characters. Much better than PageNet, a company which forgot what customer service means years ago, and much better than SkyTel, whose customer service is great, but whose paging products are still priced as if they were the only company in the world doing two-way. (WCOM owns SkyTel now, anyhow, and that's another good reason not to give 'em money. :) And yes, all those providers probably do have TAP numbers. But it is extremely difficult to get the info from ANY paging company, because I don't think any of their CSR's have a clue what TAP is. Ask for a modem number and you might have more success. -- Steve Sobol, BOFH, President 888.480.4NET 866.DSL.EXPRESS 216.619.2NET North Shore Technologies Corporation http://NorthShoreTechnologies.net JustTheNet/JustTheNet EXPRESS DSL (ISP Services) http://JustThe.net mailto:sjsobol@NorthShoreTechnologies.net Proud resident of Cleveland, Ohio
On Thu, 14 Dec 2000, Charles Sprickman wrote:
Is anyone using TAP-based paging software with any of the major two-way pager companies or any cell phones that have paging features?
Specifically we were looking at PageMart 2-ways, SprintPCS, and Nextel. Any other suggestions are more than welcome. The only thing we are NOT interested in is any email-based paging (doesn't work too well if the internet is 'broken').
Skytel uses TAP, and is even polite enough to publish the number on their webpage. http://www.skytel.com/develop/tap.html. Everyone is going to deny having a TAP number, though they all have them. They think everyone can use those neat e-mail to pager gateways until you explain that you're going to be using it to notify people in instances where e-mail wouldn't work. I'm using Skytel service with the Motorola PageWriter 2000X. -- Joseph W. Shaw Sr. Network Security Specialist for Big Company not to be named. I have public opinions, and they have public relations.
% Skytel uses TAP, and is even polite enough to publish the number on their % webpage. http://www.skytel.com/develop/tap.html. Everyone is going to % deny having a TAP number, though they all have them. They think everyone there's a useful list of TAP numbers at http://www.qpage.org/phone-numbers.html. have fun. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bryan S. Blank bryan@supernet.net
At 4:00 PM -0500 12/14/00, Charles Sprickman wrote:
Hi,
Is anyone using TAP-based paging software with any of the major two-way pager companies or any cell phones that have paging features?
Specifically we were looking at PageMart 2-ways, SprintPCS, and Nextel. Any other suggestions are more than welcome. The only thing we are NOT interested in is any email-based paging (doesn't work too well if the internet is 'broken').
Qpage.org lists all three of those providers as having a TAP number, but they all deny any knowledge of such a thing.
We are dropping PageNet, as they have no unlimited plans, yanked service without notice, and charge $.25/page past the limit.
Thanks in advance, and apologies if this is not an "operational" issue,
I have used qpage successfully with both my SprintPCS phone and with other other employees' Nextel phones. I haven't tried (that I can recall) any PageMart pagers, but I have no doubt it'd work with them. The concept of TAP is such that you will have to dig through about three tiers of tech support until you at least get to a manager who has "heard of it", and even then you'll be lucky if you get useful info. Be aware though (as we realized belatedly) that the TAP protocol has no concept of "sender" so your 1.5/2.0-way pager owners will be unable to reply to messages. So if you happen to gateway "username@page.company.com" to a TAP gateway to go to your pager-holders, they'll be annoyed that they can't reply. This is either a bug or a feature depending on if you're the person who pages the airtime bills. (Apparently, when you use PagerCo's e-mail gateway, they play some nifty games to attach a "From" field to the packets going to the pager. How, I do not know, and suspect that if I found out, "they'd have to kill me". ;) If you need more info, contact me offlist and I'll be happy to oblige. D
We currently use PageNet for our pager services, on an unlimited plan for about 10 pages, (Motorola pagers, one way) in central Minnesota, the coverage is adequate (once again, central Minnesota =) and with the exception of one screwup on our bill ($300 for one pager) they've been fine, although when we return a pager they keep trying to send us some very small useless 'pagers' until we inform them that we returned a motorola pager and want a motorola pager back =) Matthew S. Hallacy XtraTyme Technologies On Thu, 14 Dec 2000, Charles Sprickman wrote:
Hi,
Is anyone using TAP-based paging software with any of the major two-way pager companies or any cell phones that have paging features?
Specifically we were looking at PageMart 2-ways, SprintPCS, and Nextel. Any other suggestions are more than welcome. The only thing we are NOT interested in is any email-based paging (doesn't work too well if the internet is 'broken').
Qpage.org lists all three of those providers as having a TAP number, but they all deny any knowledge of such a thing.
We are dropping PageNet, as they have no unlimited plans, yanked service without notice, and charge $.25/page past the limit.
Thanks in advance, and apologies if this is not an "operational" issue,
Charles
| Charles Sprickman | Internet Channel | INCH System Administration Team | (212)243-5200 | spork@inch.com | access@inch.com
On Thu, 14 Dec 2000, Charles Sprickman wrote:
Specifically we were looking at PageMart 2-ways, SprintPCS, and Nextel. Any other suggestions are more than welcome. The only thing we are NOT interested in is any email-based paging (doesn't work too well if the internet is 'broken').
Qpage.org lists all three of those providers as having a TAP number, but they all deny any knowledge of such a thing.
our experience with paging companies (arch & metrocall) is that you have to REALLY force your way into a conversation with a technician who knows what TAP is. it took several weeks into a trial period with metrocall to talk to someone who could say, "yes, that number that your sales rep gave you is a TAP number." then you just have to fiddle with qpage for the right syntax for the phone number and pager ID number for the paging company. that's not standardized as far as we can tell. we thought that they were lying about TAP until someone decided to change the syntax of the numbers and it magically worked. metrocall wouldn't give us unlimited paging with those new two-way keyboard pagers, though, although they claim to offer unlimited paging with older models. i just went through demo'ing and negotiating new pagers and contracts, so let me know if you need more help. (we've only been using metrocall for 2 months, so i can't really vouche for their service yet.) deeann m.m. mikula network administrator telerama internet -- http://www.telerama.com abuse@telerama.com/spam@telerama.com 1.877.688.3200x501 LocalWords: internet
participants (7)
-
Bryan S. Blank -
Charles Sprickman -
deeann mikula -
Derek J. Balling -
Joe Shaw -
Matthew S. Hallacy -
Steve Sobol