Look Mum, no cables!
Do you remember the first time you used AirPods? The freedom from being tangled up or tied to your device was a game changer.
I experienced that all over again when I tried out Hamina’s new survey device – the Clip.
Christmas came quickly this year, since I was fortunate enough to receive a prototype version of the Clip to test, in a very shiny (sorry not shipping with the production version!) case.
Walk the Line
Surveying with the Clip is an absolute dream. It’s super light, so you quickly forget you’re wearing it, and thanks to Bluetooth data transfer to the Hamina Onsite App, there won’t be any cables in your way.
You might need to use a cable in very busy environments, but Onsite will let you know if data transfer over Bluetooth isn’t working so well. There is also a pretty slick data buffering mechanism when using Bluetooth.
My preferred survey approach is using an iPad + Apple pencil, rotating the device when I turn to keep the map facing the same way as I’m walking. Needless to say, having to periodically stop and untangle a cable is no longer required.
No more handbag?
The Clip isn’t designed to replace the Oscium Nomad, but in true Hamina style offer a more accessible alternative for those who don’t need every single feature.
The full specs for both the Nomad and the Clip are below, but in a nutshell here are the main reasons you might choose to pack a Nomad:
- When spectrum analysis is required
- In very busy environments, e.g. large public venues and you’d prefer to walk a bit faster than you’d otherwise need to
- When you need to run a multi-radio packet capture
- You prefer the old school look and love it when people ask you ‘what’s with the handbag?’
Otherwise it is safe to say that the Clip could permanently live in your everyday bag.
Radio Gaga
It’s worth pointing out that although the Clip has half the number of radios and antennas, it is by no means half as good.
The product itself was born out of the fact that if you perform scanning efficiently, you don’t need more than two radios most of the time.
The Clip will also certified to perform transmit functions for things like Orb testing.
These are a few of my favourite things
To wrap up, here are the things I love the most about the Clip:
- Cable-less surveys
- Form factor
- Packet captures without disturbing your device’s Wi-Fi connection with AirTool
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