Missed our open house on September 9th? Here's a recap of the presentations, prizes, and conversations that made the night a success.

For many companies, the issue of personal cell phones in the workplace is a matter of addressing work time and productivity. But for others, employee cell phones compromise communications and create extra costs and havoc that affect the bottom line. For these businesses, two-way radios may be a better option. Here we look at things to consider when choosing the right device for your operations.

Spotty cell phone coverage and unreliable radio connectivity have never been good things, but there was a time when people used their devices for less and were more tolerant of gaps in performance. 

But as cell phones have replaced landlines and radios continue to replace cell phones, the bar has been raised on the expectation for connecting quickly and seamlessly. Add to that the explosive growth in data services such as text messaging and streaming, and it’s enough to put a strain on even the most sophisticated system.

The good news is that you don’t have to just live with poor in-building connectivity, and here we’ll take a look at some of the most effective options for how to improve cell phone coverage and radio range.

If you have a fear of technology, your worst nightmare may be coming to fruition sooner than you may have hoped thanks to the Internet of Things. Although this major up and coming telecommunication advancement raises questions about artificial intelligence, it is expected to improve efficiency across all sectors of business and matters of personal life.

What Is the Internet of Things?

The Internet of Things (IoT) will use wireless networks to connect most devices, particularly those that collect data that can be shared. These items act as sensors, detecting activity that can be transmitted to other devices in the network. For example, your smartphone will communicate with your coffee maker, your car with your smart watch, and even your laptop with your refrigerator. 

Well, it’s hard to believe but the holiday shopping season has begun. How do I know? As luck would have it I spent one of my days this past weekend at the mall with my daughter. The mall was absolutely packed. It was wall-to-wall people and wall-to-wall parking. Here I thought I was getting a jump on my holiday shopping by going before Thanksgiving, but apparently everyone else had the same idea.

 A Slice Of ChiComm's History

We all know technology has come a long way in the past few years, especially with cell phones. Looking back nearly 30 years and you’re talking giant leaps for mankind right? Let’s take a look back at the year 1983. Do you remember what life was like? Cultural Highlights of the year include: the final episode of MASH airs, McDonald’s introduces the McNugget, President Ronald Reagan announces that the Global Positioning System (GPS) would be made available for civilian use, & in the Communications world, the first 1G network was launched in the USA by Chicago-based Ameritech,  using the Motorola DynaTAC mobile phone. The last bit was extremely influential to ChiComm as a service center for Motorola then and it made business boom, to say the least. ChiComm would get anywhere from 40 to 70 customer visits per day for mobile phone installs in cars. And that was before the mobile telephone service had even been officially launched. ChiComm had worked with Illinois Bell for the 2 years prior to the mobile phone launch with a trial system to test and run repairs in the Chicago area as well.