Subscriber Discussion

Manufacturers - LEARN WHAT DOWNLOAD/UPLOAD MEANS

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Luis Carmona
Feb 04, 2014
Geutebruck USA • IPVMU Certified

I'm doing a class for an access control system where they call pushing out firmware updates from the server through the client interface "downloading firmware to the panel".

Couple weeks ago I did a class for an alarm panel company where they called pushing data from the server to the alarm panel "downloading", and if you were not clear on what you were doing, you could erase all the data off a panel.

Manufacturers, you need to understand downloading and uploading is relative to where you are! If you are pulling data from a remote location or device to the location you are working on, you are downloading. If you are pushing out data, then you are uploading. If you go out to the remote location and do the same thing, then it's reveresed.

Better terminology would probably be, for example "Push configuration" or "Pull configuration". At least say know enough to say "Download configuration from panel". You cannot just "Download configuration". Whatever you do, make the terminology more clear or be sure to use downloading and uploading is reported in their proper context.

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Brian Rhodes
Feb 04, 2014
IPVMU Certified

I am probably guilty of this. Stupid egocentric location bias!

I like the term 'syncronize', because it doesn't care where you are... Although that isn't accurate in every instance, either.

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Daniel S-T
Feb 05, 2014

I got in the habbit of calling downloading sending information from the server to the panel, and uploading pulling information from the panel to the server, because that's how honeywell handles their alarm panels. Now I'm working with new panels and they make it rather clear. Get from panel, or send to panel haha

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Luis Carmona
Feb 05, 2014
Geutebruck USA • IPVMU Certified

Hopefully with enough ridicule feedback, companies will get better about this. Admittedly it's not rampant, but when you can wipe out a device like an alarm panel because they don't specify in the command direction of travel and they use "download" in the wrong context, that's a big problem.

Another option they can use instead of upload/download is "send to <device>" or "retrieve from <device>".

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