Wireless at Work

On the Move

Like most Realtors, David Sewell does the majority of his work outside the office. Sewell, a partner with Keller Williams Premier Realty in Wayzata, dumped his mobile-phone carrier of 18 years to go with Verizon Wireless, and to use the company’s UTStarcom XV6700 Pocket PC.

The XV6700 is a Windows-based PDA device offering broadband access and Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth access, and a 1.3-megapixel camera/camcorder. Using the device, Sewell is able to stay reliably connected to colleagues, clients, and family no matter where he is.

“My life is now on this handset,” he says. “My contact lists, my e-mail, the Internet. I’m no longer in a rush to get back to my computer back at the office. I can even go to the lake in Hayward and stay connected.”

The XV6700 also supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for over-the-air (a method for distributing software and settings to cell phones) synchronization of e-mail and calendar information with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. For Sewell, that means his assistant can schedule meetings back at the office, which are wirelessly sychronized to his handset. The device’s QWERTY keyboard means he misses his laptop less while on the road. He also purchased a Bluetooth wireless headset that lets him talk while on the move.

To enhance the hardware, he also uses real estate–specific contact-management software Top Producer 7i to check up-to-date home listings. “A lot of good homes are sold before they’re ever advertised, but with this handset, I can view online listings at anytime, anywhere,” Sewell says.

Resting Easier

Plymouth-based mattress maker Select Comfort has its hands full managing its network and keeping its 407 North American retail stores stocked. Observer, a product from Minnetonka-based Network Instruments, is helping them do just that.

Observer is a network monitoring device that reports on all  network activity. It’s meant to manage communications over various wireless internal and external networks. Select Comfort Network Administrator Christian Wilson uses Observer to monitor, manage, and troubleshoot the company’s network. Recently, when Select Comfort implemented a new wireless network, Wilson used Observer to put access points where they would provide the most comprehensive coverage, evenly distribute wireless traffic, find wireless devices making unauthorized use of the network, and maintain the company’s network standards.