IP-based handhelds

[troffasky]

I have previously ignored these when seeing them in the usual online marketplaces as they seemed very likely to be China-only so not relevant. However, I am seeing a few models which are 3G/4G/wifi [eg Helida/Elida CD880, Ksun KSX50-M] which is a bit more interesting.
Does anyone know what kind of back-end service they connect to and how it's paid for? I am bit reluctant to buy something that becomes a brick when whatever service it is goes away. I can't find any discussion of these things anywhere and the only sources of information are the product listings.

 

[bill4long]

Helida/Elida CD880, Ksun KSX50-M] which is a bit more interesting.
Does anyone know what kind of back-end service they connect to and how it's paid for?

From what I can tell, they use WCDMA GSM WIFI. Given that they come with SIM cards, this is a pretty good clue that you have to have some sort of paid service from a cell carrier to make them work, at least with CDMA and GSM. Maybe there is a way to do a IP based network without the cell carriers. I would like to know more about these myself. Also, it's unclear whether or not those are type accepted for import to USA. CDMA and GSM are dying in the USA, so that is a factor as well.

Icom makes WIFI/IP based hand-helds. Quite pricey at $600 a pop, and requires an even pricier hardware server to facilitate the network.

Zello is also an option. There are some Zello-ready handheld-like phones out there for reasonable prices.

 

[troffasky]

The use-case I have in mind really only needs wifi. These newer devices which have appeared are probably 3G/4G/wifi because the mobile phone SoC they're based on has those features, so in they go!
I have a few customers with large sites [schools, manufacturing sites] with wifi everywhere, but struggle on back-to-back HT's. They regularly ask us if they can somehow use the wifi with their radios to which the answer has always been "no".
Form-factor is important here, the more it looks like a traditional radio the better.
One of our customers trialed the Icom stuff a few years ago and concluded that it was a nice product but just too expensive in comparison to either getting a repeater [which would then work with all their existing radios] or wifi phones [which would work with their phone system + WLAN].

 

[bill4long]

One thing about the Zellow-based PTT walkie talkies, is that they are just Android phones with WIFI capability that are designed with a PTT and look like walkie talkies, but they can run any Android app. Some hams are using them to access Echolink, among other things. It would not be difficult to write an IP-based server, and an Android app for the talkies to access such a non-Zellow, user-owned server. Seems like this could be a plausible solution if the talkies are durable enough. I've never purchased any of them. Wouldn't surprise me if someone hasn't already come up with some open-source client and server apps for this. (Or could just use Zellow app and their subscription based server, but I don't know how reliable that is.) What are your thoughts on that?

 

[troffasky]

I think something running Android is way OTT for this kind of application but the reality is they're based on mobile phone SoCs and need to talk to something over IP, so Android it is. Seems like a "all we have is a hammer, so everything's a nail" answer but that does keep the costs down.
I like the idea of cheap Chinese hardware running third-party firmware.
Youtube channel "ringway manchester" has a few videos about network radios so I've got some videos to watch/comments to read, when I get round to it.

 

[INDY72]

Alongside these they also do things like this... Broadband Push to Talk (PTT) Services Indiana and Kentucky ERS Wireless And Motorola IoT.

 

[akraut]

@troffasky The Icom IP radios are probably what those large site customers need. It requires a hardware thing on the network for them to talk to, but scaling isn't too hard. One basestation thinger handles ~100 radios or ~1000 radios depending on how deep your pockets are. Then the radios just connect to the wifi network.