Is iDEN any good?

[TimothyDean]

I am looking for reviews on the iDEN push to talk phones from Motorola. Does anyone have any experience there? Is there a Windows Mobile phone avaliable that has push to talk capabilities? Does the push to talk work as well as a dedicated 2 way radio such as MOTOTRBO? Thanks.

Timothy Dean
Mobile Speed

 

[WayneH]

I believe you're limited to Blackberry phones for iDEN PTT smartphones.

Are you looking to install a system such as Harmony or are you interested in subscribing to service from an iDEN service provider? Asking if iDEN is any good is too vague of a question.

 

[N467RX]

The i930 and maybe the ic902 has Windows Mobile, but the ic902 is an iDEN/CDMA and idk if it's still available thru Sprint.

Again, that is a vague question. Do you want to subscribe to Nextel? Telus? Deploy a network?

 

[TimothyDean]

We are looking to deploy our own network if possible. We are considering either iDEN or MOTOTRBO, but are open to anything at this point. We need the broadcast capability of the 2 way radios as well as the ability to run a mobile app. This will be installed in the Bahamas (yes really) which is about 20 miles long. We would like to get away with a single tower to cover the island. We would eventually like to write a custom mobile application to run on handhelds in the field. With MOTOTRBO, it looks like the field workers will have to carry 2 devices (radio and PDA) to be able to run a mobile app. Data from the app would be synchronized across the MOTOTRBO or iDEN network. With iDEN, it seems like we could get away with a single device to run the mobile application as well as act as the radio (push to talk). My questions are:

1. Is the push to talk feature on the iDEN handsets as robust and "commercial" as a regular 2 way radio such as MOTOTRBO?
2. Can you install your own private iDEN network? Is this cost effective, or is it better to go through a service provider? We have about 50 vehicles / drivers that need radios.
3. Is there another solution that would be better? Thanks!

 

[RadioDSPjunkie]

Response to iDEN vs MotoTRBO

TimothyDean,

iDEN is a complete cellular and radio network system, but you will need a central network switch like the Harmony Wireless Communication System (HWCS) from Motorola. Motorola reps have mentioned that they working on a upgrade path to LTE incorporating iDEN features (still in the works). The iDEN radios we use in South America for a fleet project like yours (Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Mexico) use i765 and custom iO270 boards.

MotoTRBO is nice but it has only TIER II support, meaning it is not doing truning yet. As probably you know already, that unencryoted TRBO can be scanned now.

In my opinion, you are better off using OpenBTS (GSM) project.

Sincerely,

Jose Miguel

 

[KM4WLV]

FYI, the ic902 that Sprint/Nextel was selling has been discontinued. Also it is/was not a Windows Mobile phone. The only windows mobile phone that Nextel offered was the i920 & i930. The only difference between those 2 phones is the 920 didn't have a camera & the 930 did.

If you do go subscriber wise I would suggest the i8350 which is the current BlackBerry curve offered by Sprint for use on the iDEN system. They also offer them with & without a camera.

Hope this helps !!

 

[fwradio]

I think it's important to note that if you want to deploy your own iDEN or Harmony system, it is going to cost BIG money. You may want to look for a solution with less than a high-six figure deployment cost.

 

[RadioDSPjunkie]

fwradio, thank you for mentioning that because you are definitely right. We built a test iDEN system with a small network switch that costs over $350,000 USD. To clarify, some of our components were actually USED.

 

[stmills]

Have you looked at any of the two-way ptt apps hitting the market that allow you to link two way radio to an app on a smart phone. The three I am aware of are:
WAVE from Twisted Pair Solutions - interoperable IP communications, LMR - WAVE from Twisted Pair Solutions -currently beta testing a blackberry version, more platforms in the works

Loudtalks — push-to-talk over internet - currently only available for Windows mobile

Home - windows mobile, Blackberry, I phone

All three have desktop pc interfaces and can be linked to two way radios.

 

[Nonatooliveira]

Mr.

fwradio, thank you for mentioning that because you are definitely right. We built a test iDEN system with a small network switch that costs over $350,000 USD. To clarify, some of our components were actually USED.

.

Dear Fwradio,

Is your iDEN working yet? Did you have to pay the Motorola´s software license?

Best Regards

Nonato Oliveira

 

[RadioDSPjunkie]

iDEN Radio Network System

Yes it's been working well for the last 8 years with a coverage of around 7,000 square miles, and we did pay for all the licenses including frequencies from the FCC and Mexico. We had discounts since we are already Motorola Dealers. Motorola CNRC has been very helpful for supporting us.

.

Dear Fwradio,

Is your iDEN working yet? Did you have to pay the Motorola´s software license?

Best Regards

Nonato Oliveira