McHenry City Laptops

[scraech]

How are they using there labtops in their cars and sending messages from dispatch and to car to car? Is is wireless internet or one of the anntenas on the trunk thats send a signal like there radios?

 

[N9JIG]

The laptops are probably IWIN, a system operated by the state that purchases connectivity from cell carriers (Verizon up here) and uses that to allow laptops to communicate. Currently supported modes are CDMA and EVDO. This is the same service that civilians can buy using "AirCards" for Internet access.

 

[scraech]

ok

Now I understand but are they allways connected or are they dialing up each time. Because a friend of my at the Roundlake PD. said that they can only send messages if no one is talking because it interrupts the radios

 

[N9JIG]

Now I understand but are they allways connected or are they dialing up each time. Because a friend of my at the Roundlake PD. said that they can only send messages if no one is talking because it interrupts the radios

They should be connected all the time when working. Since they do work on cell freqs it is quite possible that there could be interference of some sort to/from radios in the squads. We don't have that issue with our cars, but I have heard of it from other agencies.

 

[scraech]

Thanks for that but are they connected to ncic or sos also?

 

[N9JIG]

Thanks for that but are they connected to ncic or sos also?

Yes they are.