I received an email from a local vendor advertising Motorola MotoTRBO Capacity MAX; Is this compatible, better, or a proprietary system vs. MotoTRBO Capacity PLUS?
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Motorola Capacity MAX vs Capacity PLUS
- Thread starter W9WSS
- Start date
Completely different types of systems. Capacity Max is a pseudo-Tier 3 offering more in line with Connect Plus than Capacity Plus. In fact, Capacity Max is MSI's official replacement for Connect Plus, has been for quite some time now. I see that @K2NEC was kind enough to do the 20 seconds of research for you.
TampaTyron
Beep Boop, Beep Boop
One is more value oriented than the other. I sell a ton of both (design/quote/install/maintain).... Probably 50+ cap max systems and 400ish Cap Plus systems in last 15 years.
Cap Plus
-Less expensive
-Not a central controller based system
-Cannot disable a single radio without a good bit of manual process
-Max 15 RF sites
-Max 8 repeaters at each RF site
-Roaming is "ok" but not great
-Does have various form factor radios it can work on
-Limited reporting and diagnostics
-System sends all talkgroup audio to every site that "could" have a subscriber on it, that can waste resources (recommend all sites have same amount of repeaters at them if all talkgroups allowed at all sites)
Cap Max
-Central controller based system
-Can disable a single radio with a few mouse clicks
-Better reporting and diagnostics
-Max 750 RF sites
-Max 30 repeaters at each site
-Is significantly more expensive than Cap Plus
-Roaming is way better than Cap Plus (order of magnitude better)
-System only sends audio to the sites with active users on it, being much more effecient with RF spectrum (allows sites with significantly different repeater counts vs all sites with same repeaters per site)
TT
Cap Plus
-Less expensive
-Not a central controller based system
-Cannot disable a single radio without a good bit of manual process
-Max 15 RF sites
-Max 8 repeaters at each RF site
-Roaming is "ok" but not great
-Does have various form factor radios it can work on
-Limited reporting and diagnostics
-System sends all talkgroup audio to every site that "could" have a subscriber on it, that can waste resources (recommend all sites have same amount of repeaters at them if all talkgroups allowed at all sites)
Cap Max
-Central controller based system
-Can disable a single radio with a few mouse clicks
-Better reporting and diagnostics
-Max 750 RF sites
-Max 30 repeaters at each site
-Is significantly more expensive than Cap Plus
-Roaming is way better than Cap Plus (order of magnitude better)
-System only sends audio to the sites with active users on it, being much more effecient with RF spectrum (allows sites with significantly different repeater counts vs all sites with same repeaters per site)
TT
Just out of curiosity, what would you say the average cost would be for a CMSS? I understand that Motorola sells service contracts that go along with purchasing new Cap Max infrastructure, and I know there are tons of questions that need to be answered in terms of spec-ing out a system, but I've always wondered what the average cost would be for something like this. I've done a little bit of research with Capacity Plus on the list pricing of Single Site Cap Plus/Multi Site Cap Plus entitlements for SLR repeaters, but I haven't been able to dig up any figures on anything Cap Max related. I'm sure Motorola keeps this info away from the average person who is curious, as I'm sure if the average person asks, the response would most likely be, "If you have to ask, you probably cant afford it."
TampaTyron
Beep Boop, Beep Boop
LCP/CPMS is $6k per repeater license, plus the cost of adding it to whatever radio you plan to use (some radios require licensing, some don't).
Cap Max is $10k per repeater license, Plus the CMSS $20k, plus the backup CMSS $20k, want it to trunk radios? $25k per CMSS, plus each RF site after the first one $10k for EACH CMSS, want to log into the diagnostics? $10k per CMSS, want to have the SNMP traffic forwarded to a manager of managers? $10k per CMSS, Over the air programming? $8k per CMSS, plus enabling and licensing any sort of console/gateway activity $0-200k per CMSS........
You can google the US_Dealer Digital Fixed Equipment and look at the list prices.
TT
Cap Max is $10k per repeater license, Plus the CMSS $20k, plus the backup CMSS $20k, want it to trunk radios? $25k per CMSS, plus each RF site after the first one $10k for EACH CMSS, want to log into the diagnostics? $10k per CMSS, want to have the SNMP traffic forwarded to a manager of managers? $10k per CMSS, Over the air programming? $8k per CMSS, plus enabling and licensing any sort of console/gateway activity $0-200k per CMSS........
You can google the US_Dealer Digital Fixed Equipment and look at the list prices.
TT
Thank you for the information, I appreciate it. This can get really expensive really fast.
Wow, that is just insane. No wonder the only CAPMAX stuff around here is run by radio shops. I'm sure they get all of that at some discounted rate, maybe heavily discounted - but still outrageous rate.
Mike
TampaTyron
Beep Boop, Beep Boop
We usually sell it to folks who were already running a large system like Connect Plus or SmartNet. Mostly to power plants, power distribution, refineries, chem processing, mining, and now schools, etc. TT
Project25_MASTR
Millennial Graying OBT Guy
I've put up several hundred Connect Plus systems as it could run on a single repeater (so I a lot of schools I did radio systems for would get it if they were sold radios that already had Cap Plus enabled) because it kept the issues with Tier 2 timeslot/talkgroup contention at bay.
Dealt with several Connect Plus systems.
Only ever dealt with one Capacity Max system which was one of the earlier deployments...no one who had to work on it liked it as you couldn't run it it like your everyday Privacy Plus or SmartNet system that it was replacing where it was practical to have the local radio shop program radios due to the (at the time) requirement for all radios to be managed via RM. It just didn't function well when you didn't have your own internal radio department to manage the system and your IT department refused to allow the radio shop to have VNP access into the RM server (which they should rightfully refuse to do).
I only ever saw a few large campuses utilize it as pretty much everyone else went from SmartNet to P25 in the utility and oil/gas space around me.
Dealt with several Connect Plus systems.
Only ever dealt with one Capacity Max system which was one of the earlier deployments...no one who had to work on it liked it as you couldn't run it it like your everyday Privacy Plus or SmartNet system that it was replacing where it was practical to have the local radio shop program radios due to the (at the time) requirement for all radios to be managed via RM. It just didn't function well when you didn't have your own internal radio department to manage the system and your IT department refused to allow the radio shop to have VNP access into the RM server (which they should rightfully refuse to do).
I only ever saw a few large campuses utilize it as pretty much everyone else went from SmartNet to P25 in the utility and oil/gas space around me.
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