Occasionally you will need to replace equipment in your store. Whether it be a printer, modem, or router you need to be aware of the differences between home and commercial products. Although home grade equipment can be used in a pinch, you will be better off getting a commercial grade product.
An example of why commercial grade products are usually better than the “home” version for business brings me to a recent project I was tasked with. I was asked to help a customer replace/reconfigure some of their network equipment. They were replacing an older DSL Modem which the previous MIS tech setup and configured. They left no documentation on how to access or configure it. The current MIS wanted to just reset the router and start from scratch. They had a backup router just in case there were problems. After fussing with the old router and getting nowhere, the MIS tech decided to put the backup router they brought in place. The backup router was a “home” version. Everything worked just fine when no one else was using the network, but the next morning when the store opened and more than 1 PC was in use, the network came to a halt. The most likely reason for this is that most “home” routers limit the number of concurrent connections it can handle, usually about 5 (wireless and wired).
Business/Commericial products are usually more robust on what can be configured. They usually do not have such a low limit on concurrent connections. After explaining this again, they went a bought a commercial grade router. Although there was much more to configure, once in place I was told that the network has never run as fast.
The moral of the story is “You get what you pay for”. If your business is small, you may be able to get away with using a “home” version of a product. If you have 5 or more users, paying the extra for a commercial grade product now, will save you the frustration and problems down the road.
CCS Retail Systems has many years of experience with many different desktop, server, and networking products. We have found that commercial grade products usually last longer, are more flexible, and give less problems. Especially when put into a higher user/volume environment, they will cause less frustration. If you are planning to replace equipment, give the CS Retail Systems Support Department a call at 425-672-4806 or email_us before you buy. That way you can get professional advise on what to purchase and the best way to configure the new equipment to get the best, most efficient use of the product.
Remember that CCS Retail sells an installs most networking, desktop, server, and retail equipment. We can guarantee a smooth installation and stand behind the products.
-Bryan 