But you should read down through this post.
Now with that in mind, we are stopping the fixing of switches out of warranty period.
So if you have a switch that is within the warranty period and you damaged it we will repair it for a fee.
If your switch is beyond the warranty period we will not. We were inundated with most of our RMAs being switches 2+ years old, in fact 75% to 95%+ of RMAs were older units. This varied from RMA cycle to RMA cycle but the point is most units were OLD units.
When you go to the portal you put in the MAC and it will tell you:
When we manufactured it (tested it,serialized it, boxed it).
When it was sold.
When we shipped it.
Who it was sold to.
We would all save some time and shipping money if you would perform one little step before writing a switch off as 'dead'.
Unplug the switch. Depress the reset button (located behind a pinhole in the face plate), keep it pressed. Plug the switch in. Wait 45 seconds. Release the reset button. Wait 5 minutes.
The device should come up in its default configuration after performing these steps.[/color]
Something like 30% of our returns can be avoided, which could save us both money and time.
If you send in a switch for RMA that can be fixed with a power on default you will be subject to a $25.00 fee plus return shipping.
We have a very good procedure to BENCH TEST your switch: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2780#p19221
If you are here there is a chance your switch was damaged and not faulty but either way here are some good posts on grounding:
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=2786&p=19279#p19279
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1816
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=188
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1786&start=30#p13447
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1429
So up front I want to discuss what we do with each NEW switch before it is shipped.
Obviously all the parts are shipped to our assembly facility here in PA from vendors from around the world.
AC power supplies, decals, wiring harnesses, and fans come from Taiwan and China.
DC power supplies and switch boards come from our SMT assembler house in Canada, eh.
Chassis, gift boxes, and plastic static bags come from vendors here in Pennsylvania.
The parts are assembled and sent to the testing and serialization station where we assign the MAC and enter it into inventory. Up until recently each switch was manually programmed with its firmware at this station but we recently changed to where the switch PCB now comes pre-flashed with it's firmware but is NOT assigned a real MAC address nor is the label printed for the chassis or the box nor at this point does the switch even know what model it is so it will not even work properly.
Each switch is fully tested at this station, the following functions are tested (see image below of the test screen):
Each Ethernet port is checked to achieve a 1G connection. <== Ports do not come DOA
Each port has it's POE ability checked.
All current, voltage, and temperature sensors are checked. <== Current sensor failure is from exposure to voltages > 80V DC
The POE LED's are checked.
If the unit is a SMART DC model the power supply telemetry is checked.
The power supply is tested obviously as the switch would not boot if it did not work.
During this testing phase the unit is rebooted 2-3 times. <= Units do not come DOA
CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW FULL SIZE
- test1.jpg (163.4 KiB) Viewed 146112 times
CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW FULL SIZE
- test2.jpg (193.5 KiB) Viewed 146112 times
The testing software is built into the firmware and we are connected to the serial port. If it is a WS-6-MINI there is an internal console header we attach to as the chassis is open at this phase of testing.
Since the software to assign the MAC address and do this testing is built into the firmware it is impossible for a unit to leave here if it does not boot.
If the unit fails any test during the testing phase the software will NOT allow the device to be serialized. Currently the user must key in or paste the MAC into the console but we are working on automating this procedure as we have had a few user errors where the operator duplicated the previous MAC.
Finally the software assigns the MAC address and the operator cold boots the device for a final check. At this point the operator is plugged into port 1 and the software that prints the label that goes on the chassis and the outside of the box must see a ping to the default IP address or the label does not print.
This is the part where I get annoyed when someone sends me a switch they claim Port 1 (or any port but especially port 1) came DOA which is just NOT possible or there would be no label on the device. Now we are also working to improve the software so it actually logs into the device to verify the proper MAC is assigned to be another check to prevent incorrect MAC assignments described previously.
At the time of this post we are on RMA 61 out of 7,000 units. A large chunk of these RMAs were from the beginning when we had some nasty bugs and I asked the user if they upgraded to the latest firmware and they claimed yes so an RMA was issued but when I got the unit back the original firmware installed at assembly was still on the unit. I upgraded the firmware ran the diagnostic routine and it checked out so I returned the unit and the user thanked me for fixing the unit.
The most common RMA is a fried port where the Ethernet transformer is fused/damaged. The only reason an Ethernet transformer fails is a shorted cable, the wrong POE option is selected which damages the device and subsequently the switch port, or a ground potential shift from a poor grounding system where the Tower Ground System and the Electrical Ground System are not properly bonded and during this shift the Ethernet cable becomes the bonded path which is more current than the Transformer can handle. Click HERE to read a post on proper grounding methods.
Now to be fair we have had ONE valid DOA to a client who purchased a unit and somehow the cable between the power supply and PCB came lose in shipping. The user opened the chassis with our permission and re-seated the cable and all was good.
If you run a cable diagnostics on a port with no cable attached you should get OPEN on all 4 pairs, this is a GOOD Ethernet Transformer. If you get anything else either the Ethernet Transformer is now damaged or the ESD protection circuit is damaged and this is not covered under warranty. We do offer a repair service for this up to the cost of a replacement board which at that point it is cheaper to purchase a new board.
Netonix limited warranty covers failures and or defects of their products up to a period of 1 year. This warranty does not cover damage related to electrical surges, ground potential shifts, cable shorts, user damage, or use of the switch that does not conform to its intended use/application.
If you know the damage was caused by end user error or storm damage it will save you money to provide a detailed description of what caused the damage as it will greatly shorten the Tech’s time during diagnostics and repair.
WARNING: If you receive a switch from a reseller that looks like it was returned by a previous user be sure to test the unit thoroughly right away and report to us immediately if there is a failure so we can talk to the reseller. The switch should be in a pink static bag with a yellow static sticker that is unbroken (sealed).
