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[Pappy35]

Hi. Getting ready to buy one of these for the '13 RT I'm picking up tomorrow and I have one quick question: do these devices need to have internet access in order to work?

I thought I heard that in a YouTube video review somewhere that internet connectivity is required to use the gadget. I'm concerned about what happens, or what functionality one loses, if caught out somewhere without cellular/wifi  connectivity. Also, there's the question of whether some future licensing issue could pop up that renders the device (i.e. all of them sold) functionless.

[WayneC]

Since you have not specified which model of GS911 you are considering purchasing it is hard to respond, I can only assume you are referring to the GS911 WiFi, it has full functionality without internet access as per the older GS911 models when used with the PC App, it also has the ability to do service functions when out on the road via the cloud capability

As for YouTube, it would be a mistake to pay too much attention to any rubbish published there and questioning whether some licensing issue could pop up to render all the GS911's functionless is fantasy to say the least

[Pappy35]

Funny that. It's those YouTube videos that convinced me of the utility of the tool.

I apologise for my lack of the needed precision in my post. It's the GS-911 WiFi with the round connector.

My question is entirely plausible if the device needs to make contact if an offshore site in order to function. Internet connections are not always available.

That really was the gist of my question: what happens if their site is down, they go out business, lightning strikes some South African server farm, whatever. For what this thing costs, I'd like to know that some connectivity issue won't turn it into a not so useful paperweight.

For on the road use, will the lack of connectivity make service functions unavailable?

[WayneC]

No worries re lack of precision in the post, no need to apologise

I live on a continent which has mobile coverage to 6-10% of land mass so I would not waste my time with a device which was reliant on cloud services let alone do beta testing on it

The fact the YouTube review left you with the impression it relied on remote servers is a good example of the problems with YouTube and why I dont bother with what ever is on it

You can consider the WiFi model as 2 tools in one, it is a traditional GS911 with full functionality when used with the PC App, then it adds local emergency functionality out on the road using a mobile phone to communicate with it plus inbuilt real time logging which other diagnostics devices dont have. On top of that there is then the ability to use Cloud Services where they are available via mobile coverage

Out on the road I use a small Win8 tablet with the PC App loaded which provides me with full capability

Re the Cloud Services set up, Hexcode have multiple servers around the world so they are not reliant on one server to maintain the Cloud capability. If Hexcode went out of business then the GS911 WiFi would continue to operate as per the older GS911's with the added local on the road emergency functionality as per the older BlueTooth GS911's

[Pappy35]

OK. That's good. Thanks for the extra response.