Continuing on with the “What’s in my toolbag” series ( Original Post –  Update 1 –  Update 2 ) this week we will discuss a handy tool called Airconsole from Get Console.

There are 3 models of the Airconsole 2.0 –  Standard, Pro, and XL.  The Standard and Pro (this is the one I own) are the same device except that the Pro comes with two Private Server licenses. The XL comes with all the same features as the Pro device but includes a larger battery.   I have a license for the private server but have yet to play with that option, if you want to know more about the Private Server option you can find it at the Get-Console website here –  Private Server.

The airconsole is made up of three parts –  the airconsole device, a usb-RJ45 cable, and a Bluetooth USB dongle.  The Bluetooth USB dongle connects to the cable ( that is the white bump in the picture below). In the box you also get a micro-USB charging cable, but that is not pictured here.

The first thing worth mentioning with the Airconsole is that fact that it has an Ethernet port on it.  What is this good for?  Well, the airconsole is also a WiFi and Bluetooth device that can come in handy for more than just console access.

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Building on the “What’s in my toolbag” series that I revisited last week with the Fluke LinkSprinter, I wanted to talk about the next new item in my tool bag.  This week we will take a look at a product called SergeantClip.  The SergeantClip is used to help with cable management and switch replacements.  I purchased these a few months back partially based on a post by Matt Norwood on his blog over at InSearchofTech as well as I was looking for a way to make swapping out switches easier.

Swapping out switches or a line card on chassis can be a royal pain in the you-know-what.  Many times cables are not labeled, or if they are labeled they are actually mislabeled, and we typically need to do the swap fast as downtime is has to be kept to an absolute minimum.  Even if the cables are labeled, we still want to be sure we put the cables we disconnect back into the proper port and that is where the SergeantClip helps you shine.  They have two primary designs, a 6–port version that is great for 24–port switches/line-cards and a 12–port version that is great for 48–port switches/line-cards.

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