Keep alive problems with RF devices

["Exterior Wood" <tnonamaker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

       This is my 1st post, so it might be a little rough.
    
   I am working on a project using a couple of Falcon 325 data terminals made
   by PSC. I am also use software called Powenet created by ConnectRF that
   creates the telnet sessions (tn5250e emulation). We are using settings for
   a Lucent Radio modem.
    
   Our system is an Iseries 820 at R5V2.
    
   I have had limited success getting adequate help from either PSCnet or
   ConnectRF, but have discovered through trial and error how to make things
   work pretty much the way I want.
    
   I do know that these devices are used on several AS400's all over the
   place and supposedly they are quite successful. We currently use several
   other PSC devices, they just are not RF.
    
   My problem is that these devices will not be in constant use but will be
   expected to work whenever needed. You can log in and go directly to a
   program, all works fine. If they are not used within a 5 minute period,
   they time out. When the user comes back it looks like they are still in
   the program, but the press of any key will take them back to sign on and
   they must start all over. The people using these devices are in a
   manufacturing environment, normally using a scanning device, and also
   wearing fairly heavy gloves. These are not people who are necessarily used
   to using a keyboard, let alone a fairly small keypad on this type of
   device. The way this device reacts does not make it very user friendly and
   will make them not want to use it if the problem cannot be solved
   satisfactorily.
    
   The reason they time out is to conserve battery life, thus if the system
   was polling them all the time to "keep them alive", the battery would only
   last about 2 hours.
    
   There is supposed to be a server that ConnectRF sells that will take care
   of this process, obviously for a bunch more money.
    
   Has anyone discovered a way that these devices can be kept alive without
   going to another server and not changing the global keep alive attributes
   of the AS400. Changing those would cause a whole new problem to something
   that already works well.
    
   I am not real knowledgeable about these devices, so I may not be posing my
   questions correctly.
   If you can do a little interpreting and read between the lines, please
   respond.
   Any help will be greatly appreciated.
    
   Terry Nonamaker
   Exterior Wood Inc.
    
   tnonamaker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx