Re: [Coworking] Coworking interaction
Not adding anything here but I can reiterate upon what's already been said. As Tony mentioned, and the hardest thing I've noticed is that unless you're proactive, the values of the initial members and team will be perpetuated amongst those that subsequently join. It is simply adaptation to the norm, and is great if you start out with engagement, but if not change requires some drive and leadership, and will take time as the existing values must have the cost-benefits visibly improved in order to be adopted as a new norm. Non-participation has no cost and no benefits (except low-risk), versus participation which has an immediate cost (especially higher for introverts) with rather opaque benefits. Yet when members see some others having engaging conversations, or enjoying food these intangible benefits will seep through and become more visible. Most humans don't like to be left out ;) These types of activities aren't necessarily just 'fun' they also offer the opportunity to let the brain solve problems in downtime between tasks. I like to have an area/table where you can sit if you actually want to invite conversation as opposed to the quiet area to avoid it, but those in the quiet area do need to be encouraged to join it occasionally. Alex hits it on the head, I considered myself an introvert and rarely start conversations with people off the cuff, yet they're are surprised when I describe myself as such. Personally I found driving a community made me more open to participating myself. Some things are fairly easy, like organising brunch which I'm really into 😂 (lunch works similarly for weekday spaces) and being welcoming in a few words is not too hard. Though ideally introverts need an introduction to each other to get things moving but which requires a strong head for details about everyone. Maybe others have some open-ended conversation tactics here, «hey Alice, I was just chatting to Bob here who's into …, what do you think about …»?? Any regular informal interaction point will lead organically to other interactions and plans (maybe even «anyone for wild swimming next week?!»). I think a potential problem might arise if interactions/events are not clearly informal versus formal. A workspace is assumedly formal by default (well unless there's free beer, foosball, and people larking around all the time) so even a lunch or any other gathering might be assumed to be so too, and an introverted newcomer may not participate unless the engagement cost is effectively zero i.e. they know they needn't do anything and can simply tryout. Bringing your own lunch but joining the shared table falls into this category. Potluck or space-provided food might introduce hesitations such as «whose food is this, can I have some, should I bring my own? I don't know so I'll just skip it…» The rules of engagement need to be clear. Some members may have no benefit in participating in either network/formal or social/informal style activities. The approach of an informal event that 'sneaks in' a more formal engagement is great (e.g. «tell us one thing…»), whereas if this is the stated objective to begin, the participation cost may be too high (e.g. a «show and tell evening») or the format irrelevant («oh but what would I talk about?») unless explicitly optional («share some tasty bites and listen to what your fellow members are up to; got something to talk about…just stand up!»). Regardless the community leader does need to catalyse members, even if just «can I tempt you with a coffee and donut…over there…with the others». It's a nominal cost, but demonstrably open to all with a no-commitment benefit, sure some may take the freebie and walk off, but eventually most will be dragged into conversation and participation :D More structured events depend entirely upon the makeup of your community. If there's enough freelancers a show and ask/tell could work well. If you're a short distance from homes you'll be able to use evenings better. Introverts are more at home if there's a prescribed format or if they can bring a friend… open days, public events. I'm all for expanding the reach of communities and would go so far as to say bring a friend/family for after hours movie/docu nights or skill/knowledge sharing but you can't so much foist this on the members, ideally such plans need to teased out, and support for it then offered so it actually happens. «Does anyone know of any good docus on release? … Shall we get everyone together one night, we've got a projector!» «Anyone have some tips for me about SEO? … That's helpful, wanna share with the other members around the table sometime, we'll do the coffee!» -- Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coworking+unsub
[Coworking] Re: How RFID reader writer works?
Whilst PINs are easy, RFID is much more suitable, and a little plus is that
you can let users scan an existing card instead of carrying an extra one
(or remembering a PIN).
Unfortunately I'm frankly surprised that nobody has apparently developed a
solution that covers all the RFID use cases. Several of the hosted apps do
have their own options for using RFID cards, Cobot for example integrates
with PC-connected USB RFID readers for logging/checkin
(https://www.cobot.me/guides/rfid-swipe-card-check-in), and if your
management app has an API (e.g. Nexudus), you can hack together a quick
script to poll your own RFID reader and query/update that app.
The most flexible system is to connect an RFID reader to a $20 RaspberryPi
board computer or similar which can even be embedded in the wall near a
lock to control it too. This runs a small program ('script') that receives
the card number, checks it (e.g. against a provided list of IDs, or by
querying your hosted management app) and then (optionally) uses a relay
also connected to the RaspberryPi to provide current to the lock. (It gets
quite complicated if you have multiple doors.) At the same time as querying
the validity of the ID it can of course also check the user in or at least
log that they used the card at that time. Here's a (technical) example of a
slightly better setup like this with feedback LCD.
https://www.hackster.io/nile-mittow/rfid-front-door-access-control-88d7cd
The complexity of the script that acts as the controller for the RFID
reader depends entirely on what it is being integrated with, how IDs are
provided, and how you set feedback such as when expired. Pretty darned easy
just to read and write to text/spreadhseet files though.
The disadvantage of validating against a hosted application is that it is
both slower to provide feedback/unlock which leads to a common scenario of
multiple checkins or a checkin in followed by a checkout, and requires
internet as mentioned by Matt. Both issues can however be avoided.
For access control, most commercial door locks are fail-secure electric
strikes which open/release when a current is applied to them (the buzz
sound). Any system that grants access is simply arbitrating between an
input (RFID/PIN) and the current to the bolt. Often such doors only have
the access restriction on the outside with a simple release push button on
the inside which gives current to the lock directly. Adding an additional
controller or replacing one, is thus as simple as wiring the lock's current
input cable to the controllers current output. Same principle is used with
residential interphone systems.
Unless not having 100% accuracy is fine, I think that an RFID checkin
system when not also linked to access control is unhelpful, but even still
if multiple people arrive at the same time one slips the door behind the
other without swiping, you'd still need device/WiFi checkin to achieve 100%
coverage.
--
Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [Coworking] Re: How RFID reader writer works?
Pretty much bang on, you've enough technical chops to distill the jargon ;)
1. Yes. If a standalone script, you would have to maintain a separate list of
IDs/names/expiries. (Inadvisable and extra work alongside a management app, but
if one only has DIY offline management processes not so much an issue.)
2. Yes. You can use an input/trigger such as an RFID swipe to do anything you
want -- the output/action, in your case unlock a door (and maybe checkin). If
we got fancier still you could turn the lights on, start a coffee brewing etc ;)
I like and do agree with what Sayles says on the human interaction element
however not all spaces have a full-time manager, nor necessarily at the door,
and thus tech-driven solutions are needed.
3. Yep. Darned humans, they can be too polite and don't know how to keep their
variables within a system's process bounds. 🤷♂️🙃
I would always advise making allowances for this, whether technically or with
backup/primary manager-driven interactions. Anything that introduces potential
frustration to a user is obviously a bad thing. I think WiFi as a primary
checkin system is better than RFID, but with RFID for access control. WiFi can
actually check people in even as their phone approaches the main door.
If you need, and how you implement such tech approaches is also down to size,
smaller spaces probably don't need either if they're staffed because you know
who's-who and can address them directly about renewals/usage. Large spaces
really need both especially if managers are not always present. If you're
mid-sized both could be nice and I understand given the apparent complexity why
spaces haven't used both, but it's not unduly hard if you've got someone who
can help. However no management app has the complexities figured out to result
in a simple user experience in all scenarios. This is where the best
practices/advice for models and approaches from other's here can be help, such
as Sayles' recommendation for direct interaction, assuming they align with
one's own resources.
If access control is a priority then you can forget the WiFi. Whereas if you
have hourly billing or a usage-based plan then WiFi is really required for
accurate billing if the access control is loose ('door holding').
Nexudus' own WiFi checkin involves installing a special router, which for two
reasons I don't like: 1. it's not a particularly powerful one (although I
haven't checked the latest models but I doubt they're as good as dedicated
WiFi/routers which is after all at the crux of a space's service), 2. I despair
at any system that requires users to login using a webpage especially when
carrying multiple devices, let alone keep a browser window open. For ease of
use WiFi should simply be password-protected and that's that.
I implemented for myself an essentially opt-in simple WiFi script as a primary
checkin system that only requires a user to signin a single time for at least
their primary device. This approach could however be made to require users to
signin every new device. Maybe the management app devs will improve their
systems in time… otherwise we have to hack together our own solutions using
their APIs if we want better WiFi checkin.
4. This is down to the specific implementation of a RFID script/program,
personally I'd make it part-and-parcel to sync with a hosted app so that if the
net is temporarily down it keeps the last valid membership state for each user
to always let them in, and also the last swipe times to sync as checkins with
the app.
An "API" (Application Programming Interface) is a set of functions that one
application can use to talk to another, e.g. a local script/program to a hosted
management app. If the management app has a suitable function you can invoke
that function to get/set stuff. The Nexudus API is quite comprehensive, and
allows you to manage RFIDs, users, checkins and apparently WiFi devices too so
strictly speaking anything you want to do could be integrated, and thus it
appears one doesn't in fact have to use the Nexudus WiFi checkin system but use
one's own.
Such a script/program has to be always running watching for swipes, and
whenever one occurs, attempt to connect to the management app API to
validate/checkin the corresponding user. I've used these separate terms to
differentiate between the locally-running script/program (on a controller
board/PC) and remote hosted management app (on the cloud) but technically they
can all be considered as 'apps'.
@Sayles offline sync is what you've already done for your own system? What was
the issue with the Pi?
Sarah, there's a pile of such controller boards and they're not all compatible
so when having a program written to do this, one has to make sure the hardware
device ('board') is appropriate. There are however some that make it super
simple and you can download apps from the 'cloud' to it with a click. So
imagine if you simply ordered this controller
Re: [Coworking] Re: How RFID reader writer works?
For the device MAC to user account association I wrote a simple ARP scan script which is thus vendor independent. The user does need to hit a local webserver (could just be a simple HTTP port handler with the ARP script) which then uses the ARP table to lookup their MAC address from their LAN IP, redirecting the request to the management app with the MAC as a param to record the initial association. If the user is already signed into the app, this process is (or could be) completely transparent to them. The script obviously also transparently checks-in newly connected MACs, and checks them out when they disappear. Of course the initial HTTP redirection needs to be performed somehow, such as by a captive portal, which means updating its whitelist with the MAC once checked in… I never however used a captive portal for this, preferring instead to chivvy users to the authoritative website (or 'set them up' when they first visit) -- not of course appropriate if complete checkin coverage is needed, but in combination with RFID almost all users are covered thus adequate for my purposes at least. It's good to hear the RouterBoards can handle so many devices, although that's not really the metric that concerned me but is/was rather the latency they can add, especially without extensive knowledge of network tuning in bandwidth restricted scenarios. For the average setup, out of the box solutions like Ubiquiti have been a better choice even though the AP controller system is rather opaque (that API browser is neat though!). Actually just had a look at the latest RouterBoards, the CloudCore line sound pretty good for busier spaces, is this what you've had experience with? I'd probably be happy running captive portal and QoS queues on it, and make up the difference in cost (against Ubiquiti) with simpler APs :) Seems like setting up for roaming and so on still isn't as easy as with UniFi APs though… > On 18 Apr 2017, at 9:42 pm, Adrian Palacios wrote: > > @Alex, slight side-answer. Unify controllers have a great API that exposes > every imaginable piece of data about connected clients and your network. Docs > from Ubiquiti are pretty poor but this project and its source provides a > quick way to get started accessing that data > https://github.com/malle-pietje/Unifi-API-browser. A small service reading > event data or connected clients every a few minutes can easily be used to > check members in and out. > > @Jacob Jay. We currently connect to a range of hotspot/captive portal > devices, some of them incredibly capable. My personal favourite? Mikrotik. > They are the underdog out of all of the ones we connect to but they have > nothing to envy to the big boys. We have seen plenty of success cases and > networks with over 2K devices, or more during events, running just fine + the > play nice with Uniquity APs, which I think are unbeatable. Members only need > to check in the first time they use a new device, we will remember them from > that moment on. Unlike many of the ones we've worked with, their built-in > scripting engine and events system makes it really easy to build integrations > with other systems without having to rely on the infamous RADIUS! > > @Steve Suard. If you plan to build your own RFID tool, this reader is pretty > reliable and comes with SDKs for a good number of programming languages. > Building a tool that reads a card and compares that to a local database > should not be too difficult, if you have access to a coder. That ugly thing > is the most reliable we've found out of the ones we have tested. > > @Sarah. There are plenty of options to facilitate check-ins when using NX > (front-desk ipads, desktop readers, door readers/access control, wifi/network > tracking, ...). A bit depends on budget, feel free to reach out to discuss. > This will also give you the basic options without going into too much > technical detail: > http://www.nexudus.com/en/blog/read/292950659/the-art-of-checking-members-in-and-out > > Adrian -- Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [Coworking] Buying/selling coworking spaces
Ramón Suárez might be willing to pitch in here, his space in Brussels was recently acquired by some of the coworkers -- this approach may not yield as high a return as selling to a developer of somesort though surely better preserves the community, and without leaving them feeling like they've been taken advantage of ;) http://www.lecho.be/dossier/startups/Le-Betacowork-change-de-mains-l-esprit-reste/9890321 (in French, Google Translate doesn't work with this site…) https://www.coworkinghandbook.com/ive-sold-betacowork-great-coworking-future/ > On 30 May 2017, at 7:49 pm, David Hamilton wrote: > > Does anyone have experience buying or selling an existing space? I'm sure > this is something we'll all run into at some point. > > Hypothetically - say someone got an offer out of the blue to buy your > business outright and you're considering it - what's your first course of > action? Do you get a professional assessment? Do you get a lawyer to package > your company for sale and write up a contract? Is it worth going through a > listing agent to find other potential buyers? > > LMK! > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
