Windows Tablet versus Ipad remote connection

[Ullswater]

Dear All

 

I am relatively successfully using Railmaster on my DCC track in my loft and am very keen to make use of some sort of tablet to give the operator freedom to move around when controlling. The options I am considering are:

 

1. Buy windows

 

based tablet PC and run railmaster on it. I assume this should just work, but will have a trailing USB lead to the Elite and good tablet PCs are not cheap.

 

2. Buy dedicated laptop PC and connect iPad to it using some sort of remote connection software

 

like Ignition, VMC etc. This means no wires to iPad but I expect interface will be a bit clunky compared with tablet PC.

 

Would really like to hear from anybody who has used either of these methods - can you recommend tablet PCs that you have used? How

 

usable was the iPad connection if you did it this way?

 

Many thanks for all experience and advice.

[idlemarvel]

I use an Android tablet connected wirelessly using VNC to a Windows netbook running RailMaster under Windows XP. This works very well and Android tablets are relatively cheap. If you search the forum you will find more details. I'm sure it would work with

 

an iPad but I don't have operational experience. The problem with using a Windows tablet is that you need to have the USB cable between the tablet and the Elite, or you need two PCs.

[LMSTim]

You could also use the networking feature to link multiple PCs (or tablet PCs) to the RailMaster main PC (with the Elite connected). That way, no USB cables needed, just a WiFi connection.

 

Or you could wait for the RailMaster tablets/phones software,

 

which are imminent.

 

If you read Hornby Magazine you'll see they have been testing the handhelds for a while.

 

[Ullswater]

Thanks idlemarvel and LMSTim for your responses - much appreciated.

 

I haven't subscribed in the past to Hornby Magazine, but have just signed up!

 

It sounds like their handhelds software could be well worth waiting for - would be very interested

 

to know what has been said in the magazine. I hope it isn't like detection - ie you hear about it but nothing appears!

[Ullswater]

LMSTim said:

You could also use the networking feature to link multiple PCs (or tablet PCs) to the RailMaster main PC (with the Elite connected). That way, no USB cables needed, just a WiFi connection.

Or you could wait for the RailMaster

tablets/phones software, which are imminent.

If you read Hornby Magazine you'll see they have been testing the handhelds for a while.

Hi LMSTim - could you advise which issue(s) of Hornby magazine have information about handhelds?

Many thanks

[LMSTim]

I couldn't point to particular issues, jusr many mentions in the last, say, eight months. The editor is very keen on it and has been beta testing it for a few months.

[Cuthbert]

I went to the Folkestone model railway show on 7th October, and on the Hornby Railways stand I was shown an iPhone that was running a Hornby wireless control app(lication) that links to RailMaster. I was also told that the app would work on the iPod Touch,

 

and the iPad. In reply to my question on when the app would be avilable, I was told that it would probably be launched in November. So, hopefully, we should not have long to wait now!

[Ullswater]

Cuthbert said:

I went to the Folkestone model railway show on 7th October, and on the Hornby Railways stand I was shown an iPhone that was running a Hornby wireless control app(lication) that links to RailMaster. I was also told that the

app would work on the iPod Touch, and the iPad. In reply to my question on when the app would be avilable, I was told that it would probably be launched in November. So, hopefully, we should not have long to wait now!

Thanks for the update Cuthbert,

that's very exciting news! Did you get to use it all, or get any sense for what it is like?

[Cuthbert]

Hi Ullswater,

 

Unfortunately, all I got was a quick glimpse of the app, as the Hornby stand did not have an operational layout. The iPhone/iPod Touch screen appeared to have controls for two locos, and I was told thast there was another screen for

 

selecting the locos that you wanted to control. If there had been the opportunity, I would have asked for a try. I will certainly be an early adopter of the app.