atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Mitel Telephones & Systems Make PMS work

Scenario: If we get this PMS to work, we pick up 5 mid-price motels.("Several different 'Mitel' techs have tried in the past 2 years") Sound like a setup for failure? Here's what we did, and YES we fixed it. (Lite 18, 2 cabinet) (Note that all through this, I'm a consultant at home.)

First we loaded PMS emulator software on our laptop, programed an old lite15 system in the shop for PMS, and became thoroughly familiar with the software. (Been a while!)

On site, there is a constant alarm that isn't an apparent failure. Emulator gets no response from PBX. So much for the easy, 'The pbx works, what have you hosed in your PMS, Mr/Mz support person'.

Moved the 1103 to the phone room and hooked the laptop to the maintenance port. Looked at programming, PMS is turned on, dataset programming ??? but leave it for now. Port for dataset is blinking red. Tried to move PMS to a new unused port, no joy.

Cannot delete the old port, although we can re-assign PMS in 34. Suspect software is confused and holding onto the PMS somehow. No joy.

Found ANOTHER port that had apparently been programmed for a dataset in the past! Could delete that!

The card is a BNIC, that I have no love for! Darn things have teeth that fit my butt very well!, so we changed it out for a DNIC. Again, no joy.

At this point, it was 4PM and time to head home. Nothing fixed and nothing new broken, a good time to leave and sleep on it.

Today, I logged in via Team Viewer and looked at the programming trying to find ANYTHING amiss. The dataset programming was not to my liking, so I changed it to what has always worked in the past,no joy.

The system still has that nagging minor alarm that we can't find in the logs, and the original PMS port is STILL blinking red. Desperation time, I've done the following before and fixed odd problems. Busy out the offending port, wait 5 minutes and return it to service and try to delete as fast as possible! IT WORKED!! Alarm gone, port programming deleted.

Deleted and re-installed the PMS port in the new location referred to above, assigned PMS to it, hooked up the laptop and TA-DA, it works!!!!

Moved the dataset to the front counter in original location and tested AGAIN with emulator, STILL JOY.

Checked all PMS interface wiring. PMS goes to a 4 to 1 USB (!) concentrator. So far away the concentrator is in the air, cable is too short. Moved stuff around to compensate and called 'PMS SUPPORT'. (There's an oxymoron!)

They said, "It still doesn't work" We said "It does with our Emulator, and we've cleaned up the mess left by others". Once they programmed the PMS to come in on port 4 of the 4-port concentrator, instead of PORT FIVE(!), IT WORKED!!!! (DUH-UH)

So, what was wrong?

Dataset port may or may not have been busied out. Why, who knows.

Dataset programming was probably not quite right. Why, who knows?

Installation at front counter was a mess. Why? You know why. I don't have to tell you that. If I do, you are part of the problem!

PMS programming mildly hosed. Why? NORMAL, that's why!

This is for all you guys that fight PMS every time! Ask questions, make comments, whatever. PMS is, at least for me, the biggest problem in hospitality!

Good information, I learned a few new tricks from your post. Thanks.
Where can I find a copy of the PMS emulator program. I have been using data strings saved in mata files in Procomm on an old laptop still running windows 98. Has worked good for me for years.

My '2 cents worth' is (are):
A.If you would have removed the card, and then try to delete the offending DNI port (with the card out), you may have had immediate success.
#2. I've used a few different PMS emulators, and though sometimes cumbersome at first, they are a good tool to have. That being said, I've used a much more simple test here in our testing facility, and don't think it's ever been wrong.
-Program your PMS/dataset port with the appropriate baud rates, parity, and program the set in form 34.
-Set the comm. port on your laptop to match the settings on the dataset (straight thru cable to the dataset).
-Go off hook on a room phone, and dial a maid code 3-4 times from the same (or different) room.
-From your keyboard, put the caps lock on, and enter a series of 'Ctrl E' and 'Ctrl F'.
-You will see the maid code and the appropriate room number sent back to your laptop.
-If you get the output, Mitel is set properly, if you don't, Mitel is not set properly, simple as that!

5F5, interesting 'quick and dirty', that'll be salted away for future. But, nothing convinces the Motel owner/manager that it's NOT the Mitel like opening a room and assigning a name! Especially when you unplug the PMS connector from the dataset and plug YOUR computer in and ... TADA, "the Mitel works with the TECH's 'PMS' system, why won't mine, PMS support person', says the manager/owner into the phone.

Maybe I'm a little nasty/mean, but I LOVE to shoot down 'PMS SUPPORT'. They are so d--- conceited and 'never' are the problem!

LH,
I am not fond of PMS Support people either.
First: They always blame the PBX vendor before they even check their own side. Then they tell the hotel clerk to reset the PBX, which infuriates me!
Second: These port concentrators (Equinox, Digi-board etc...) are a pain; the physical port does not coincide with the software port, half the time they can't even tell us with port we should be plugged into. And they never label a darn thing. The ports get blown all the time and we spend hours working with some third rate PMS tech. who does not know jack. When you finally get transferred to someone who actually understands the interfaces you have killed a half a day.
But, thankfully (I hope) these will all be IP soon.

What usually saves my bacon is ProComm or Hyperterminal. If I can show that the data got to the back of the PMS, it's someone else's problem... "look, I can read it on my laptop, you just called 1 800 852 4632."

My money would be on someone kicking at the tangle of cables just as a data string is going by, and the system never gets "End-of-text." So the dataset locked up, wouldn't let go.

I have also, in desperate times, done Fred's pull-and-delete-quick trick, but usually only after I get pissed off and decide that I'm the boss, not the PBX.

Ever work with Maxial PMS? Their tech support was good, but they were doing Dial-up out of Australia! So I'd have to wait until 3 in the afternoon to call (8 AM there) and try to remember not to call on Friday (Saturday there).

I have a negative opinion about 'web-based' PMS. Remember that when the PMS goes down, most front-desk folks are lucky to be able to check customers in and provide a working 'swipe-key'. What's going to happen when the web connection crashes, "SOMEWHERE". Oh, and it will ALWAYS be the propertie's fault the web connection is down, even when the support ques are overflowing and the web servers are completely idle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a customer that had problems with their PMS about every 2 or 3 weeks. It had dial up support. The last time I got it working I unplugged the support modem. The support folks really got mad but it was over a year till they had any more problems. I think the support folks were creating problems to keep there support contract.

Brother, I feel your pain. Seems like EVERY time the PMS folks download an update, they're using the motels for ALPHA testing, not even at the Beta level! When I was supporting a bunch of motels, it only took a 2-3 hours to figure out that "They'd done it AGAIN!". The problems would start about 2:30PM local time when they tried to check in early arrivals. Sometimes it would show up EARLY (5AM) when they started trying to check people out! Just depended on what "IMPROVEMENT" they'd made to the software!