For you guys using web based app/software: is your app slow when you input info, upload pics, check boxes? I use ISN’s app and desktop report writer. It’s taking too long to write reports because of the lag time. Pulling pics into the desktop writer is buffer city. Is Spectora like that? Is this the reality of server based software??
No, at least not as you describe it.
I don’t need a web connection at all when I’m at the inspection.
When I get home, I sync it, it’s all on the desktop version/web based part now. I add/manipulate and change anything, then publish.
The only thing that has any kind of lag or buffering is the single shot picture option. It sometimes takes a few beats before it gives you the preview picture. When I say a few beats, I just mean it’s not instant, it’s picture, tick/tock/tick, ok/retry. This doesn’t happen when you’re taking multiple pictures using the multi-picture option. Those just fly.
Thanks for the reply. ISN works the same way in that I don’t need internet and it syncs as well. My app works “ok” when I’m adding data at the job , in real time. If I click a check box, or take a pic, there’s a slight delay but it’s not too bad. I take a lot of random pics outside the app on my phone then upload them to my library so I can add stuff in at home on the desktop. This is where things are super laggy. If I pull in a pic from my library I might as well drop it then take a sip of tea or whatever because it takes a few precious seconds for it to land in the report. It should just snap in there so I can keep moving.
Slowness and buffering usually equals not enough memory in your device or a poor wirless connection/signal.
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Also, are you new to this, or is this a new issue you are dealing with?
What type of device are you using? Age? OS?
Not all software can operate properly on all devices… example… Apple has the worst overall track record for software functionality out of all devices/software!!
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Especially when trying to use an I-phone in conjunction with a Windows machine…
I started to have issues with things slowing down on my desktop until I upgraded the hard drive to a high capacity SSD and doubled the RAM. That made a HUGE difference…
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I concur Scott.
Kurtis, are you using a modern laptop and do you have good internet speed.
Could you please post the model of laptop or PersonalConputer you are using?
You can download Speccy software. Once you have it installed it will tell you everything about the equipment you are using. You likely have to clean out all that junk you have accumulated.
Awaiting your reply.
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I built a powerful computer for that very reason.
Operating System
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 40 °C
Vermeer 7nm Technology
RAM
32.0GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1799MHz (18-19-19-39)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. TUF GAMING X570-PRO (WI-FI) (AM4) 36 °C
Graphics
C27JG5x (1920x1080@100Hz)
C27F390 (1920x1080@60Hz)
4095MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (MSI) 38 °C
Storage
931GB Samsung SSD 980 PRO 1TB (Unknown (SSD))
953GB XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE (Unknown (SSD))
7452GB Seagate ST8000VN 004-2M2101 SATA Disk Device (SATA ) 25 °C
931GB Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1TB (SATA (SSD)) 24 °C
Optical Drives. Asus
Audio
SteelSeries Sonar Virtual Audio Device
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Wow, thank you for your replies. I’m a new inspector. Been working with a long time inspector in my area for many months but I’ve only been writing my own reports for a short time. I use a brand new Google Pixel 8. My laptop is Lenovo about 4 years old 12.0 GB (11.8 GB usable) Intel(R) Core™ i7-1065G7 CPU @ 1.30GHz 1.50 GHz. Internet speed is good enough for my wife to teach music lessons on zoom with no issues. I timed it yesterday and if I drag a pic in from my library using the desktop writer (instead of taking the pic in the app) it takes 12 seconds to load. 12 seconds each!! Btw, sorry for the delayed reply but I completed an inspection yesterday but I had added a comment to my template somewhere that had “copy/pasted” text in it and it caused a server failure.. So my report is compromised and basically useless and unable to be published. I’m going to do a mock inspection this morning to see if I was able to get that poison text out. Working with tech support but..
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I tried the ISN report writer a year ago but decided to stick with EZ Home Inspection instead. No lag. I wanted ISN to work for me, because I pay for/use the CRM portion of ISN and the report writer comes with. But I didn’t like the way it was structured (too many clicks and layers to add a comment, or NOT add a comment, for instance) and it obviously handled inputs and remote data entry badly (a lot of "screen refreshing and cache issues). I had a lot of back and forth with their support at the time and several of the techs admitted that the development of the app was rushed and probably micromanaged by execs there, leading to bloat in the code. When you add layers of fixes and patches to software, it can technically “fix” a problem in an ideal environment (the dev’s screen) but cause issues if all the stars aren’t aligned. Software devs hate to throw away code and start over, but often that is the best solution. They had indicated to me they were looking at a rewrite, but the last time I checked, I was still getting the party line of “you should try it again - it has been continuously updated.” Disappointing, really.
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Btw, if anyone is wondering about ISN here’s my opinion: I chose it over spectora bc of the initial price structure given how many reports I’m writing and being new to industry. The UI (user interface) of both ISN and spectora are very good but TBH, I like the simplicity of ISN a little better though spectora is way ahead as far as functionality and options. Spectora, IMO, is the industry standard and it seems like ISN is trying to catch up and going through a LOT (A LOT!!!) of tech issues. I have stuck with them, not gotten mad (well,a little mad.. very mad?) and I have gone WAY out of my way to help them and give as much feedback as possible to help fix issues. I’m happy with the tech folks over there and I keep hoping against hope that they improve rapidly. It seems like they are trying.. I like ISN’s report much better than spectora’s. I do not like the “expanding modules” and anything that makes you click away from the main report. If it confuses me then it’s gonna confuse my clients. ISNs report is clean, easy on the eyes, slightly interactive(just enough with collapsible text fields and summary options) and it simply reads down unlike spectora which takes the reader all over the place. I played with spectora for probably 100 hours or something and made a template and everything but the cost sent me to ISN. I did trials on a handful of others and couldn’t get past the initial interface on any of them. Spectora is super easy to jump into unlike HIP and others. I really want to own my software like 3D Insp Software but windows 95 called and wants their interface back, sorry.. However, if ISN keeps being a problem then I’m probably going to Spectora. I hope this was interesting to someone. Ask me anything about ISN. I’m so invested with all the work I’ve put in it’s hard to just bounce but I MUST get my report writing more streamlined!! Thanks in hindsight, and in advance, for the feedback here.
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Thanks for the reply, Tom. It’s helpful as I feel I’m at a crossroad. Regards..
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So you are saying, when transferring images from your pics folder to the report writing software takes 12 seconds? That’s a long time.
I use Carson Dunlop Horizon reporting/business software. Takes >< 1 second.
Kurtis I will be here all day checking this thread.
Things to do.
Download this internet speed test utility, or any you are comfortable with. Explain to us how many mbps-mega bits per second your download and upload times are. Typically/Usually/Normally uploading mbps takes longer. Reason, Bandwidth. Most online activities prioritize downloading content (like streaming or browsing.)
Download & Run Speccy software. I recommend, Save it in your download folder.
Copy and paste the results so we can see what the Lenovo Laptop. 5 will get you 10 your Ramm could be updated.
Download Speed is 210. Upload speed is 10.
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I dropped EZ quite a while ago because of the lag and constant server issues. There were times when a simple jpeg would take up to 20 minutes to upload. It was ridiculous. That was when I switched to HIP. The learning curve for it was steep (for me anyway) but apart from the glitches it works for me.
So true. Updates that fix one thing usually cause other things to go haywire. Microsoft did a big update for Windows 10 last fall, and it jacked up all kinds of stuff. Go figure…
That’s another issue. Sometimes they will take the “let’s reinvent the wheel” approach and it doesn’t work out so well… Just look at how many Windows OS that were total flops, meanwhile they stopped serving good platforms like XP and replaced it with crap…
That’s part of your problem right there. The processor is ok but the RAM sucks. That’s how they get you when selling laptops for a lower price. They always get skimpy on at least one aspect of the guts. Usually it’s either the RAM or the HD. You can have the best processor and graphics card, but if you don’t have enough RAM, it’s useless. It’s kind of like putting a 6 HP Briggs in a formula one car. . . . .
Could be another issue. Googoo uses a different CODEC for images and video than other platforms like Microsoft and Adobe. I have had issues trying to edit images and video in photoshop and other software applications using files downloaded from my googoo cloud because of this. Your report software may not be completely compatible and has to make conversions during the file transfer, hence the lag time. Another thing to consider, the images could have a very high resolution or be sized big, making the file sizes huge. That’s more data that has to get moved and/or compressed, which takes more time. Try adjusting your camera settings or start using a regular digital camera (20 MP max) instead. No need for resolution to be any higher since the report software will have to compress it and/or reduce it anyway. Yes it takes a few seconds to transfer the card, move the files, etc… but it could make the report writing faster in the end.
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I don’t think photo rez is the issue bc I use my Pixel 8, iPhone 13 mini and my old 5MP point and shoot and the problem is always the same. I have reached out to ISN to see if they have any input. Their app is laggy on site as well though, even in offline mode.. I got kicked off the app like 5 times at yesterdays inspection. I had to go back into my inspection all the way from the home page.
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Like I mentioned above…
You’re running (discontinued) Apple products with (outdated) camera (software) and (substandard) Laptop hardware. Then there’s the Report Software App.
Nothing is likely fully compatible, thus your issues.
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Very fast internet. 210 mbps is not the issue.
Transfer any images to your Lenovo laptop pictures folder. Then try to upload an image to the report software. It should save you some time.
Post the Speccy report.
Couple of things before I use speccy: We upload lots of YT vids as part of my wife’s business and use zoom video conferencing all day and stream a lot. My issue is not getting the photos to my ISN media library (I should have clarified this earlier but I didn’t think about it..). I get most of my pics while in the app on site but I take random photos then I upload them to ISN Media library. That takes a little time but it’s also like 100 at once so who cares. BUT if I decide to drag a photo into the report from my library, that takes 12 seconds. The pics are already uploaded to ISN! If I check a box or add a comment in the desktop writer it takes many seconds to complete. Also, my wife has a better computer than I have and we have the same problem on hers. I feel like this is not a hardware issue. Btw, thanks again for the support!
No worries. forget the Speccy software.
Likely the equipment you are using. Software and storage. Jeffrey’s post is on the mark.
I know how difficult your money must be to manage as a family man. Bring your Lenovo to see if it can be made to operate faster. Ask the technician to explain to you everything involved. I amprety sure for 400 dollars that laptop will fly BUT I do not know what is in it. Henceforth, Speccy software. Its just a simple utility.
I rarely use my Samsung S23 for images. If I do I transfer images to one of my 3 M.2NVMe SSD storage devices. Transfer rates are nuts. 7400mb read. 6499 mb Write.
Drop a M.2NVMe SSD if you can and you Lenovo laptop would act differently.
Dam, if you lived near me I would give you my Microsoft Surface Pro 6. It needs a tune-up. Black screen of death. I bought a Microsoft Laptop Go 3. Dam I would lend you my Intel build.
< 3000 dollars.
Here’s my PC and office. I built the 2 PC’s n the image.
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