HYPER-active multimedia

Year 12 AIT 3B

Cyberia cafeHYPER-active’s first customer

Written by Laura Cheeseman

Contents

Section PagePart one Question A 1Part one Question B 2, 3, 4, 5Part one Question C 6Part two Question A 7, 8, 9Part two Question B 10

Resources 10

Part One

Question A

Investigate and list the computing and networking requirements for use in the restaurant. Consider both wired and wireless network solutions requirements:

The cons and pros of wireless and wired solutions:

Wireless Wired

pro - Can move around the store

- lower cost (no need to by cables)

- neater due to less cables

- more secure

- not affected by other signals

cons - easier to hack in to the system

- speeds can be slower

- weak signals if the device is too far from the router

- have to buy enough cable to connect everything (can be expensive if the locations are far away)

- cannot move devices to the required locations

I would recommend the use of a combination of both wired and wireless connections. The till and related devices (such as eftpos) will be wired. This is because they involve the transactions of money which needs to be secure. For the PDA (which would be used to send the orders to the kitchen) would be wireless to increase the speed in which a order reaches the kitchen (due to waiter not having to personally give each order to the kitchen)

With the use of a combination of wireless and wired it will greatly improve the productivity of the restaurant in a number of ways.

1. It will decrease the chances of losing orders as they will be sent directly to the kitchen. (Once the order has be finished then it will be confirmed to have been finished on the computer)

2. It will decrease the number of times waiters have to go the kitchen (due to the order being sent by a wireless connection). The waiter will only have to go to the kitchen to receive and deliver customers orders.

3. The customer’s orders can be sent directly to the till. This reduces time in entering the meals many times (ie to work out the cost of the meals the waiter will just enter it in once and then it get sent to the restaurant.

Part One

Question B

Peripheral/hand held devices

PDAA PDA or personal digital assistant is type of hand held computer that looks very much like a mobile phone and sometime is used as a mobile phone (known as a smart phone). It is quite often used by waiters to take customers orders.

The PDA is needed to increase the efficiency of the waiter. Once the order is completed it can be sent to the kitchen in a matter of seconds which can lead to faster service. The waiter can then tend to the next customer without having to worry about taking the order to the kitchen.

The PDA allows the waiter to take the order of the customer which is then save and sent to both the kitchen and the till (for when the customer pays)

Their will need to be five to ensure that a few spares are available in-case of low battery or one of the PDA’s breaking.

The PDA will be connected wirelessly and send customers orders by the wireless connection. This will also allow the PDA to be moved around the store and to enable orders to be sent to kitchen immediately. There is not a big security issue as they do not handle the money transactions.

The PrinterThe printer is a device which prints a hard copy version of what can be seen on the computer.

The printers are needed to be able to print orders that are sent in the kitchen and to be able to print customer’s receipts from the till.

The printer works by reviving data from the PDA’s and then producing a hard copy of the order.

Their will need to be three printers. There will be needed two for the two registors and one for the kitchen.

For the kitchen there is an Epson TM-U220 Dot Matrix Kitchen Printer and for the tills there is an Epson TM-

T88IV Thermal Receipt Printer. Both printers cost $649.00 each.

The kitchen will be connected wirelessly as the PDA devices will sent it to the kitchen wirelessly. The printers for the resistor will be connected directly to the till by a wired conection.

Eftpos Eftpos or (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) is an Australian and New Zealand standard for processing bank cards which allow direct payment from the bank at shops, cafes and a range of other places which have the facility.

This is needed because many people use credit, debit and other forms of bank cards to make payments. It quite often is used for than cash payments because of its convenience.

The eftpos machine works by reading a magnetic strip on a card. It then gains the account information and makes a debit from the card.

Their will need to be two eftpos machines, one for each register.

They will be connected using a wired connection. This is due to the risk of fraud from money being stolen from hacking. The wireless connection is a lot less secure than a wired connection.

Touch screensA touch screen is a type of monitor which allows the user to control the computer by touching a range of different buttons which are on the screen.

The touch screen is needed so that the café staff can process the finished order and receive payment from the customer. It will reduce the need for mice and keyboards and can be more hygienic (ie a keyboard can collect a lot of dirt and bacteria underneath the keys.)

The touch screen works by enabling the user to touch the screen to enter commands to control the program. It removes the need for a key board and mouse however it a lot of information is being entered it would be better to have a keyboard to enter information.

Their will need to be two touch screens one for each register.

A Dell 15IN PENT-M 2GHz 1GB Mm 80GB HD XP Intellitouch RF802.11G will cost $2542.99 each.

The register will be connected with a wired connection. This is to increase the security of the register partially when eftpos payments are being made. However the PDA’s will be able to transfer data to the machine but there will need to be passwords and usernames required to further increase security.

Network requirements

Network adaptor (NIC card)

A NIC or network interface card is used to connect computers to the network. The card connects to the router to allow a connection to occur, today most computers have a built in connection and so this would be mainly used on older computers.

They are needed if the computer does not have one already built in.

They work by enabling a connection between a computer and a router/modem, in a device which a connection could not previously be established.

Cabling (cat 5)

This cabling is used for wired networks to connect the device such as a computer to the router. Cat5 is a type of twisted pair cabling

They are needed to be able to enable a network connection between two devices such as between the computer and the router

They work by enabling the transfer of data between the two devices and enabling a connection.

The amount of cabling required would be depending on how far it is going. To start of about 20 metres would be suitable.

I would recommend getting two 35Ft (about 10 m) length of cabling costing $6.99

ISP

ISP or a Internet service provider is a company which enables people to connect to the internet. The companies own a large amount of cabling and allow you to use it for a fee each month.

This is require to gain information, use service such as internet banking as well as a range of other useful functions that the internet provides

There is only one connection required as it can be shared among the computers.

Topology

A topology is a form of how the network connects the range of devices. Such as a bus network or a Star Network.

A network topology is required to have a suitable way to connect each device to the network.

It works by providing a structure by which the person can follow when installing the network. This ensures that all devices are connected and that they are connected correctly.

Router

A router is a networking device which connects many computers and devices together. The router helps transfer information to the right location. In the case of the café it would be used so that the PDA’s can transfer orders to the kitchen and the registers.

The router is needed to control the transfer of data between the different devices. ie control the data when the PDA sends information to the kitchen and the register.

The router works by directing the network traffic to the correct location as required.

Their will only need to be one router as it can direct all the traffic.

It will cost $198.71 for a DGNB2100 Wireless-N Modem Router and USB Adapter Kit.

Part A

Question C

The router (green square) is position at the same location as the resistors. This is to allow the registers to be able to connect into the router and to minimise the amount of required cabling. The router will also have a wireless function to allow the connection of the kitchen printer and the many PDA’s.

NB: The path is just a sort of decoration in which customers and staff can walk on when getting to their table, or the kitchen.

Part B

Question A

To the manager of Cyberia Café

The HYPER-active multimedia company is recommends the following components in the network for Cyberia Café:

A combination of both wire and wireless connections within the network

HYPER-active multimedia is recommending a combination of both wire and wireless connection. This is to increase the efficiency and security of the network. The PDA’s will be connected wirelessly. The PDA’s don’t have the need to be kept secure as they don’t involve the use of money. This is to enable them to immediately send orders to the kitchen and to allow the devices to be moved around the café. The registers will be connected directly to the router by a wired connection. This is to ensure that there is added security to the registers due to the registers holding money.

Two registers

HYPER-active multimedia is recommending the use of two registers to increase the productivity and to improve the customer service. The service is improved due to the decrease waiting time for payment of the bill. With fewer customers waiting to pay their bill it can lead to greater productivity and service of other customers. The registers have a 2GHz processor. This is required to ensure that they run fast and smoothly and to reduce customer waiting times. The resistors run windows XP which can be compatible with most computers and does not have any of the issues and problems that the windows vista program has. They can also come with up to 2Gb or RAM (or Random Access Memory which is a important factor in the speed of the register as it contains the required memory for the processor and so the more RAM the better the process can run and the faster the register can run.) the registers will also need to have a strong firewall in place to ensure that no intrusions can occur.

Two eftpos machines (one for each register)

The HYPER-active multimedia is recommending an eftpos machine to allow the customers to have multiple choices to make payments. This can increase the customer satisfaction. By having two machines it increase the productivity as customers do not have to wait to use the machine.

Three Printers (two for the registers and one for the kitchen)

Three printers are being recommended by HYPER-active multimedia for a number of reasons. One will be needed for the kitchen because it can receive the data from the PDAs and print out all the orders. However two will be required for the registers due to each registers needing to be able to print out receipts for customers.

One router

The router is required to direct all the network traffic from the registers (including eftpos machines) and PDA’s. Due to the network being quite small only one router is required however it will need to have a wireless function. HYPER-active multimedia is recommending the use of a router as it allows waiters to send orders directly to the kitchen and increases the productivity of the restaurant. I am recommending a NetGear DGNB2100 Wireless-N Modem Router and USB Adapter Kit. This router which is combine with a modem is very secure with a number of firewall functions including a Double Firewall with Network Address Translation (NAT) to hide PCs and files from outside users and Stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall to deny outside requests for personal information. As well as Denial-of-service (DoS) attack prevention, Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK),Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) 64-bit, 128-bit encryption and Wireless Access Control to identify authorized wireless network devices.

Five PDA’s

HYPER-active multimedia is recommending the use of five PDA’s. Although they will not all be used at once it recommended to have spares due having to recharge the battery and in case of the PDA getting broken. I recommend having two more PDA’s then require to ensure enough are available for the staff to use especially during busy times. The PDA’s increase the productivity of the restaurant as it saves time for the staff to have to continually run back and forth to the kitchen to give the orders to the chef. It can decrease errors due to messy handwriting and decrease time taking the orders as it does not have to be handwritten. The number of PDA’s will vary depending on waiter staff numbers.

Cat5 cabling

The cat5 cabling is being recommended by HYPER-active multimedia as it provides a means of connecting the registers to the router by using the wire options rather than wireless. This is to increase the efficiently as wire is quite often faster than wireless and to also increase the security as wires are a lot secure then the wireless option.

The above map of the Cyberia cafe shows the planned layout of the network. The router will be in the same location as the registers. This is to decrease the amount of required cabling due to the registers being connected with a wired connection. The registers have been put a bit more in the middle of one of the walls of the cafe to ensure that there is enough wireless signal strength throughout the cafe. It also looks more appealing to the customer and gives them a place to stand when they enter the cafe. This is to allow greater wireless access by the PDA’s when being used in the store.

Part two

Question B

With the change of location from indoors to outdoors it means that the devices will not be able to use a wired connection. This means that all devices will need to connect to the network wirelessly. With this there is an increase risk of security intrusions. With the outdoors there is also a increase area in which customers will go and so the wireless router will need to be places in the centre as much as possible. If there is too much of an issue with range then the order would have to be taken then the waiter move in closer to ensure that the order can be sent. There is also the issue of the use of the eftpos machine. Instead of the usual connection it will need to be connected by a GPRS connection however the area needs to have coverage. If the location does not have GPRS coverage then there cannot be eftpos usage and only cash transactions can occur.

Resources

http://www.commbank.com.au/business/merchant-services/in-person/default.aspx

http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/NWRONGDGNB2100/Default.aspx

www.wikipedia.com

The Discovering computer and online resources were also used.