Netscout (Fluke Networks) Onetouch AT G2 vs Ideal Signaltek II / NT - 2 Month Review

Ideal Signaltek II / NT vs Netscout (Fluke Networks) Onetouch AT G2

There were lots of good commentary, but had to cut it out, due to privacy and lack of vendor rep authorization to pubically post his comments.

(ONETOUCH AT CONS)
Wicked insane EXPENSIVE!!!
Slow to boot.
Slow to shutdown.
Huge and Heavy.
Gold Support is expensive.
Requires expensive companion device (i.e. Link Runner AT-2000, or another OneTouch AT) to perform data throughout testing. And it does not auto discover the companion device for throughout testing. Need to fix, to auto discover reflectors and peers, vs manual entry. If SignalTek can do it..I know you can.
And why can't I do wired throughput testing using both ethernet ports. (PORTA and PORTB, or Management port)? Why do I have to have spend another $1,500+? Insane!!!

(ONETOUCH AT PROS)
Touchscreen.
Supports Fiber, Copper and Wireless testing. including wiremaps and length.
POE and POE+ af/at True Power load testing.
Detects duplicate DHCP servers.
Can spoof MAC addresses, for testing things like Sticky or Static DHCP IP assignments.
Netscan tracks and displays actual detected devices on the network.
Can run port scans on the detected devices to see what's open.
Allows shell, telnet and or browser access to login and manage routers, switches, firewalls, etc. cumbersome​ on small touchscreen. Easier to do on a PC. But nice to have none the less.
VOIP passthrough monitoring.
Multi port scan of switch data and utilization via SNMP and or LLDP. Really sweet feature.
Can perform wifi throughput qualification testing, using the single OneTouch AT, via WiFi to Ethernet connection. Wicked Yay!
Packet capturing. Can easily do on a PC, but nice to have.
Wifi location finding. Easier then using Metageek location finder and my notebook PC.
Comes with Lithium Batteries. Yay!


(SIGNALTEK II / NT CONS)
No touchscreen. Boo!
Netscan only displays number of nodes detected. boo!! simple software fix on this Signaltek. Come on!
Faster boot vs. the Onetouch AT.
Comes with NMH batteries. Yuck!
AA battery pack is $80?!! no batteries..just the shell to hold them. almost zero electronics. just a plastic shell. What the? The NIMH shell and battery is $80. Why would I pay $80 for a plastic housing with no batteries, for the same price?

(SIGNALTEK II / NT PROS)
Way less expensive. A fraction of the Onetouch AT cost.
Small and lightweight.
Comes with companion device to perform data throughput testing. No added expense to perform data throughput qualification.

(SUMMARY)
The Onetouch AT has lots more features. vs the Signaltek II / NT.
Both seem durable, and in good drop proof casing. I would suspect the Onetouch would be more susceptible to screen breaks, as its way way more heavy, and the screen is much much larger.
Both had ability to test fiber, and copper data connections.
Both had ability to test POE voltages, wiremaps, data testing like pings to DNS, routers, Gateway etc.
Both had the ability to test custom data throughput...over fiber and or copper, but the Onetouch requires an additional purchase of a Linkrunnner, Linksprinter, or OneTouch AT (for up and down stream) to do so. This makes the Onetouch AT solution wicked insane expensive! or could almost purchase 3 Signaltek's for the price of one Onetouch data throughput solution... or 10 to 15 notebooks with all sorts of IT diagnostic apps. Why Netscout? Who is this targeted or marketed to?
Both had ability to get test results on mobile phone, and be able to instantly email customer.
The Signaltek appears to be targeted to a tech that needs to test the cable, wiremaps, wire lengths, confirm POE voltages, confirm specific data throughput, and confirm network is working.
The Onetouch AT appears to be targeted to techs that need the above features and more. Wifi tools, Netscan device tracking, packet monitoring, and more.
I find myself trying to justify the amount we paid for the OneTouch AT, but is hard. Most of the advantages it has over the SignalTek, I could already do with a PC.
The OneTouch lack of wired throughout testing "on it's own", is a major buzzkill. We'll probably keep it for Fiber data connection testing. But that's about it. The OneTouch "on it's own lonesome self" needs to do what you can't easily do with a PC. Design around that..and you will have a must have product.

(MY WISH - HOPES NETSCOUT PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT READS)
I wish Netscout would add the Onetouch AT capabilities to Aircheck G2, including a fiber port. It powers on instantly. Its not huge, big and heavy, or perfect handheld size.
Have 2 copper ports. and allow wired throughput testing via Port A and Port B. Remote Peers and Reflectors optional.
Keep the price around $3K. I'd buy one, for every one of my technicians company wide!!