City of Nedlands Rangers toughen up their service with Panasonic Toughbooks

The City of Nedlands in WA has purchased CF-19 rugged Panasonic Toughbooks for its Ranger Services, to provide a robust solution and improved productivity in the field.

The Ranger Services are involved in everything from camp patrol to education to providing Police and Emergency services with resources and information. When the City of Nedlands Council carried out an internal IT review to decide what was best and robust enough to suit their Rangers varied needs they chose Panasonic Toughbook. With its rugged exterior and its resistance to water, heat and dust Panasonic’s Toughbook CF-19 was perfect for the job.

The Nedlands area can experience extreme seasonal conditions – wet weather in the winter and very hot humid weather in the summer. It was important the solution we chose was able to withstand both of these. The day readable screen was a key benefit for in car use in bright daytime conditions; and the built in 3G wireless modem means that there are no external devices at risk of damage while on the road.
Mellanie Culhane, Senior Ranger of the City of Nedlands Rangers

The Toughbook has been installed in each vehicle with an in car docking station, making sure that it is held securely in place whilst Rangers deal with calls on demand. The Toughbook is used in tablet form and with the handy touch screen function it is easy for drivers to access information while they are on the move. Rangers can also access history and previous information via the Telstra NextG network helping to eliminate errors, resulting in more timely accurate record-keeping.

The solution has also proved very useful for after hours staff. As information can be retrieved directly from the device, rangers are able to deal with calls at home rather than having to go back to the office, making more effective use of their time. Smaller jobs can be dealt with immediately eliminating the need to travel in and out.

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 is built with a tough magnesium alloy frame and a shock-mounted hard drive. It can withstand knocks, heavy vibrations and extreme temperature fluctuations, while surviving falls from up to 90cm. It is certified to MIL-STD-810F military testing procedures and is rated at IP54 (ingress protection) level for dust and water resistance. Its extended battery life also makes it ideally suited for extended field operation.