This subject is: “Will dongle fail after time? (there's a battery!)”
Author
Message
BH (XXX783)
Posted on
Sunday, January 13, 2013 @ 7:22:05 PM
Just noticed there is what appears to be a battery in the dongle. (Our Hotfix ERA licenses use a red key that looks like a USB thumb drive).
I´ve used dongles for various software for almost 2 decades and this is the first I´ve seen with a battery in it. Flash memory doesn´t require power. Wonder why it´s there!?
My questions: 1. What is the expected lifetime of the battery? 2. What happens when the battery dies? (e.g. does the dongle fail to work, possibly putting us in an emergency business situation) 3. What is the course of action for refreshing or replacing the dongle if it fails or reaches end of life, and what costs if any are associated with this process?
Daniel (XXX095)
Replied on
Saturday, January 19, 2013 @ 11:26:01 AM
Not sure what the expected battery lifetime is, or if there´s one. My current dongle I´ve had since August or September 2006, and it´s been through numerous computers, trade shows, pockets, etc.
Replacement is not cheap, and you´d have to go through your vendor. If it´s an HFE Core (HFE, no drivers), it´s basically as much as a new one. If it´s HFE w/ drivers, it´s less. I remember from a previous post that you had HFE w/ drivers, that´s why I make the distinction.
Terri Lynn (XXX907)
Replied on
Sunday, January 20, 2013 @ 10:20:27 PM
Can we purchase a warranty for the dongle? I´m really nervous about it failing.
Daniel (XXX095)
Replied on
Thursday, January 24, 2013 @ 11:30:00 AM
There´s no warranty in place for dongles, among other things because the manufacturer doesn´t offer one to us either. It probably wouldn´t help even if they did, as they only provide the hard key and we still produce code to write onto it, which is why you need a password to install the software as opposed to just the mere presence of the dongle.
That said, you wouldn´t have to buy the software "new" all over again if the dongle fails, as long as you still have the old one to return. Now, if it gets lost / stolen / the dog ate it, that´s a different story!
