Category: Syncing

If you need/ want to install an extra Sync Console (for instance in the office or at a partner) you can  install our synchronization software on a regular PC. Here you can find the specifications  a Sync Console must meet. https://help.guideid.com/kb/sync-console-specifications/  And here you can find all the information on how to install the software https://help.guideid.com/kb/sync-console-installation.

You will receive a Podcatcher Alert email when;

• The last automatic (daily) synchronization has taken place more than 7 days ago
• if the number of Dockingstations connected, is inconsistent with how many there should be according to the Sync details entered in the Portal.

You will receive these alerts until the problem has been solved at the location.

If you do not want to receive these alerts at all,  you can change it in the Podcatcher Portal > Manage account > at the bottom of the page you will find the different notifications you can disable or enable.

The daily synchronization which downloads the logs data for the analytics, sends the MMV e-mails and checks the Podcatchers for errors, only take a few minutes each day. If you have made a few small changes which need to be synced, it will not take that long.

When you Sync your content for the first time and all the new content has to written on to the Podcatcher,  it can take a long time depending on the amount of content you have.

On average; it will take a Podcatcher as much time to sync as the total amount of audio (in minutes) you’ve uploaded since the last sync.

For instance, if you have an audio tour of 30 minutes in 2 languages, you have about 1 hour of content. It will then take a Podcatcher 1 hour to sync. Important: there are up to 10 Podcatchers in one Dockingstations, and they all sync one after another. So for all 10 Podcatchers to finish the Sync it will take 10x 1 hour = 10 hours in total. If you have multiple Dockingstations, all the Dockingstations start syncing simultaneously.

If you would like to add multiple languages, but you do not have enough time before the opening to Sync all the languages, we advise to upload, publish and sync one or two languages for now. You can add the rest later.

If rebooting your PC does not work and you have a screen and keyboard which you can connect to the PC, check  whether the application’s settings file has been corrupted. The file is located on the C: drive > Program Files > Guide ID > Podcatcher Sync > Data > Right-click on the settings file > open it with Notepad. If it’s empty, close the file again and replace that file with the file in; https://help.guideid.com/wp-content/uploads/Settings.zip

After replacing the file, restart the Podcatcher Sync service and/or the PC.

When a Dockingstation is greyed out in the portal overview, it means it has not been synced. You can find which Dockingstation it is by checking the serial number. Each Dockingstation has its own unique serial number and can be found on the top of the Dockingstation (and on the bottom plate).

Please check the following:

1. Is (are) the USB cable(s) and adaptor(s) of the Dockingstation(s) connected?
2. Is (are) the USB Hub(s) connected to the Syncconsole (PC) and are all USB ports working?

After these checks, please reboot the PC and restart the synchronization.

If the Sync console is offline, the PC cannot connect to our server. Please check the following:

• The PC has an active internet connection
• The Dockingstations are connected to the PC and power

If that seems to be in order, you can try restarting the pc. If the PC has an internet connection but still cannot connect to our server, please check if there is a firewall active – your IT should be able to help you here. The Podcatcher Sync program needs to be able to connect to apps.podcatcher.eu on port 80.

The sync pc is completely installed with all the necessary software. You should take the following steps:

• Connect the Dockingstations to the PC using the USB cables. Or, when using multiple Dockingstations, plug them into the USB Hub using the USB Cables and then connect the USB Hub to the Pc.
• Connect the Dockingstations and PC to the power socket.
• Insert the Podcatchers into the Dockingstations.
• Connect the PC to a wired internet connection and turn on the PC (Note: the whole set up needs to stay connected to power and internet 24/7).
• Check if all the lights on the Dockingstations are green and the lights on the USB Hub are lit blue.
• When ready, log on to the Podcatcher Portal > go to Sync > press “Sync Now”.
• The content will be synced on to the Podcatchers.
• As soon as the Podcatchers’ green LED lights up, they are ready and the content can be tested.

Is it possible to manually sync Podcatchers?

Yes, it’s entire possible. There are two ways:

1. Click the “Sync Now” button in the Podcatcher Sync application on the Sync computer.
2. Click the “Sync Now” button in the Podcatcher Portal. See this article for more information.

How long does a sync take?

The first synchronization can take a while, since all of the content has to be loaded onto the Podcatchers. As an approximation, one minute of content equals one minute of syncing. Keep in mind that every translation also adds content, so a Tour made up of 30 minutes of content in three languages adds up to 90 minutes of syncing per Podcatcher. Further, stereo content has more data to sync so it will take about twice as long as mono content.

Any following syncs should take significantly less time; usually a sync should only take a few minutes at most. The more content you’ve added in the meantime, the longer a sync will take.