"We appreciate mquadr.at as a most flexible and target oriented partner for the development of user friendly and reliable solutions for our customers. It is great pleasure to work with this highly motivated team."

Manuel Cattaneo, Project Manager, Swisscom (Schweiz) AG

Photo H...

Swisscom 'TV Photo Helper' for Windows®: easy file and photo sharing within the private home network

mquadr.at has added a particularly useful tool to its range of service solutions exclusively designed for the Swiss market leader: the 'TV photo helper' ensures trouble-free file and photo sharing via the Swisscom TV set to box and/or the TV set itself – another step towards a convergent home network that uses all appropriate devices for multi media purposes.
In order to do that, it’s important to configure the home network, the consumer PC and the Windows® Media Player correctly; the configuration is carried out automatically by the mquadr.at software. As it is standard with mquadr.at products, the whole process doesn’t require any technical knowledge, nor tedious manual settings.

At the beginning of the project, all specific Swisscom requirements were subject to a meticulous technical evaluation. On this basis, detailed specifications – including all requirements and the corresponding solutions – were commissioned and compiled. In addition, mquadr.at created a detailed flow chart that displayed all relevant software processes (user paths, customer situations, operating system issues, technical feasibility).
Eventually, mquadr.at was asked to begin developing the application. Due to the well-defined project scope, there was no need for subsequent changes and/or adaptions; the result of this was a rather short development process.

Product:

The 'TV Photo Helper', as specified in the abovementioned project phase, makes it easy for Swisscom TV customers to share files (i.e. photos) via their set top box. It does this by automatically configuring the consumer PC and all necessary programs for all relevant file sharing options.

Operation (software workflow):

• Check whether the correct Windows® version for Windows® Media Player and higher is installed on the client system
• Version check and option for (re)installation of the Windows® Media Player is installed
• Check of settings for streaming and file sharing:
  • Streaming activated?
  • Are new UPnP clients allowed to access media files?
  • If necessary, reconfiguration of the Windows® Media Player
• Network configuration and streaming zone check under Windows® Vista and Windows® 7
• Check of media library (contains photos: Y/N)

After that, users can add/remove folders with their photos to/from the Windows® Media Player’s playlists via the 'TV Photo Helper'. This was taken into account during the configuration of the Windows® Media Player that now allows subsequent changes carried out via the 'TV Photo Helper' software.
From now on, streaming services are active, and consumers can display their photos via the set top box on their TV set.

Additional features:

• Auto standby check:
  • Before the computers enters standby-mode – after 30 minutes of inactivity – the user will be informed accordingly. The 'TV photo helper' also displays the 'energy options' that can be set and changed within the application as well.
• The 'TV Photo Helper' can only be used when :
  • the computer is turned on,
  • the computer is connected to a network,
  • Windows® Media Player is active.

The Swisscom 'TV Photo Helper' designed by mquadr.at is a very useful tool for displaying media files within the private home network. By making complex applications like file streaming accessible for inexperienced users as well, it increases home network convergence – the successive integration of various devices such as computers, set top boxes, TV sets, etc. – decisively.
For Swisscom customers, this is a vital step towards a 'networked' future.

Plug&...

'Swisscom Internet' – simultaneous internet setup and WLAN configuration for Windows® and Mac (Launch: September 2011)

'Swisscom Internet', designed by mquadr.at for the largest Swiss telecom operator, is a software that offers – for the first time – a fully automated WLAN configuration in the course of the internet setup. What’s also new: consumers are provided – alongside with the broadband modem 'Swisscom Centro Grande' – with a special USB stick that contains the complete setup and configuration software for both Windows® and Mac. This not only ensures trouble-free WLAN configuration on both systems; as an additional benefit, all WLAN data are stored on the USB stick, thus making it easy to add computers to the wireless home network. A significant product advantage, especially for inexperienced users.

For the consumer, the process is as follows:

• Connection of the USB stick delivered with the modem "Swisscom Centro Grande". The stick contains the complete setup and configuration software for Windows® and Mac.
• Application starts automatically.
• Selection WLAN/LAN
• When WLAN is selected, the software checks whether a .psk file with the personalised WLAN data is available.
• If no file is available, an animation is displayed that shows the consumer how to activate the (hidden) WLAN connection to the modem. The respective button has to be pushed for 5 seconds.
• Establishment of the hidden WLAN connection
• Transfer of user-specific WLAN data from the modem to the USB stick
• Storage of user-specific WLAN data for →
• Automatic configuration of the (regular) WLAN
• Establishment of connection
• The consumer is directed to the Swisscom portal where he/she can register his/her internet access – this completes the setup process.

To summarize:
The wireless home network is configured during the internet setup itself, while storing the configuration on the USB stick. Thus, WLAN configuration and the addition of computers to the wireless home network become child’s play: all consumers have to do is to plug in their USB stick.
The rest is done automatically – that’s what we call 'plug & play'.

The software is available in four languages (German, French, Italian, English) and optimised for Microsoft® Windows® and Mac OS X (incl. OS X Lion). Delivery to Swisscom customers has already begun.

E-Mail...

Swisscom E-Mail Assistant for Mac (launch: August 2011)

The Swisscom E-Mail Assistant, developed by mquadr.at for the Swiss market leader, is now available for Mac users, ensuring the automatic setup of e-mail accounts on client computers. The application has the same functions as the Windows® version, but was compiled entirely in the official Mac development environment. All user interfaces (GUIs) are in accordance with the 'classical' Mac design so that Mac users are able to operate the software without difficulties.

The Swisscom E-Mail Assistant is compatible with Mac OS X (version 10.6 and higher) and supports the following e-mail clients:

• Apple Mail OS X (version 10.6 and higher, including OS X Lion 10.7)
• Mozilla Thunderbird (versions 3.x to 5.x)
• Microsoft® Entourage (office:mac 2008)
• Microsoft® Outlook (office:mac 2011)

It also supports IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) for automatic storing and up-to-dateness of all messages on the e-mail server – a very useful feature, particularly for webmail users.

The main function of the assistant is the user-friendly setup of the e-mail account and all related e-mail addresses in any of the e-mail programs mentioned above. Here, users can choose between an automatic setup (recommended) and manual configuration. During the latter, the correct user data must be entered before the e-mail address can be registered on the provider server.

By opting for automatic setup, Swisscom customers can log on to the secure Swisscom customer area. After that, they immediately get a list of all their Swisscom e-mail addresses from which they can select an address, set it up in their favourite e-mail client and define it as their standard e-mail address. All other steps of the setup process, such as entering the e-mail password, are carried out automatically and within seconds.

For this, mquadr.at has created a dedicated interface that ensures a quick and seamless data transfer between the customer PC and the provider’s server, reducing user interaction to an absolute minimum. This not only saves time and resources, but also contributes significantly to higher customer satisfaction and product ease of use, especially for inexperienced users.

The application is available in four languages (German, French, Italian and English) and can be downloaded from the Swisscom portal at www.swisscom.ch/res/hilfe/mail/. It will make e-mail administration a lot easier for Swisscom Mac customers.

WLAN

Swisscom WLAN Assistant for Mac (launch: August 2011)

The WLAN Assistant, developed by mquadr.at for Switzerland’s largest telecom provider, is now available for Mac users too. The software has been compiled in the official Mac development environment and has the same function as its Windows® twin while using interfaces (GUIs) in the 'classical' Mac design. This ensures perfect usability for Mac users.

The assistant is optimised for Mac OS X (versions 10.6 and 10.7) and takes care of complete WLAN setup and configuration, including any provider-specific hardware. This happens via the Swisscom customer portal using special requests for a seamless data transfer between the customer PC and the Swisscom server.
Thanks to this, the whole process can be automated to the greatest degree, reducing user interaction to an absolute minimum. Ultimately, user-friendliness is increased significantly which is a decisive product advantage, particularly for inexperienced users.

The setup process contains the following steps:

• User login to the Swisscom portal (within the application)
• Transfer of all WLAN credentials (user-specific WLAN data) from the Swisscom server
• (Re)configuration of the access device (CPE or modem/WLAN router), if applicable, based on the standardised RT-069 protocol
• Establishment of the wireless network connection on the customer PC

Once the process is completed, WLAN data can be displayed, stored and printed with a single mouse click.

The Swisscom WLAN Assistant made by mquadr.at is suitable for new and existing customers alike and covers all possible use cases: initial WLAN setup, switch from ethernet to WLAN, changes to WLAN data (SSID, etc.). The process implemented by mquadr.at is highly automated: the changing of WLAN data does not entail later configurations on the client PC (for instance, manual entry of WLAN data). Instead, all WLAN credentials are transferred by means of the standard protocol TR-069; modem (re)configuration is triggered and controlled by the Swisscom Auto Configuration Server (ACS).
This form of automation minimises errors and also keeps the internet connection active at all times.

The lean application is available in four languages (German, French, Italian and English) and can be downloaded for free at www.swisscom.ch/res/hilfe/internet/wlan/. It will make WLAN setup and configuration considerably easier for all Mac users within the Swisscom customer base.

PC care

'Swisscom PC-Pflege' (Launch January 2011)

The 'Swisscom PC-Pflege' was developed by mquadr.at for Swisscom, the Swiss market leader in Internet provision. This tool allows Swisscom customers to 'clean' and 'tidy' their PC, boosting its performance, with just a few clicks and without any special computer expertise.
While the program is running, customers are informed about the success of each stage before the next step is initiated – as is standard with mquadr.at applications.
The 'Swisscom PC-Pflege-Tool' includes the following core functions:

• PC Cleaning:
  • removal of .temp files and trash/recycle bin files with a single click
  • option to delete Internet history via check box
• Windows®-Update:
  • checking for availability of important Windows® updates
  • option to install available Windows® updates via a check box
• Defragmentation:
  • analysis of the hard drive, with graphics showing if defragmentation is required
  • information about how long it could take
  • option to initiate defragmentation
  The defragmentation can be started at any time and not only, as is usual with some defragmentation tools, when there is a certain percentage of fragmented data.

The software is also integrated via hyperlink in the new release of the self-care application 'Quick Help' (version 3.2). It is available in four languages and is optimised for the most popular current browsers, Microsoft® Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.
Additionally, live update functionality is integrated and runs automatically in the background to ensure that the customer always has the latest version of the 'Swisscom PC-Pflege'. The update functionality is directly integrated in the software.

With 'Swisscom PC-Pflege', customers can manage simple repairs and PC maintenance tasks themselves – without any technical skill and without any specific previous knowledge of computers. The tool can be downloaded from the Swisscom customer centre from January 2011.

QHelp 3.2

Swisscom 'Quick Help', version 3.2. including new live update feature (launch: January 2011)

The proven self-care application 'Swisscom Quick Help', which is based on mquadr.at's intelligent diagnosis and self-repair solution m2selfrepair, is receiving the following new features as part of the current upgrade to version 3.2:

• Support for the Motorola® version of the Swisscom 'Centro Grande' router.
• The management of offline service pages ('sticky pages') for both 'Centro Grande' types in use (Pirelli® and Motorola®) has been modified so that, if there is no internet connection, an error page customised for Swisscom is displayed in the browser instead of the current router interface. And the customer can also start an automatic diagnosis or repair of the problem directly from the browser at the click of a mouse.
• Support for Microsoft® Outlook 2010.
• Simultaneous (sequential during repair cycle) correction of e-mail problems and errors.
• Integration of the 'PC-Pflege-Tools' under the heading of 'nützliche Hilfsmittel' [useful aids].

New live update feature

The live update feature specially adapted for Swisscom ensures that the customer always has the latest version of 'Quick Help', which allows for the simpler and more efficient distribution of new software versions to the Swisscom customer base. Checking for available updates and the actual update happen automatically when the customer starts the software. This module, which was specially customised for Swisscom and which is based on m2liveupdate, is now integrated directly within the application – this means a separate program on the PC is no longer necessary. Additionally the customer notification cycle has been adapted.

Swisscom Live Update functionality in detail:

• Checking the update server for an available update on a weekly basis.
• If an update is available it is immediately downloaded ('silent download').
• The customer notification cycle starts immediately after the download. If the update is not initialised (for example because it was cancelled via the User Account Control [UAC] or if the customer's computer is never, or very rarely restarted) then a reminder function is activated, which notifies the user of the update every 24 hours.

QHelp 3.0

Swisscom Quick Help 3.0 (launch: November 2009)

For this tool, the technology m2selfrepair with R.I.S. (Realtime Intelligent Selfrepair) was adapted to fit the specific needs of Swisscom (Switzerland) AG and compiled into a comprehensive Internet support solution launched under the name "Swisscom Quick Help 3.0". Here, not only were the technical characteristics and the hardware supported by Swisscom considered, but also the most frequent problems of Swisscom's users concerning the topics Internet, e-mail and WLAN.

The aim of this project was to provide the end-users with a slim but powerful client software that automatically recognises defective settings that affect Internet access (including WLAN and e-mail) but also proactively corrects them. The consumer can thereby avail of efficient Swisscom Internet access without the need to call on help if a problem arises. Naturally, the areas WLAN and e-mail were considered in addition to the "offline difficulties". The supported failure situations were defined together with Swisscom in order to help customers exactly where the most frequent difficulties arise. The support solution can efficiently detect and repair more than 74 different and explicit failure situations at once, whereby even more settings are checked and corrected in the background.

Smart Error Detection (sequential system and failure diagnosis) and repair is carried out by R.I.S (Realtime Intelligent Selfrepair) in real-time, meaning that any settings that prevent Internet access, for example, will be detected and automatic repair will be offered for them. The manual execution of a diagnosis and a corresponding repair are additionally possible at any point of time. In this context, it should be pointed out that these functions are not a reaction to browser events or browser error messages: m2selfrepair with R.I.S. instantly recognises whether or not the user is offline.

A special feature is the "customized error page" within the Internet Explorer. Here, a special Swisscom site is shown, instead of a "Page not found" message, with which the diagnosis and repair of the problem can be started instantly.

The new Quick Help software has an integrated Live-Update function (m2liveupdate) to import updates at all times. The installation package was designed to migrate all existing quick help customers to the new solution via the live update of the quick help solution. Consequently, all existing Quick Help users have been profiting from the advanced version of the self-care solutions since the launch of the new Quick Help 3.0!

The installation of Quick Help 3.0 is additionally offered in all other swisscom tools developed by mquadr.at (from automatic e-mail and WLAN configuration to the e-mail repair assistant), in order to promote the distribution of this useful tool.

An integrated real-time status report on the consumer's system and the it's online/offline status offers maximum comfort for the user. Additionally, the integrated Wi-Fi (WLAN) assistant is of help if the customer wants to access detailed information about his/her Internet access or establish a wireless network connection.

In order to extend the functional area of Quick Help, an interface to the customer's area was created so that the software (as soon as the user enters his Swisscom credentials) can independently access user-specific relevant data (configured e-mail addresses, WLAN (Wifi) credentials etc.) and use it for extended repair functions.

The included m2reporting function provides Swisscom with reliable data on end- customers' use of the software: from the number of installations and de-installations to the distribution of the operating systems and security-software to the most common problems detected and successfully solved by Quick Help 3.0. (of course, only anonymous statistical data is transmitted). It is now possible for Swisscom to respond even more accurately to the actual needs of its consumers!

E-Mail...

Swisscom e-mail repair (launch: March 2009)

The e-mail repair assistant developed by mquadr.at automatically adjusts incorrect e-mail settings. This innovative tool is an ideal addition to the Swisscom e-mail set-up assistant that has been available since October 2008.

As of now, Swisscom consumers will be able to configure e-mail accounts in their favoured mail client as well as repair incorrect account configurations independently; it is not necessary to know any technical details.

The e-mail repair assistant is easy to use: it checks all relevant settings of the Swisscom e-mail accounts configured on the computer and adjusts them automatically in the case of an error. Default settings as well as user-specific data can be synchronised, that is, incorrect user names and passwords can also be detected and repaired. This is particularly helpful, if local data differs from the access data stored on Swisscom's server due to local changes performed by the user.

Using the Swisscom e-mail repair assistant, customers may easily and with just a few mouse clicks check all e-mail settings on their computer with relevance to the Swisscom e-mail accounts. Any faulty settings will be adjusted automatically. Should there be no e-mail account installed at all, a link guides users to the e-mail configurator, which takes care of setting up accounts.

Swisscom customers may use this quadrilingual solution at any time via the self- service portal (www.swisscom.ch/help)and repair their e-mail accounts unaided.

This mquadr.at solution enables Swisscom to raise the standard in customer service and extend its self-service offering in an important area of digital life.

Setup...

Swisscom setup wizard (launch: October 2008)

As an extension to the WLAN configuration software recently created for Swisscom (Switzerland) AG, an innovative set-up wizard has been developed according to Swisscom's special requirements. Besides automatic WLAN set-up, the software performs the configuration of e-mail clients. This tool is available in the secure customer area on the Swisscom portal and is used as the customer-specific set-up software for the entire configuration on the client side.

All other configuration scripts are directly accessed via Swisscom's customer portal and executed (for example, via TR069). Using a specially defined interface, the software is provided with any required customer data for e-mail as well as for WLAN set-up. Through this seamless interaction of existing registration and configuration processes on the Swisscom side (TR069) and the assistant for configuration on the client side, the last area that required manual configuration could be automated resulting in a satisfying customer experience regarding e-mail and WLAN set-up.

Beside improved WLAN set-up, the software has been enhanced with the following features:

• E-mail set-up
  Swisscom customers can choose between automated e-mail set-up and manual input of customer data on the client side. For the automated set-up of the e-mail account, the customer is solely required to enter his/her "Swisscom login". Subsequently the customer is provided with a comprehensive list of any previously registered Swisscom e-mail accounts. After that, it is possible to choose for which e-mail client program the e-mail account(s) shall be configured. Additionally, the option "Set this e-mail address as standard" can be utilised at this point. Within seconds the remaining set-up (including entry of the e-mail password) is performed automatically by the software.
• Setting of "bluewin.ch" as the start page
• Installation of the Swisscom support tool in silent mode

The Swisscom set-up assistant, available in four languages, is executed directly from within the customer portal. Afterwards the tool deletes itself automatically from the customer system. Swisscom customers are able to setup their WLAN and their e-mail accounts in a fast and secure manner and without any technical know-how.

Wi-Fi

Swisscom Wi-Fi Configurator (launch: April 2008)

mquadr.at developed a customised Wi-Fi configuration software solution for Swisscom (Switzerland) AG, the largest full service provider in Switzerland. Swisscom customers can execute und use this application directly from Swisscom's customer centre.

Based on m2wlan - the tool from mquadr.at for fully automated set-up of a wireless network - the "Wi-Fi Configurator" was built explicitly to the specific requirements of Swisscom.

All Swisscom consumers are now able to automatically set up their own Wi-Fi Internet access without any technical know-how and without the need for installation guidelines. In addition to the automatic set-up process of the wireless network connection, the user-specific Wi-Fi credentials generated by Swisscom will be taken automatically from Swisscom and, if necessary, a Wi-Fi router configuration will be triggered

This innovative tool is offered for download at Swisscom's customer centre for a first-time configuration, as well as for existing Swisscom customers who would like to switch to Wi-Fi technology or make changes to their existing Wi-Fi configuration.

It goes without saying that this quadrilingual application is fit for Microsoft® Windows® Vista and operates with all major Internet browsers. By using this "one-button" solution, Swisscom consumers are able to enjoy this fully automated solution from directly within the Swisscom customer centre.