Independent advice on certification software

[studentspark]

I have been using PIRFORM for the last two years.
Its OK. Can be slow to load.
It has a few idiosyncrasies which take a bit of getting use to, such as if you have a 2.5 mm ring circuit protected by a 32 A MCB, you have to name it a 'Ring' circuit, otherwise you keep getting a non compliant message.

It does a lot of useful things and cross checks, such as if you do a IR reading but only L/N to earth, it automatically lists it as departure and gives the regs number.
£70 ish for the year

 

[17thman]

there used to be protests about how microsoft had a monopoly upon home computing, it pails into insignificance compared to how Apple control all of your computing experience once you down load one of their products or own one of their devices. I have the advantage of being able to comabat this, most of you probably have too. But for the unaware, it is horribly absorbing

 

[RF Lighting]

AFAIK, NICEIC like you to use amtech sofware which will print directly onto their official certificates.

Personally I use iCertifi. It's on iPad and iPhone. You can download it and use it for free to have a go with it etc. You only have to pay to export the certificates. .........

Rf, I had downloaded that software on my iPhone to Play with and thought it looked quite good. When into self employed I was tempted to get an iPad and use that. How easy is it to use in the field? Or do you find yourself scribbling results down and tapping it into the iPad afterwards in the van? Thanks Chris

It depends. If it's a nice clean house I've rewired then I'll have the ipad next to me as I do the board and fill it in as I go, but if it's work in a dirty factory etc then i still have rough blank paper certificates. It doesn't matter if I drop them or they get covered in crap, then just copy it up when I get home.

If it's a quick in and out job, then it's usually a photo of the CU on my phone for all the characteristics, and jot down the results in my diary, and fill it out proper while I'm back at home doing the invoice.

 

[Sherbertlion]

AFAIK, NICEIC like you to use amtech sofware which will print directly onto their official certificates.

Personally I use iCertifi. It's on iPad and iPhone. You can download it and use it for free to have a go with it etc. You only have to pay to export the certificates. .........

Rf, I had downloaded that software on my iPhone to Play with and thought it looked quite good. When into self employed I was tempted to get an iPad and use that. How easy is it to use in the field? Or do you find yourself scribbling results down and tapping it into the iPad afterwards in the van? Thanks Chris

I try not to take paper notes at all now, that was the main reason for getting the iPad and it just saves me so much time now. Plus, there's no realising that you are missing a test result or piece of information once you've left site never to return as I usually try to make sure that the certificate is fully completed before leaving the job for the final time.

I bought an Otterbox case for it with a hanging kit so it can cope with pretty much all environments.

I use it for everything now, time sheets, estimates, notes. Don't know how I got by without it and the cert software on site!

 

[flyingsparks]

AFAIK, NICEIC like you to use amtech sofware which will print directly onto their official certificates.

Personally I use iCertifi. It's on iPad and iPhone. You can download it and use it for free to have a go with it etc. You only have to pay to export the certificates. .........

Rf, I had downloaded that software on my iPhone to Play with and thought it looked quite good. When into self employed I was tempted to get an iPad and use that. How easy is it to use in the field? Or do you find yourself scribbling results down and tapping it into the iPad afterwards in the van? Thanks Chris

I try not to take paper notes at all now, that was the main reason for getting the iPad and it just saves me so much time now. Plus, there's no realising that you are missing a test result or piece of information once you've left site never to return as I usually try to make sure that the certificate is fully completed before leaving the job for the final time.

I bought an Otterbox case for it with a hanging kit so it can cope with pretty much all environments.

I use it for everything now, time sheets, estimates, notes. Don't know how I got by without it and the cert software on site!

Sherbet lion - do you use the icertifi software on the iPad too, or something else?

 

[pauljasonuk]

I'm sure that the mighty NICEIC have a preferred software package that they will sell to you at silly money?

But some questions first.

What/how do you want to use this software?

Will you input the values in the field? On what device? laptop, tablet, IOS/Android Windows, etc
Or at home on what device/OS?

Hi ya Taylor, im looking for the easiest software that can possibly use NICEIC certs and others too, also for the time being ill be using a windows laptop in the field and at home depends on what time i have in the field

 

[pauljasonuk]

wow thanks everyone for your replies and advice to be honest theres so much choice there i have no bloody idea what to choose?!?!?!?!?

I do know that if its clean environment and i have the time id like to fill it out on site or in the van, either by laptop or maybe my iphone, i dont have an ipad yet

plus would like to use the NICEIC certs in there some where, hope that narrows it down

but if the environment was dirty id probably still scribble the schedule of circuit details down and the results next to them and fill it our after

 

[Sherbertlion]

AFAIK, NICEIC like you to use amtech sofware which will print directly onto their official certificates.

Personally I use iCertifi. It's on iPad and iPhone. You can download it and use it for free to have a go with it etc. You only have to pay to export the certificates. .........

Rf, I had downloaded that software on my iPhone to Play with and thought it looked quite good. When into self employed I was tempted to get an iPad and use that. How easy is it to use in the field? Or do you find yourself scribbling results down and tapping it into the iPad afterwards in the van? Thanks Chris

I try not to take paper notes at all now, that was the main reason for getting the iPad and it just saves me so much time now. Plus, there's no realising that you are missing a test result or piece of information once you've left site never to return as I usually try to make sure that the certificate is fully completed before leaving the job for the final time.

I bought an Otterbox case for it with a hanging kit so it can cope with pretty much all environments.

I use it for everything now, time sheets, estimates, notes. Don't know how I got by without it and the cert software on site!

Sherbet lion - do you use the icertifi software on the iPad too, or something else?

I use Tysoft Easycert as I already had this on the computer and does everything I need. It does have some annoying things but on the whole it's very good.
I have tried the ICertifi app and it is also good but I already had a database of cents on Easycert.
ICertifi much cheaper as no initial purchase cost.

 

[Sherbertlion]

wow thanks everyone for your replies and advice to be honest theres so much choice there i have no bloody idea what to choose?!?!?!?!?

I do know that if its clean environment and i have the time id like to fill it out on site or in the van, either by laptop or maybe my iphone, i dont have an ipad yet

plus would like to use the NICEIC certs in there some where, hope that narrows it down

but if the environment was dirty id probably still scribble the schedule of circuit details down and the results next to them and fill it our after

Easycert allows you to overprint NIC certificates which works well once you've set it up to work with your printer. I don't bother with the NIC cents anymore, just print out the standard Easycert version. It's been years since anyone was actually bothered about seeing the NIC logo on a certificate ( apart from the NIC of course!)

You'll go nuts trying to use certificate software on the iPhone, too small as think.

 

[pauljasonuk]

wow thanks everyone for your replies and advice to be honest theres so much choice there i have no bloody idea what to choose?!?!?!?!?

I do know that if its clean environment and i have the time id like to fill it out on site or in the van, either by laptop or maybe my iphone, i dont have an ipad yet

plus would like to use the NICEIC certs in there some where, hope that narrows it down

but if the environment was dirty id probably still scribble the schedule of circuit details down and the results next to them and fill it our after

Easycert allows you to overprint NIC certificates which works well once you've set it up to work with your printer. I don't bother with the NIC cents anymore, just print out the standard Easycert version. It's been years since anyone was actually bothered about seeing the NIC logo on a certificate ( apart from the NIC of course!)

You'll go nuts trying to use certificate software on the iPhone, too small as think.

Thanks for your info. Ill try the easy cert. thing is the clients I am working with at the moment (due to set in their ways and reputation etc) always request NICEIC Certs so ill definitely still be using them. After all they are paying the money.

One thing I have just discovered.... Very soon the NICEIC are launching online certificates that you can fill out on line there and then. So what with me having mobile broadband and 3G with phones etc this sounds pretty good. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks Paul

 

[Sherbertlion]

I your situation I would use the trial version of Easycert and then check out the new NICEIC pay as you go software.

NICEIC also do their own software but you have to buy certificate numbers and if you are not AC then I don't think you can use EICR forms or the full installation certificate for commercial and industrial works. Not sure how this will work with the new pay as you go software..

 

[pauljasonuk]

Hello. Thanks for the info. Yes I am AC with NICEIC. So hopefully it will be fine for me to use the online software if it isn't to expensive of course. I will also compare between easy cert and the NIC own software

 

[pauljasonuk]

Hello. Thanks for the info. Yes I am AC with NICEIC. So hopefully it will be fine for me to use the online software if it isn't too expensive of course. I will also compare between easy cert and the NIC own software