Elevating Site Walks
for Electricians and Engineers

The time your team is spending now on organizing the photos by location or equipment name and then reading values from the photos to enter them into analysis software could be better spent completing more projects. VAON lets your staff focus on high-value engineering tasks rather than renaming jpgs and keying in values from photos.

Yes, the app is built for iPads. The larger display (compared to a phone) makes it easier to check the photos for clarity while you’re still able to re-take them. Working in the single line and floor plan is much easier too when you don’t have to pan and zoom as much.

VAON runs on the latest iOS version. Check for this in the compatibility section toward the bottom of our app store page here.

To see the latest iOS version a given iPad can run, consult this iPad Compatibility Table.

To find the iOS version installed on your device, go to Settings > General > About.

The .vaon file type is the project file used by VAON. A .vaon file can be transferred between devices and opened on iPads that have the app installed. It contains all the project data, metadata, and media (photos, diagrams, floor plan PDF underlays, etc.)

For the best experience with the app, we recommend the latest iPad Pro with the largest screen size. Here’s why:

• LiDAR Scanner: The iPad Pro features a LiDAR Scanner which you can use to take measurements overlaid on your photos.
• Brightness: The Pro’s higher display brightness (extra nits) ensures better visibility on rooftops and under intense artificial lighting.
• Screen Size: Larger screen sizes enhance usability by letting you see more of your diagram and floor plan at once.

Check out the iPad Pro line here.

Yes, if preferred, you can skip creating the single line. For this use case, you can show the floor plan in full screen (drag the divider to hide the diagram) then focus on recording equipment locations and taking photos from the floor plan.

Yes, you can import your existing system data into the app before your walk and then hone in the portions that require updates.

Absolutely. You can use just the single line portion of the app if desired. You can also create your own temporary to-scale PDF showing the exterior walls of the building by starting with Google Earth imagery. Even if you just have a napkin-sketch quality drawing, that will work too.

If/when you do receive a better floor plan later, you can load it in as a new underlay and fine-tune your equipment positions.

After a short tutorial, most senior and mid-level engineers have found VAON faster and easier to use than their previous methods (laptop, pen & paper, phone camera plus notes, etc.) EITs and junior engineers often perform better with VAON because its structure helps guide them through a standard data collection process. Most users find their stride with the app within the first two hours on site.

After installation, VAON offers pay-as-you-go pricing options. If your team goes six months without doing any site visits, there won’t be any subscription charges to worry about, but VAON will be ready when a survey gets added to the calendar in month 7.

All the photos and data collected are stored on the device. All processing runs locally as well. Apple takes user privacy seriously and concerned parties can see this certification for the app on the app’s store page.

The large display of an iPad facilitates a visitor to use the app for photo-taking while providing transparency to an escort or sponsor as to what is being captured. The app also features a per-project media gallery. At the end of the site walk, the user can and sponsor/escort can review all photos captured for compliance with applicable protocols.

Yes, this is an area where VAON shines. If you just take normal photos, then someone still has to data entry back at the office based on each of those photos. The same transcription is necessary if you’re taking hand-written notes. Please click here for more information.

Yes.

Except for payment processing (which you don’t need while you’re on site), VAON works fully offline. Loss of signal won’t impact your work.

1. iPad Case—a shoulder strap is indispensable for keeping your hands free to open and close panel doors during the walkthrough
2. Clip Light—the built-in flash will drain the device battery more quickly and the glare can reduce photo legibility. A clip light will keep the photo-taking process fast and let you preview for legibility before capture.
3. Long Focus Telephoto Lens—whether you don’t want have access to a scissor lift or just don’t want to take the time, giving yourself the option to capture labels on busways and trapeze mounted equipment enables you to be more thorough during your survey.