Thermeon Customer Support is frequently asked if the "full version" of CARS+ can be run on a mobile device for purposes such as supporting rental agents remotely (from home), remote monitoring of the daily business or opening a rental agreement when delivering a vehicle. It is possible to run CARS+ on a mobile device. The mobile device must have internet connectivity via either a WiFi and/or cellular data (3G or 4G) connection.

The process for installing a CARS+-compatible connection client depends on the operating system running on the mobile device. These are detailed below.

Windows

Tablets running the full version of Windows 8 or Windows 10 are capable of running CARS+. Simply download and install the AbsoluteSSH application as you would on a standard computer. This currently is the only solution which gives complete functionality equivalent to using a computer. Please note:


iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch)

Printing is an issue. Before proceeding, please refer to Note #2 below. If willing to contend with this limitation, proceed as follows:

  1. Go to the App Store and purchase TinyTERM Enterprise for iOS (iPad/iPhone). Once installed, configure the software as detailed below:
  2. Tap “Configure”, then “Add New Configuration”.
  3. Most settings can remain at their default. Only those that need to be changed are noted here:
    1. Name: Assign an appropriate name, such as CARS+
    2. Hostname: Enter the domain name or IP address of your CARS+ server. This will be the name or address seen displayed in the AbsoluteSSH program when first launching the program just above the "Username:" prompt. Do not include the ":22" part, only that part which ends with ".io", ".com" or ".com.au". If unsure what to enter here, contact Thermeon Customer Support.
    3. Protocol: SSH
    4. Username: The account name you use to log in to your CARS+ server
    5. Prevent Disconnect: On
    6. Emulation: SCOANSI
    7. Terminal Type String: scoansi (must be lowercase)
    8. Portrait Settings
      1. Use same settings for both Keyboard Shown and Keyboard Hidden
      2. Rows: 25
      3. Columns: 80
      4. Resize When Hidden: On
      5. Main Layout: Select language-appropriate keyboard with "Fn" (function) keys
    9. Landscape Settings — See comment regarding landscape use below
      1. Keyboard Shown Rows: 50
      2. Keyboard Hidden Rows: 25
      3. Columns (both): 80
      4. Resize When Hidden: On
      5. Main Layout: Select language-appropriate keyboard with "Fn" (function) keys
    10. Host UTF-8 Support: On
    11. Host Code Page: ISO 8859-1 Latin-1
    12. Print Screen Printer: Email — See note regarding printing below
    13. Transparent Printer: Email — See note regarding printing below
      1. Tap "Printer Settings" and set appropriate defaults, including default email address.
      2. Go back to main configuration page.
    14. Background: Blue
    15. Foreground: White
    16. Cursor: Black
    17. Bold: Yellow
    18. Tap “Done”
    19. Tap “Connect"

Notes:

  1. Use in landscape mode is not recommended. In order to display both the CARS+ screen and the keyboard, the CARS+ screen becomes so compressed vertically, that it’s hard to read. Portrait mode works just fine.
  2. Printing does not work. The work-around is to set up an email account to which the user(s) have access on the mobile device. In CARS+, set the printer(s) to EMAIL. Email the document to the email address accessible from the device. Open the email, open the pdf attachment and print the document.
  3. If the same Apple ID is configured into more than one device, the TinyTerm app can be loaded to all devices without having to re-purchase.

Android

The TinyTerm Enterprise application (see iOS section above) is also available for Android. At this point, Thermeon has no direct experience with installing this on an Android device. As a result, we cannot provide assistance. Please click here to visit the TinyTerm for Android website for more information.