I wondered what my train hobby looks like from the train's point of view?
Lionel has fitted a camera (and WiFi node) to a Caboose, called the CupolaCam Caboose. There are several road names out there.
Over Christmas I got one. It didn't work well. I contacted Lionel service and they agreed to repair it under warranty. Great, they even sent a pre-paid UPS label.
Being impatient I bought a second CupolaCam Caboose (different road name, but the same idea) and it worked perfectly right out of the box.
A month went by and Lionel contacted me to say they believe the WiFi module "was bad" and a new one would be installed, the unit would be shipped back. No Charge. Yipee!
When it did arrive I quickly discovered that it was DOA. Total disappointment. Now what do i do??
I noticed that the returned unit rattled, so I took it apart (they're not made to easily come apart..)
Well, an electrical connector was unplugged. 
I put it back where it should go and everything works. I tried to unplug the same connector and it's really difficult, so I doubt it was shaken loose in transit.
Once I had linked the newly repaired Caboose to my iPhone I noticed it had a different SSID (to when I first got this unit), which tells us it was indeed a replacement WiFi module.
The electronics inside the Caboose were loose, the soldering of poor quality, and a single cable tie holding the WiFi module just flopped around. The cable tie mount was there but not being used.
No wonder it was unreliable. Also the WiFi Antenna was tied to a wire bundle, and it should have been in free-space to work well. I adjusted it and used electrical tape to hold it in position.
All is well! Did I get fair treatment form Lionel? Did this item escape from the factory this way? Was a five week turn-around at Lionel typical?
Peter,
