Colo "Included Remote Hands" vs Real Smart Hands
Facility remote hands is often a basic, scripted service: reboot, reseat, read a light, photograph a rack. Smart hands is skilled work with judgement — installs, structured cabling, fault isolation, hardware swaps under pressure. Sysadmins on forums complain when those two get marketed as the same thing.
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What included remote hands usually means
- Equinix sells Smart Hands as prepaid or monthly hour packages, not a free perk — discounted against ad hoc rates, with one month of rollover on unused hours
- NextDC runs Remote Hands through the ONEDC portal for scheduled work, or the 24/7 Smart Desk for anything urgent — billed in 20-minute blocks
- Equinix's own terms cap the work to visual and physical support of your hardware, no application support, and a request outside that scope can be declined
- Variable skill between shifts — you get whoever is rostered, not the technician who did the last job
When that is enough
Known reboot, visual check, simple cable reseat with you on the phone and clear labels.
When you need real smart hands
- Rack and stack, structured cabling, multi-step installs
- Hardware diagnosis beyond a single reboot
- Tight change windows with rollback
- After-hours urgency where facility SLA is slow or shallow
See also smart vs remote hands and remote hands / smart hands services.
Why the facility's hands are a different product
That is not the facility being difficult. It is a different product. Facility remote hands protects their floor. Third-party smart hands is there for judgement, cabling quality and a change window you actually own. eWEB TEC covers that Sydney metro belt 24/7 so you are not hoping the included ticket and the after-hours shift line up.
If the job is “reseats this labelled cable”, book remote hands. If the job is “make this rack look like the drawing and tell me why the first NIC is dark”, book smart hands. Mixing them in one panicked ticket wastes the first hour.
FAQ
Is facility remote hands free?
Sometimes a small included allowance exists; skilled or after-hours work is usually chargeable and limited in scope.
Can facility staff install complex hardware?
Policies vary. Many limit work to basic remote hands unless you book higher-skill support.
When should I use a third-party like eWEB TEC?
When you need judgement, cabling quality, after-hours urgency, or consistent multi-site coverage.
How is Equinix Smart Hands actually billed?
As prepaid or monthly support-hour plans, discounted against ad hoc pricing, with unused monthly hours rolling over for one month. It is a paid product, not a free extra.
How do I book NextDC Remote Hands?
Scheduled work goes through the ONEDC self-service portal; urgent jobs go to the 24/7 Smart Desk. It is billed in 20-minute increments, not included free.
Need reliable hands beyond the facility ticket?