Ask any electrical contractor—fire alarm installations are on the upswing. Much of the need in the marketplace is driven by codes or the need to update an aging building infrastructure with new fire protection technologies. Your goal, of course, is the all important certificate of occupancy. READ MORE
Deborah L. O'Mara
Freelance Writer
Deborah O'Mara is the president of DLO Communications in Park Ridge, Ill., specializing in low-voltage. She also is the former editor of Security + Life Safety Systems. She can be reached at 847.384.1916 or domara@earthlink.net.
Articles by Deborah L. O'Mara
August 2006
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Fifteen million users couldn’t be wrong. That’s how many surveillance cameras were sold in 2005, according to a leading security industry report. As security concerns rise, closed-circuit television surveillance (CCTV) continues to come to the rescue. It’s getting noticed by electrical contractors, partly because of the end-user’s intense interest in video. READ MORE
August 2006
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Change, they say, is good for the soul. That sentiment, however, was nowhere in sight when changes to the 40-year-old 16-division structure of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) MasterFormat were first undertaken several years ago. READ MORE
July 2006
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Relax. Fire alarm panels are intuitive, multifunctional labor saving devices that allow custom programming and the ability to tailor the equipment to the facility. Electrical contractors can just hit the button with the advanced options fire alarm controls offer. READ MORE
July 2006
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Low-voltage systems integration specialist and National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) member Commercial Electronic Systems Inc., (CES) Joliet, Ill., recently completed an installation at a groundbreaking multiuse community YMCA facility in Plainfield, Ill., designed to handle the extraordinary growth around Chicago. READ MORE
July 2006
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It’s the information transport systems or cabling that makes data, voice and video come to life. Throw it in and go is not an option. Everything must be planned and tailored to the application and that goes for the type of wire and cable deployed. READ MORE
June 2006
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The residential connectivity explosion continues, and we are on the cusp of the adoption curve of technology—good news for electrical contractors. Whether you work with a builder or venture out on your own, it is a “gotta have it” type of world. That is what many of your customers are saying about home controls and automation. READ MORE
June 2006
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Thermal or infrared imaging, also referred to as thermography, is a given for high-tech surveillance where low light, darkness and weather conditions are a factor. In addition, this workhorse of perimeter facility detection and protection addresses a number of other emerging markets that extend the range of its applicability. READ MORE
May 2006
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Beyond the thumping speakers and other state-of-the-art products devoted to audio and visual, the concept of integration emerged strongly, once again. Sight and sound directly from the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) Systems Expo 2006 in Las Vegas confirmed that it is not audio-only, but a host of other hardware, software, systems and services that continue to merge and converge. READ MORE