All K–2 schools are now in session for the 2018–2019 school year. Those of you who provide fire alarm systems for this occupancy have probably experienced the last-minute rush to get new systems installed, programmed and...
Allison-Smith Co., Smyrna, Ga., has been doing low-voltage installations since the 1980s, when it began working with IBM to install cable on its projects that involved connecting personal computers to each other. The company...
We don’t “build” buildings anymore. We assemble them. Most of what we have always categorized as “material” now more accurately deserves to be called “products.” Consequently, today in new construction or service work, the...
We can’t make sense out of the horrible events we see on the news. However, with outdoor and perimeter detection that offers additional safeguards with new integrated technologies, security industry professionals can work to...
For the last few columns, I’ve focused on fiber optic cables, their types, installation techniques, etc. With that background, I want to cover some additional details you need to know to design and install a fiber optic cable...
Like pyramids in Egypt, oil wells dot the landscape on the plains of Oklahoma, pumping ceaselessly. Back in Texas, petroleum engineers sit in their cubicles, monitoring picture-perfect renditions of the wells on a flatscreen...
According to data from “Fires in Structures Under Construction,” published in this month by the NFPA Research, Data and Analytics Division, and other media reports, fires occurred at 3,820 U.S. construction sites with an...
When corporations communicate from their meeting rooms across multiple sites and cities, many use technology from companies that specialize in these kinds of high-tech solutions. Conferencing and collaboration solutions are a...
Every technology has its own jargon, of course. Some of it we joke about because it’s mostly TLAs—the abbreviation for “three letter abbreviation,” the favorite way tech people have of showing how cool they are. I remember a...
The Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles stands at 1,100 feet and has 73 floors above grade with 900 hotel rooms, 16 floors of office space, meeting rooms, ballrooms with supporting kitchens, restaurants and lounges. It also...
The 2019 edition of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, was voted on during the technical session at the NFPA Conference in Las Vegas in June. Only a few Certified Amending Motions were filed, none of which would...
Recently, the Fiber Optic Association (FOA) has worked with and, at times, even trained city planners and traffic engineers. After talking to people responsible for municipal networks, it’s clear why they are so harried. They...
In April 2018, a fire broke out in New York’s Trump Tower. An overloaded electrical circuit caused a fire that killed one person and injured six firefighters. By some estimates, electrical fires have reached a level where...
As technology continues to advance, more companies are realizing the future is all about comprehensive and complete integration. Rather than operating a number of technology systems in parallel, the way to get the most from...
The explosive growth of the digital world—including connected IoT devices—is creating the need for more sophisticated data centers across the globe, according to the report, “ Data Center Construction Market - Global Outlook...
A new generation of building automation technology, as well as new open standards, are prompting contractors to upgrade the wiring and hardware for each facilities’ intelligence. The changes in standards and trend toward IP...
In March, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a joint alert that revealed Russian government hackers have attacked and gained access to U.S. government infrastructure,...
In a perfect world, before designing or installing an underground fiber optic network, you phone the Call-Before-You-Dig number, 811, and get a file (or a set of paper drawings, if you are old-school) that would include...
You may be great with security and surveillance, but what about protecting the networks your customers’ video or other sensitive data and information is riding on? Are you selecting the correct products, cyber-hardened from...
As President John F. Kennedy said: “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” This quote applies to all we do in the fire alarm systems business. Buildings...
