A new specification for advanced video streaming released by ONVIF will continue the organization’s goals of promoting advanced interoperability between IP-based physical security solutions. ONVIF, a global and open industry...

One of your business’ primary goals is to ensure the work is done right the first time, everything is code-compliant and that the installation will reliably operate well into the future. To meet your profit and reliability...

What will fire alarm systems of the future be like? Technology is changing rapidly, and historically, fire alarm systems have not kept up with these modifications. That is starting to change. In the 2016 NFPA 72, National...

How long can your customer expect their installed security to be effective? What is the average life of surveillance, access control or intrusion detection? How can you prepare your customers for the future so they have the...

In 2010, a cyberattack was launched against the Iranian nuclear program. Stuxnet—a malicious computer worm that is part of a family of worms often referred to as malware—invaded the nuclear power plant through its control...

Recently, I have been working with one of the Fiber Optics Association’s (FOA) overseas instructors, who teaches a program in outside plant (OSP) fiber optic cable plant construction, to create a curriculum for all FOA...

While a number of low-voltage contractors specialize in one or more types of low-voltage (structured cabling, security, audio/video, etc.), some of them emphasize combining their offerings into a single integrated package for...

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...