For the last few months, I’ve been showing you photos of fiber optic installations I’ve taken as I wander around the city of Santa Monica, Calif., where I live. This month is another in this series, with a few detours around...
What will workplaces look like as they begin to reopen from the coronavirus? Will contact tracing with smartphones locate, track and report potential carriers? Will temperature and fever detection become required to gain...
In my May 2020 Fiber Optics column, I mentioned seeing a crew pulling cable in my neighborhood in a way that was likely to do significant damage to the cable. Now I’ll share with you some of the photos I took and analyze what...
As the world slowly returns to work and public spaces, technology is being leveraged to keep the coronavirus in check and prevent spread of the contagion. Many in the workforce and others will soon find themselves part of new...
In my July 2018 column, “Construction Without Disruption,” I said directional boring and microtrenching are the least disruptive construction practices used in urban areas, so I was pleased to stumble upon an excellent...
Is the fire alarm too loud? If you’ve ever been asked this question, you may have wondered whether the questioner had a point or not. First I reviewed the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listed horn available on the market...
As one of Chicago’s oldest family-owned electrical contractors, Taylor Electric Co. attributes its staying power to communication and quality work. The company focuses on vertical commercial and residential/hospitality...
As facial recognition manufacturers grapple with wide-ranging restrictions and outright bans in cities and states across the country, the physical security industry is stepping up with advocacy and education, focusing on the...
If you have ever installed fire alarm systems, you more than likely have run into issues that have made you question the design or installation drawings. Many of these questions develop into installation blunders due to a...
In my column in February’s print issue of Electrical Contractor, I suggested it was a good time to upgrade your KSAs—your knowledge, skills and abilities—in fiber optics. Online I thought I’d present you with an online self...
Who’s to blame in the Ring privacy breaches and subsequent lawsuits filed late 2019 and early 2020 against owner Amazon? Plaintiffs point the finger at potentially insecure Ring devices, while the maker’s defense is customers...
There's an impressive assortment of new construction technology on the market helping users complete more tasks while keeping their companies profitable and regularly securing work. There are undeniable benefits associated...
Most contractors feel confident that they have the qualifications to install any fire alarm system, regardless of size or complexity. You likely already know that only an unfinished fire alarm system can delay the occupancy...
One of my recent magazine columns focused on a noncommunications use of fiber optics—lighting. In this article, I’ll revisit the topic to flesh out that topic even more, using illustrations to show how fiber optic lighting...
The recently updated U.S. government ‘trade blacklist’ of Chinese companies could ultimately have a widespread effect on future development of cameras, artificial intelligence (AI) and facial recognition technology for the...
When California rings in 2020, it will become the first state with legislation covering internet of things (loT) devices. Signed into law in September 2019, SB-327 Information Privacy: Connected Devices, was enacted in...
Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has taken off in impressive ways. Using the technology, people have created everything from prosthetic limbs to food quicker than they would using other methods. Greater...
The purpose statement of the NEC, section 90.1(A) states, “The purpose of this Code is the practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity.” In other words, it all comes back to...
Some power quality (PQ) potential problems have very few outwardly detectable signs. Voltage sags are called blinks in some trouble reports as the lights have a noticeable change in intensity, as does voltage fluctuations...
Too many people look at NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, as a design manual and feel using the book is all that is necessary when designing a fire alarm system. Others assume that if they know how to put...
