Tech Talk

Displaying 21 - 37 of 37

Tech Talk: How to Improve Your Efficiency, Productivity

September 29, 2010

Let's face it, operations of all sorts are running on "lean and mean."

Becoming a BAS Artist

September 1, 2010

Did you know that close to 15 percent of the energy consumption in North America goes to running things like lighting, computers and HVAC in office buildings?

Where There’s a Wire (or Not), There’s a Way

May 1, 2010

What do fire alarms and barbed-wire fences have in common? Stay tuned …

Backup Power: Don’t Be Left in the Dark

February 1, 2009

No matter what part of the country you live in, the possibility exists of being faced with a natural disaster. This winter saw a large number of ...

Tech Talk: Setting Your Sites for Tech Tips

January 1, 2009

Well here we are with another exciting year ahead of us in the security industry. I thought I would take some time this month to ...

December 2008 Tech Talk Online Q & A

December 1, 2008

Q: I just lost another DVM that fell off an alarm cabinet when I was testing the panel. I have tried using clips to hold my meter in place but they just don’t always have an easy place to connect. Any suggestions?

November 2008 Tech Talk Online Q & A

November 1, 2008

Q: I have a commercial customer that lately has been very angry with me. He has had some construction work in which some of the alarm circuits have been disrupted. The only time he finds out that there is a problem with the alarm system is when he goes to arm the system at night. Then he has to call me and wait for me to come over and fix the faulty circuits. What can I do to minimize these last minute problems?

Weighing the Alternatives

October 1, 2008

Since the turn of the millennia, residential customers have been adding wireless communication ...

April 2008 Tech Talk Online Q & A

April 1, 2008

Q: Some of the techs have been arguing back in forth if end-of-line (EOL) resistors on alarm loops are really necessary? If it is a closed loop, any opening of the cable will cause an alarm eventually as the customer will have to try to arm their system.

Getting Attuned to RFID Vulnerabilities

March 1, 2008

Here we go again; a different technology, but a similar story. RFID (radio frequency identification) has reached a point of large popularity. It is being used today everywhere from tracking library books, retail items and military inventory to personal identification and security access cards. It is also found in remote automobile access, toll payment transponders, basic smart cards and ...

February 2008 Tech Talk Online Q & A

February 1, 2008

Q: I have had several commercial alarm accounts that are a problematic with recurring hold-up false alarms. The alarm circuits checkout fine and I really suspect the employees are accidentally pressing the momentary buttons, but don’t want to admit it. Please help.

Serial Still Part of a Balanced Connectivity Diet

February 1, 2008

Most of the time today technical personnel are dealing with the new and ever-expanding areas of Ethernet and IP connectivity. The progress of PCs and network technology is moving so fast that younger technicians who are often IP literate find themselves sometimes getting caught off-guard when faced with ...

January 2008 Tech Talk Online Q & A

January 1, 2008

Q: I have a customer who wants me to modify some UL-listed panic hardware with a nonlisted retrofit kit. Does this void the listing on the panic hardware? ...

Securing the Great Outdoors

January 1, 2008

Everything technical we have learned in the past via “Tech Talk” will be pushed to the max when applied to outside perimeter security. Perimeter security can apply to everything from the perimeter of a vault, a room, a building, a building complex, a community, or even the border of a country. That means we may be dealing with alarm sensing circuits that can go from feet to miles in distance, placing a large demand on ...