That Security System Sign makes you safer from Burglars? Really?

You see them all over the place like Mushrooms.
Security System signs and stickers with whoever s company name on them.
or just a generic sign like this one.

WARNING I HAVE AN ALARM STAY AWAY.

Well that's what there suppose to do . But do you know that sign could be very attractive to certain Professional Burglars .
How can this be well it all depends some professional burglars who ply there trades in the more affluent neighborhoods look for these signs deliberately. Because when you have an alarm and no one else in the neighborhood it peeks there interest why?
Because they figure you have something of value like a Gun or Coin Collection or other high value target your worried about protecting while everyone else on the street do not seem to be concerned. If you do not believe me look up Willie Carter in the Pa. Dept. of Correction's
a master burglar they called "The Snake " he was so good at sneaking into and out of homes and never got caught breaking in but when he fenced the goods. When he was interviewed in the Pittsburgh Papers years back he told why he targeted certain homes and alarms are what told him that's where to go looking something of value is in there. Due to the fact he had been a contractor he knew exactly where and how to get into a home and bypass alarm systems.There have been several professionals like the snake around Western Pa. over the years with the same story how they picked there victims.
now I am not saying do not use signs and stickers but for the most part my customers do not .
They would rather surprise a burglar there's a system than clue them off to it.
This is a personnel choice.
With so many cookie cutter freebie alarms out there burglars know exactly whats armed and whats not armed and how to get around them. When you put a known brand sign out there the burglar knows exactly what type of system you have and how to beat them.Often just having to cut the phone line unless it is backed up with cell ,radio or IP monitoring.
Yes the signs and alarms keep away most amateur criminals and junkies but not professionals
and even if they do trip the system they know they have several minutes before the police arrive that's why they often carry police scanners with them in case they trip a silent burglar alarm .
A security system is only one step in fully protecting your home and business. proper lighting , locks and keeping shrubs etc clear . and being guarded in what you show or do all help.
There was just a home invasion in McKeesrocks Pa.yesterday because some one showed off there guns to the wrong person and you guessed it they where hit this morning.
When it comes to security always think is what I am doing attracting some one.

Resolution Products a product that solves Wireless alarm Compatability issues

Taking over existing Honeywell ITI, DSC,2 Gig , NAPCO
wireless systems and making them work with what ever panel your using has always been an issue which means everything in the system has to be changed.
Well that use to be the case till resolution Products came along

http://resolutionproducts.com/

They make the impossible possible. By allowing an existing hardwired system tie to a wireless self contained system control like Honeywell Lynx or DSC Alexor or allowing one manufacturers product to work with another manufacturers product. Such as DSC wireless transmitters to work on a Honeywell system.

This is important when you have a customer who wants a new system but does not want to have to change out every last wireless sensor in the home or business to there preferred panel they want to use.
The alarm industry has always allowed hard wired devices except for addressable devices to interchange such as door contacts and motions but when it come to wireless forget it you had to change everything. Now you do not . Resolution Products set up fast and work well.

A new IP based monitoring Service for Alarms and Data

I was at the supply house yesterday when I ran into 2 reps from ipDatatel
who provide Broadband Data monitoring

http://www.ipdatatel.com/

They have an interesting line of products to monitor and control any ones alarm system over the Internet VS cellular communication which can get expensive if your using large amounts of data.

There products use the Zigbee Interface to allow for control of many different items in the home

http://www.zigbee.org/Home.aspx

They have products that allow the monitoring of Serial output RS232 etc.

which I am looking into for some customers who want to monitor process levels etc. and this is definitely a company you want to keep your eye on.

AED Units Lifesaving units with few regulations where there to be mounted and stored

At left is one of many AED units Automated Emergency Defibrillator Unit.
designed to assist those having a heart attack whose heart has stopped beating you are finding them in more public buildings and office's as CPR alone does not have the success that AED units due.
The units are designed to be operated by some one with even limited medical knowledge and come with voice instructions and excellent graphics show where to
apply the pads and the units will not administer a shock unless an abnormal rhythm requires it.

With this in mind you would think there would be be rules and regulations where these units should be located and how there stored but that's does not seem to be the case While the FDA has stringent rules to the manufacture of the units that also require them to sound an alert when there battery goes low so you know its time to service the unit which currently is yearly . There are no national standards or guidelines which I have been able to find as far as where to mount how to mount or high high to mount these units.Or if and when to alarm them.

While some units simply sit on a shelf in a covert like at my dentist office some are in simple cabinets with signs directing you to them. While other as have alarms which sound when there removed from a cabinet and flash a strobe light . While others like the one I installed at a lodge at a public park are tied to a supervised loop on a Fire Alarm system which calls a central station which notify s medics the AED has been deployed.
Which can save valuable time during an emergency to help 911 know exactly where the emergency is going on in the park.
So as you can see it is pretty much up to who buys them where and how they mount them.
In the case of my dentist I would hope the staff during an emergency remembers the unit is in the covert.I have suggested he mount it out where public can see it.
But once again instead of common sense recommendations being put forth with the units its being left up to each buyer how to handle it which one day will cause an unneeded death and bring lawsuits which will then bring national codes and regulations which make no sense and cause undo burden.Because there written by the big guys in the industry with strictly there interests and profits in mind.
But that's always the way it seems to go make a product push it with out guidelines and sit back and watch the calamity happen.

Your disabled theres a Fire . Will you get assistance when you enter the Area of Rescue Room and push the Help Button?

Your a Disabled Individual in a Wheel Chair your working late at your desk in an empty to almost empty office building when a severe storm suddenly envelopes your building and the high winds have knocked out power and the IP phones. The emergency lights come on but you can not get out the elevators have no power. Now what?
You guide yourself into the Area of Rescue Assistance room a special built fire proof room
designed to keep you safe during an emergency and alert authorities you need assistance.
You push the big red button you see the communicate light come on but no one is coming to help you. Or you push the button there is no light because there is no back up battery on the system or its not been tested and maintained. Now what are you not suppose to be able to get help 24/ 7 in this room ?
Well until the latest code update the answer is NO.
The button you have pushed has turned the alerting light's and buzzers in the lobby panel on but theirs no one attending the entry desk down stairs. You could end up spending the night in the building unless some one knows to come looking for you.
Why ? Good question when these rooms where first designed they where intended to protect during a fire which they do with 2 hr rated fire walls . But the communication systems where not required to be in continuously attended locations or wiring supervised for breaks or even tested at regular intervals to make sure there working.
While you could go over and pull the manual Fire alarm station if there even is one ,which would get Fire dept to building who would see your trapped. Some Fire alarms are local only and do not report and if the phone lines are down and no back up cell phone in place now what.
Well you say to your self should the disabled person have been more prepared. Yes most are even carrying flashlights and cell phones and haven taken special classes to deal with emergency's. But as we all know things can and do fail at the wrong time and that includes cell phones batteries.

With the above scenario having played out in the news The NFPA 72 Fire codes now require that Area of Rescue Assistance Systems report off site to a supervising station if the lobby stations are not continuously attended.
But why did it take 20? years to bring it about ? Because as usual its the normal agenda if it just does not happen and do not listen to the people in the field who encounter these problems or realize they could happen.
NFPA never takes that one extra step of looking forward as a result codes are always catching up after a tragedy has happened and lessons learned. Close your eyes NFPA and UL and never listen to people like me and keep suffering the humiliation every time problems like this keep popping up. Its time UL and NFPA pulls its head out of its ass and start taking a better look at codes and filing in the gaps that are missing.

Also as usual all the existing rooms and communication system will be left as is only new systems
have to meet the 24/ 7 supervision and off site reporting. Most systems being sold still do not have this option and most installing companys and AHJ have no idea this provision was even put in the code.
Just hope your in a new building if you would get trapped. and there not using IP or digital phone
lines to do the reporting.

Whats with all the different Colored Strobes I now see in buildings and have Alert marked on them ? Alert for what?

Have you been in a Federal Office Building or a large College/University Campus and noticed that different colored Strobe Lights are in Clear, Blue or Yellow and beside them it is written " Alert "

Alert for what exactly?

Well these strobes are part of a new Mass Notification System
intended to warn you of problems in the building or campus.
While clear has been the traditional color for Fire Alert some systems are now using clear, yellow or blue to alert you to an approaching dangerous weather condition like a Tornado or a gunmen may be approaching , or a dangerous cloud of gas from an industrial accident is drifting towards you.
When you see a Yellow , Blue or Clear strobe activate you should here an alerting tone followed by voice instructions what to do such as stay in place report to an evacuation point etc.
But what about hearing impaired, they can not hear the message. In this case digital display boards may come on with written instructions if installed or come over security/surveillance monitors in halls . Also at same time dialer's /communicators are sending out Text and Email messages to staff and students giving instructions as well.

The systems are designed to notify as many people as possible no matter where they are in a building or on a campus as to what is happening and what to do.

While you may not encounter these systems in your daily travels as they are normally found in larger college and corporate campuses and military installations they will slowly be making there way into smaller installations as they become more popular and lower in cost to install.

Colored strobes have been around for years in Industrial/ manufacturing environments to warn of dangers and have worked very well at protecting workers.

The important thing to remember if you hear tones or see strobe lights activating stay alert for announcements or what might be displayed across screens and monitors in your area.
There may also be permanently posted instructions on walls to follow as well.

You will love this Music / Intercom system

ON-Q Legrand Lyric System
is one great sounding music ,Intercom and surveillance system all in one.

http://www.legrand.us/onq.aspx

Forget even looking at Nutone or wasting your money on that system its garbage every system I ever put in I ended up ripping out and replacing it out of disgust with the product which is a total waste of money.

On -Q has so much more and is backed up with the power of Pass& Seymore Legrand brands .

First off its a whole house sound system
that sounds great and is individual room controlled . you can dock your I pad or other MP3 player to it for a great sound

Every one I have put them in for loves them easy to use and operate and be able to keep an eye on things.

Or if you opt for the full touch screen can get Internet Radio Stations , The Weather , See who is at the door and let them in with optional electric strikes. stage and control lights and so much more and even control it with your smart phone. The system uses cat 5E cabling and 2 conductor speaker wire and can use any ones good quality speakers. Everyone I have put them in for loves them. and new features are coming out all the time. you can go from a basic system to full blown easily . Check out the video on the system below .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhBiZsabYes&feature=player_embedded#!

:One sad note first time I set all cable up and wired one of these in the local Representative for ON Q come on site to help show me and friend how to program this system and he was shocked to find all the cat 5 wiring correct every other time he has helped there has been wiring issues.Which sadly tells you the quality of installers and techs out there in my area all this is cat 5 wired to 2568A style . The Fire Alarm experts in Pittsburgh who install these systems as well have never gotten one right first time. sad indeed. Its just simple data wiring nothing more they can not even do that right.

Honeywell Tuxedo Touchpad and Z-Wave a new Automation Technology you should get to know

At left is the new Honeywell Tuxedo Touch pad control center which utilizes Z- wave technology
http://www.z-wave.com/modules/ZwaveStart/

A low power radio wave system which allows this controller to lock and unlock doors control heat and cool thermostats control lights and many other items in your home .

It is a far superior control technology over the older X-10 system which has been around since the 80's which sent a wireless signal over your home wiring and was hit or miss working and required filters and phase couplers to work properly.

Honeywell's new tuxedo line with Z-Wave is designed to work with its new "Total Connect 2 "series of cellular and IP communicators which gives your smart phone full control of your home or business. The graphics of the Tuxedo Touch Pad are the same as "Total Connect 2 "on your smart phone to help keep things simple and elegant and any one can use it.
I addition the Z- wave thru Total connect 2 can send email and text messages as t items status etc. check it out at.

http://www.security.honeywell.com/hsc/products/keypad/gr/ad/317517.html

Thinking of installing Home or business security or fire systems take a look at Honeywell products .
Check out the Tuxedo in action

Why can you not update Security systems Firm ware chips Etc.?

I love using Honeywell Products there a good solid engineered product the problem though is Honeywell like every other manufacturer of security panels will not allow you to buy firm ware updates chips.

You buy and install vista 20P Version 1.0 your stuck with it and when Honeywell comes out with some new thing like the tuxedo Keypad Z Wave keypad yep you guessed it the panel you put in 3 years ago will not support it and you have a customer who wants the Tuxedo Keypad and would buy it but not if they have to buy a whole new board.
Why can I not buy an update chip?

Well one answer is UL underwriter Labs. changing the firm where requires testing etc etc. But lets face it folks its a whole bunch of horse shit.
I work on all types of Electronic systems and I can firmware update them I do it all the time with, Routers, Mini Storage control automation systems , EAS radio control systems, which give the emergency alert ,CNC Machines etc etc.

So whats really stopping it. I think its because you could take a vista 32FB and all of a sudden make it a Vista 128FB panel etc.
But why not install the 32 and then when customer is ready to expand buy the update chip.
but as usual in the security field manufacturers never listen to the guys working in the field they build what they think we want not what we really want because the big guys in the industry rule we want an upgradable control we want USB interfaces we want to be able to use any 56K modems to program not 1200baud Hayes etc etc.
Some day they may get it Honeywell and every other panel maker would sell so much more equipment if we could update firmware instead of having to change out the whole board and even sometimes all the keypads. This is not what customers want to do update every time some new gadget comes out

A dangerous Practice by Amish in lighting their wood stoves results in many Injurys and even Deaths

When you ride thru rural areas of Pennsylvania , Ohio and New york or Indiana you may encounter a Horse Drawn buggy being driven by an Amish man with plain clothing straw hat and beard.
a throw back to the days of old this is not something they do on the weekend for tourists this is there religion with roots that go back to Germany.Which prohibits them from using modern conveniences.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish

There homes have no running water , electricity gas or telephones. They live like the early pioneers of yesterday. There only educated to the 8th grade.
They have no Smoke Detectors in there homes thou some have wind up heat detectors and entire family's have been killed in night time fires . When this happens in the community they say it is Gods Will it has happened when asked why they do not have Smoke Detectors which require AC or battery power.

If they need to travel a far distance they hire a non Amish individual to transport them in a in van with shades.
They shun modern ways of living but they do embrace the use of modern hospitals if it is life threatening. Those of us not with in the Amish community are refereed to as" The English ".

With this in mind from time to time in the papers you will see where an Amish Man or women has been seriously injured or even died from burns they received lighting or keeping lighted there Wood Stove when they have thrown too much kerosene into it.
The latest incident happening in Indiana County Pa. where an Amish gentleman lighting his stove severely burned himself and his son's and had to be Life flighted to a Pittsburgh Hospital with Special Burn ward, and they will endure much pain and recovery after suffering life threatening 3rd degree burns. One of the sons has unfortunately passed

http://www.wtae.com/news/30295384/detail.html

While common sense would tell you not to do this taking a small cup of kerosene and throwing it on to an already lighted fire. or overfilling the stove with kerosene when first lighting it This is common practice in Amish Country and all too often it results in serious burn injury's to mostly women which they often try to fix with home remedy before arranging for professional care.

I asked a local fire marshal about this and he tells me yes He has talked to Pa. State Fire Marshals at seminars , who work these rural areas and despite there best efforts to educate the Amish community against this it goes on all the time.
Now I have been told by those (English) who live by or have vacation homes near Amish community's that they find the Amish to be extremely stupid people because of all the in breeding with in the community as they do not marry outside there community's. and end up marrying cousins etc. But I do not know if this is the case or even the cause of what is happening.
The Amish I have encountered on Job sites are very level headed but are set in there ways of following the rules of there Order and Bishop who is the figure head in there community and some community's are more lenient than others. Where they will allow Amish to have a phone
in there outhouse or use a generator to run a machine in there Wood/Furniture shop.
But there are some who are very strict not even allowing the use of the orange triangle on the rear of there buggy's to warn motorists as bright colors are forbidden.
In a world where Fire Safety Vs Religion
Religious freedom always comes first with the Amish community so all we can do is make suggestions that they follow safe fire practices which are one of the biggest dangers in there community's since they use candles , kerosene lights , wood stoves and fireplaces

Sadly since posting this article the father in this article has died 02.13.2012

Thats not a Ray Gun its a Flame Detector a what?

At left is one of the many different types of detectors used to see visible and Invisible flames which can happen in Petroleum and Chemical production and transportation facility's.
This product from Det-tronics a UTC Fire & Security Company is one of them

http://www.detronics.com/utcfs/Templates/Pages/Template-50/0,8061,pageId%3D2612%26siteId%3D462,00.html

When you have a critical need to protect lives and detect a fire conventional detectors may take to long to react or may not even be able to be used in the area where you need to be alerted to a fire or may not even be able to see the condition. This is where flame detectors are used.

They come in many different versions including Ultraviolet , Near In-fared etc. depending on the product needing watched and environment its located.

You can find them at Gas and Oil rig drilling and production sites and fueling terminals and Chemical production and storage facilitates.

Some products like alcohol do not produce visible flames . If you ever watch Formula 1# Open wheel racing on TV you may have seen incidents of these types of fires in the pits.

Thats why all these specialized detectors are needed . There not cheap but they are worth every penny when it comes to saving lives and protecting property's from explosions.

Tough to Protect Structure from Fire Protectowire it.

Need fire protection in a tough Industrial location
like a conveyor belt tunnel or manufacturing line
how about a large barn or Aircraft Hanger
Protectowire fits the bill

http://www.protectowire.com/index.htm

This unique product from the Protectowire Company fits the bill.

Available in many different temperature ranges and jacket styles and usable in all environments even Hazardous Locations protectowire is one of the most versatile products on the market for industrial locations
where traditional smoke and heat detectors will not work due to the environmental conditions.

Protectowire works when a heat sensitive polymer breaks down at set temperature and allows the two inner wire conductors to touch activating the alarm. Protectowire can even tell you where along the wire length the activation has occurred with there special designed fire panels.
While not inexpensive this product can solve many fire protection issues conventional systems can not. In addition to Protectowire's line of panels the wire can also be used with selected panels by other ,manufacturers Like Potter's releasing panel.
you can also use conventional rate of rise and Rate Compensation heats along the wires path to further enhance its capabiltys.

Theres more that can be monitored than just Burglar and Fire Signals

So you went and installed a Burglar and or Fire System
In your home or business so your protected against fires or criminal activity but what about flooding from Broken pipes due to freezing do to your furnace failing or your washer/floor drain backing up and its going into your collection room.
What about that fancy Wine Cellar or Cigar Humidor you have in your high end home when the temperature or humidity goes wrong because your power has gone out to your humidifier or de-humidifier.

Yes we can monitor these and many more things which can go wrong in a home or business. with products from company's like Windland Electronics

http://www.winland.com/

Which makes all type of sensors which can be stand alone or part of a complete system that can be monitored by your alarm systems unused zones.
Windland even makes its new EA800 -ip unit which allows you to look in and see temp levels etc. thru the internet .

But theirs is even more items which can be monitored and require critical response.
Such as 3 phase power loss or hi and low pressures even high and low PH or if a tank is maintaining its liquid level or getting ready to overfill what about a natural / propane or other gas leak or Carbon Monoxide Leak .Today if you can dream it some one makes a unit to monitor it and signals can be delivered just as many ways over internet via email , pager or text
hard line phone and cell phone via voice delivery to several land or mobile numbers you self monitor or to a central station . There are many options available. even where there's no power Solar/battery can supply the means to watch what needs watched.
So if you have a high end or even low end home and could benefit from Environmental monitoring
look around there are all types of sensors and systems from inexpensive and DIY to high end custom built.

Welcome to Fire Alarms Online

Welcome to Fire Alarms Online
another excellent source of information on Fire Alarm Systems
Thats constantly growing and run by:Kyle J. Schuler SET
a Nicet IV level technician
Who is very enthusiastic about learning all there is to Fire Systems
Kyle is a well educated pup compared with my over 30 years in the field and it is great that some younger people are so interested and ready to carry on the tradition of excellent work.
So drop in and say hello to Kyle.

http://www.firealarmsonline.com/

The Disrespected FDC Building Connection You need to make sure there working

At left is a Typical Y hose connection you might find on the outside of a building Known as a Fire Department Connection or FDC it is used to supply either a Dry Pipe run inside a multi story building which has no water in it, which feeds outlets on each floor to allow Firefighters to hook up a hose from there High Rise Pack to fight a fire instead of having to drag hoses all the way thru a building and they are also used on Fire Protection Sprinkler System in case pressure is low in the system to boost the pressure up.

In either case a Fire Engine which is attached to a hydrant for water supply
is hooked to the FDC connection which allows firefighters to fight the fire.

it is absolutely critical that no debris be allowed to block the FDC inlet pipes but all to often caps are removed by vandals and pipes stuffed with debris or scrap thieves have stolen the caps even the whole Y connection.

Because of these actions should this connection be needed there is no way to hook up to the system which could prevent bringing the fire under control and the building lost.
This is why when Sprinkler systems and dry stand pipes are inspected annually they should also be inspected and repaired and cleaned if required and checked to make sure no threads are busted.

They also need clearly marked with signs if needed and Fire codes require either a Bell or strobe/horn put near there location to help fire depts find them, and no debris etc around them so they can be quickly gotten to just like a Fire Hydrant.

The other unfortunate problem with FDC is many depts do not get a lot of practice time with these connections and there have been cases where the sprinkler company installed the wrong thread Say Pittsburgh 6 or 8 Instead of National Pipe Standard. In which case unless you have an adapter you can not connect .

There is also the problem where if you have an inexperienced pump operator hooking into the connection they drive in to much water pressure and can bust the pipes.

As critical as these connections are they are often overlooked and neglected. This is why they should be part of the regularly scheduled things you check as you go about your property doing routine maintenance. These connections my never be needed the entire life of the building but it only takes the one time it is needed and not available to bring tragedy.

Industrial Machine Repair Its getting expensive and hard to get parts

At left are pictures of a Bridgeport vertical milling machine
It is a manual machine unlike modern CNC computer controlled machines and is intended for small work pieces which are one of a kind and not worth setting up and getting ready a CNC machine for.
Thou not as popular manual machines still have there place in the production world especially when it comes to over sized and custom work.
The problem with this and every machine tool manual or automatic out there being used all across the country is the extremely high cost of fixing them.
With copper ,steel , aluminum now at all time records high scrap prices the cost to replace parts has in some cases exploded 400 to 500% in cost A simple forward /reverse switch I am replacing on this machine since it wore out use to cost $50.00 15 years ago
it now costs $165.00 to replace and is not even built as good as the older switch with more and more plastic being used in its manufacture. these high replacement parts cost are ultimately passed on to the consumer which is now a vicious cycle as material and fuel and shipping costs keep going up. It is leading some company's to not do required maintenance on machines which can ultimately lead to bad things as dies wear out and do not punch cleanly etc etc.
Which ultimately leads to inferior products being put out as the maker of parts keep looking for cheaper ways to make the parts and manufacturers keep looking for cheaper ways to make products. Where it is all going to end is nothing but bad news for the consumer. With more and more recalls the result.
While China and India continue to suck down raw materials as they build there country's infrastructure .We the consumer take it in the shorts. It is a viscous cycle that needs a solution to balance material need against want which if not kept under control will destroy natural resources and see more and more unemployment as jobs go overseas and shift from 3rd world country to 3rd world country as each try's to out compete the other as workers demand more and more in wages and benefits. It is going to take innovative solutions by our engineers and scientists in this country but we already have a brain drain where we are not turning out in quantity or quality what we. need. Education , conservation and innovation are what we need to stem this but will we be able to or will we destroy this world?

So whats a Mass Notification System I keep hearing about ?

At left is a Typical Notification device Manufactured by Wheelock you might find in a large warehouse or manufacturing facility. It is designed to get the word out when there is a problem
in a facility such as a fire or gas leak an approaching tornado and the white strobe activates and siren tones are heard followed by an announcement as to what to do. These Voice Evacuation Systems or EVAC as they have been known have been around for many years and typically where only found in big plants and auditoriums and hotels . They are not cheap to install and require all wiring to be supervised like a Fire alarm System.
But with the events of September 11th 2001 That has all changed . EVAC systems have been redesigned and bolstered to allow the general public to know there is a problem in such places as college campuses , malls etc and in Specific Military Installations.
Mass Notification Systems as there now known not only incorporate the Speakers and Strobe lights
which can be several different colors to show what is going on systems nowadays can also send out
Text and emails with warning messages and call pagers and home phone lines with messages and can automatically lock doors to prevent a threat from entering a building etc.
and provide instructions what to do during the emergency.

Reverse 911 systems can dial and send out prerecorded messages to homes in a community to warn of dangers as well. Such as gas leak , Hostage situation etc to either warn people to stay in there homes or evacuate and where the.
Dangers are as well .

To learn more about these systems check out the following link.

http://www.wheelock-products.com/index.aspx

Free Security System Dont be a Chump or Dupe

If you listen with any regularity to Talk radio and have come across Dave Ramsey or Clark Howards Consumer Shows
You may have heard them say how bad a deal the Free security systems deals are .
Well here is the proof at left is a current flyer by a alarm distributor and for $253.35 Wholesale Typically $975.0o retail on the web there is the typical kit that is put in by these door knocking alarm installers who you sign up and pay $45.00 a month for 5 years of monitoring and no service .

So lets run the numbers
It costs the dealer $253.95 for the kit $75.00 to get it installed by some one for a total of $328.95
he gets monitoring for $4.00 a month yet your paying $45.00 so the monitoring $240.00 and total cost to dealer complete install and 5 years monitoring is costing the dealer $568.95 and for that 5 year free system you have paid$2700.00

Which means you put $1500.00 dollars profit in the dealers pocket for what exactly not even the best panel a package panel.
Now everyone is entitled to a profit but $1500.00 dollars for little to no work well you can see why everyone is ready to sell you a free system. So even if they give you a couple extra doors etc there still making $1000.00 for that free system.
Do not get burned. Purchase a traditional system $1200.00 to 2000.00 and pay a reasonable monitoring fee $20-35 a month
do not go with the free deals.
Traditional dealers are out there typically small operations with out big adds etc. shop and compare and if they say free hang up the phone or close the door.
Also professional products are out there on the web for the DIY crowd with good skills.

Every business owner is entitled to a fair and reasonable profit for producing a product whats fair? That's for you the consumer to decide.

Sorry I am not taking new residential clients.

High Risk faciltys need more than a standard Heat Detector

At left is a Rate Compensated Heat detector made by the Fenwal Company a division of UTC Fire& Security

http://www.fenwalcontrols.com/utcfs/Templates/Pages/Template-53/0,8062,pageId%3D3887%26siteId%3D375,00.html

These units take and utilize the best of fixed and rate of rise features to react quickly to a fire yet not false alarm like other units.Because they sense the surrounding air no matter the fires growth

You will find them where fast hot fires develop very quickly like Engine rooms on Boats Boiler rooms , both liquid and vapor Gas fueling, handling and production facility's and Chemical Plants

There hermetically sealed against the elements and utilize a self resetting Bi metal element which allows it to be tested multiple times unlike one time use fixed temp sensors

Needless to say there not cheap around $100 each compared to a $20 heat you find in a home or business but when you need a rugged well built quick reacting fire sensor this is it.

The units also have the advantage of being able to be used in hazardous and explosive environments as well as all weather.

have a high risk facility which needs fire protection this is what you need to install.

This is how Electrical Fires Start wheres the Bushings?

I was working in a brand New home yesterday trouble shooting a problem in a sound system my friend was having problems with he was installing in his brand new home they are finishing up the inside in Mt Lebanon Pa. . When I went into the basement to check connections and discovered these major Electrical code violations which could cause a fire.
In the picture at far left you can see a connector missing from the electrical box which allows the wire to be free and loose and which could allow objects to fall into the box causing a spark and large arc and also the metal pipe does not have on the end of it a metal or plastic bushing which protects the wire from again being abraded in the picture directly left you can also see wiring run down thru pipes to protect it but again the bushing s are missing and when these bushings are not used and wires become frayed an arc fault can develop and subsequent fire.
Now I am sure your asking your self . Hey wait a minute brand new house was it not inspected?
Well that was my question to the builder .
I asked him has the Electrical Inspector been thru for a Final inspection as I only saw a rough Wiring sticker on the panel he said he was not sure I told him the wiring is not going to pass and he needs to get his electrician back and correct things and showed him where. He did not seemed worried he said it was the electricians problem. I said no its going to be both your problems when the inspection does not pass and no occupancy permit and owner can not move in. It will be a bigger problem 3 years from now when home owner starts getting wiring issues and even bigger problem yet when the house catches fire due to sloppy wiring I spotted and neither of you did any thing about it. At which point I told him I do fire inspection and investigation. needless to say he changed his attitude and called the electrician to get there and get it fixed.
Which now has me wondering is there even going to be a final electrical inspection. With new construction your suppose to have two inspections a rough and Final a rough checks the service so you can get power on to the structure and final after all the devices wire is run etc.
But all too often the 2nd final inspection is never completed and electricians and owners do what ever they feel like and this is how the problems start and how a 10 year old home can burn to the ground.
Again it falls on the local code authorities to make sure all inspections including both rough and final electrical inspections are done but all too often they just go and hand over the temporary occupancy permit with things to be checked in 30 days and they never come back and check things where done and issue a permanent occupancy permit .
this is a very bad way of doing business but it happens every day here in Pa. and is why we lead the country in fires fire deaths and deaths of firefighters

Dirty Little Secrets Alarm dealers do not want you to know. Who owns your account?

Who really is providing your alarm system servicing and who is actually monitoring it.
It all comes down to who actually owns the rights to your account.

OK you decide to put an alarm in and you call XYZ alarm dealer down the street there nice and local and you like to help local business people but are you really ?
the answer comes down to it all depends.

I have always been an independent stand alone dealer who does not use any type of Dealer Program as there known.

I choose the equipment I choose how its installed and I choose where and who monitors it.
This is not the case with many alarm company's like XYZ who is involved in one of many different dealer programs out there.
Some programs the dealer sells your account outright to a company like ADT who gives the local dealer a Lump Sum payment for the account and the account becomes the sole property of ADT after 90 days of free and clear operation. At this point you deal with ADT for monitoring and service not the local guy any more all he did was install it.

Then theirs cases where the dealer will maintain your system and service it but sells the RMR
Recurring Monthly Revenue to a company like Monitronics which gives them a lump sum of cash
based on how much the account makes each month. Lets say your paying $30.00 a month and it costs a dealer $5.00 a month or less in many cases to get wholesale monitoring so he makes $25.00 a month in RMR he sells all or part of that RMR and gets paid cash for it so he can pay bills etc.
He can sell all or part of his accounts it all depends what he sets up with whoever he is going thru for a dealers program. or he may only sell part of his accounts each month and keep the rest independently

Some companys RMR is making them Hundreds of thousands of dollars each month so now you know how they can Give away so called FREE systems.
You pay for it in monthly monitoring fees.

With me being independent operator and not playing any of these games with funding my business , my monitoring generally is lower than others so yes it pays to shop around and get several quotes and ask plenty of questions where is my account monitored who is doing it who owns it and who is going to service it.
In many cases its often a sub contractor as many of these door knocking company's from Utah do not have a local service person they hire sub contractors like myself to do work for them.

If your blood is starting to boil a little bit I understand. Its the same old story Buyer Beware and due your homework.

I am always up front with customers on my monitoring fees and they know I make a couple bucks and it helps keep my business running and bills paid and I often give them free services such as Up/Down loading and programming etc as part of the monitoring fee like many company's do.
But some dealers charge for every little thing plus add a maintenance fee on top of monitoring as well.
But that's what makes the world go around this world is made up of many different people and business man.

Be Careful working in Old Burglar Alarm Panels

I found this old FBI 650 panel few years back. It operated on 6 volts DC often used a dry cell lantern battery for back up power however this panel used a rechargeable battery today 12 volts DC is what you find in modern panels.
The business owner had just bought the building to expand his business and while in the process of hooking up a new system
I ran across this beautiful little booby trap.
These alarm panels such as FBI 650 and Ademco 221, 330 etc where manufactured back in the late1960s' to early70's and you brought the
120 VAC power directly to the panel instead of using a a wall transformer like modern version used.
A large frame transformer was built into the cabinet. Of course this meant you had live 120 volt terminals on the board which presented a danger to the installer if he was not careful in some cases manufacturers put a plastic cover over the 120 VAC terminals to prevent problems while most did not.

You where suppose to use Armored Cable also known as BX cable to the panel which properly grounded the metal case or rubber coated SO or SJ cord with ground if you where plugging it into a 3 wire outlet or Non Metallic cable NM also known as Romex and ground it to case . Early version panels did not include a ground wire terminal or flying ground lead while later models did this one did not as grounding back then was not seen as important as it is today. But as you can see here some one used 2 conductor lamp cord no ground and mickey moused the plug in transformers off the 120 VAC lamp cord by soldering the wires and then taping them instead of using a proper plug strip. It amazes me more alarm installers where not shocked and homes burned to the ground over this deadly trick and there are still plenty of these panels still rigged up this way floating around in old homes and buildings waiting to cause a fire or shock some one.
This is why you should always be on your guard any time you take out one of these old alarm systems boxes they can still be plugged into 120 volts not doing anything but sitting there ready to shock you. If you have to open one do so very carefully trace and disconnect the 120 VAC wire if possible as the wiring to these panels are very old and brittle in most cases.
Yes these panels are from the heavy relay days and before all the modern codes where in place but they never should have been wired this way even back then The National Electrical Code was in place and should have been followed. But as usual it was not until fires and electric shocks and law suits being filed etc. because installers wired these incorrectly where panel styles changed.
Its a dam shame manufacturers always have to idiot proof alarm panels but they have to do so do to the amount of idiots and uncaring alarm system dealers out there who will not even try and get properly trained.
Because I still see panels such as the Ademco/ Honeywell Vista 32FB and 128 FB panels which require a 120 vac line run to them still being hooked in with lamp cord.
because alarm company's will not hire an electrician to properly do it.
Alarm panels are designed for professional installation but I see very few professional installs in my area. Mostly just hacks who do not give a damn.

No way to install a Fire System or Enforce a Code

Although it has finally been replaced and new panel installed indoors now I hope they did? this INDOOR ONLY rated non functioning Fire Panel
as rusted as it is was what was protecting an 5 unit apartment building in the town of Leechburg Pa. along River Rd.

It probably worked well that summer of 86-87 but as soon as all the fall rains came and they could get under the enclosure where the panel was installed the panel was toast.
So for how many years this building had no fire protection and the towns code enforcement officer if the town even had one allowed this situation to exist.
Pa.Passed in 1984 the Pa. Fire and Panic act which required all apartment buildings to have fire alarm systems for community's who where not enforcing BOCA Code at the time.
With the rush to comply back then all types of installs where done like this where state and local inspectors allowed INDOOR Only rated system to be installed under semi closed in areas exposed to weather and temperatures because there was no other area to install them.
At the time custom outdoor enclosures where not available but the panels could have been installed in enclosures which could be properly sealed and where was available at the time and it would have protected the panels but instead they let contractors get away with this very bad practice. Leechburg is not the only community I have seen this in Greensburg as well which has many apartment stuctures.
But then again why would you expect anything else in a state where code enforcement has always been a complete joke to excellent depending where you live.
Of course the big rush in the 80's to put these systems in are no longer required when building new apartments but sprinklers are more often now specified now that Pa. has a standard state code in place but too many apartment owners and code people think its OK? to now no longer maintain them and in many cases the non functioning alarms are being ripped out.
But this is not proper either it takes permission of the State of Pa Labor and Industry dept to do so because once a system is installed it must be maintained for life of the building . But then again this is Pa. do what ever you feel like becuse some areas enforce the code properly while the vast majority do not.

Why some Code officers need there butts FIRED

At the photo at left you see a strobe used for fire alarms . It was originally installed at 79" to the top which was fine as ADA and other codes see it but not in this case when a jack booted good little Nazi State of Pa. Building Inspector said no you have to move all them up.
he wanted them exactly at 80" at bottom of the box. So now you have a brand new day care center at a church with a bunch of extra holes in the walls. Because an idiot of an inspector who has absolutely no common sense and reads a code and enforces it exactly how it is written with out taking in any other consideration .
In fact the way the strobe was installed was perfectly fine the new floor had not been installed and no one told him that. Needless to say I had a nice long conversation with this idiot after I got involved in the project to Finnish it when another contractor went belly up. I filed a formal complaint against the inspector as this was totally and completely avoidable .This ADA American with Disabilties code says You can put that strobe between 80" and 96" and its fine you can put it even higher where it might get blocked and you still can see it and have just as much light as tests have been shown by testing agency's. such as in dollar stores etc.
But how many inspectors have to be total idiots and say no it must be 80" .
While this inspector came thru and passed the whole system I also showed him all the problems with the system he never caught as well and could have impacted it operating properly which needed corrected. Yes he was all hot aand bothered by a non 80" strobe which would have been after the floor was installed but totally missed important violations I had to correct.
Is this the kind of inspectors we want out there absolutely not.
But this is why you see so many systems that fail to operate properly because these inspectors where never properly trained for there position and go around with there jack boots thinking there the almighty. sorry that position is filled.what we need are inspectors who know what the hell there looking at and passing not what just the book says. Or we all pay the price when a system fails and there's plenty of those out there.