(Video entry systems came to the masses. Contributor Sonia Aarons hailed their arrival...)
"Video entry systems, once considered a "deluxe" accessory for the glamorous end of the market, can now be provided at reasonable cost.
"It is important to understand individual needs when specifying the details of a video entry system. The tenant in the tower block and the owner of a private country residence may well have different priorities. However, the basic needs – good vision, reliable audio, remote door release, attack-resistant entry panels and straightforward operation and installation – are constants.
"A video entry system may be as simple as a miniature camera linked to a spare channel on an existing television set or even drawing power from the mains circuit. Or it may be a system as complex as the increasingly successful concierge systems adopted by a number of local authorities, with multi-camera and monitor systems creating a complete surveillance network covering not just one, but several apartment blocks on an estate.
"Advances in the technology behind door entry systems, and video in particular, have greatly improved the quality of the product and the options available at either level."
Examination funnies
(In his commentary on the C&G 185 syllabus, Michael Taplin included a look at the lighter side of some exam papers...)
"An accident of birth: a candidate called S A Bell.
"A little ambitious: The sound must be heard from at least 1 km in each direction.
"Undue consideration: The noise level in the house must not be loud enough to damage the burglar's ears.
"Dyslexia exemplified: The current output aloud (sic) to the sounder circuit...
"A relative measure: The sound level should be 75dB above head height in an hotel room.
"Very unhelpful: Is there anyone blind using the building? If there is, a visual alarm will be required.
"Positively negative: The BC line isn't positive or negative – it just reads 50 volts."
Don't swing on the chandelier!
(H K Baker, principal with Selective Insurance Services, explained the basics of public liability insurance from the installer's point of view...)
"Public Liability (Third Party Cover): Give insurers full details. We often have found policies covering an installer's own premises but not giving full cover away from these premises, i.e. in a client's home. This will not occur where policies designed for the alarm installer are utilised but does happen where the ordinary insurance company, who do not offer special schemes, has not comprehended quite what is required. It is only a minority of times, but worth checking.
"There is an appreciable difference in costs between 'own premises' risks and 'away' risks. The risks covered are injury and damage to third parties and their property but workmanship is not covered. If a client visits your office and trips down the stairs because you left a bell box lying in a silly place, that could result in a claim. If you are up a ladder in a client's home, over-reach and, in falling, grab hold of a chandelier, causing that and half of the ceiling to collapse, that could result in a claim. It should be noted that the claim is in respect of the chandelier and the damage to the ceiling, neither of which you were working upon.
"Any damage relating to the actual work you were carrying out, such as wiring you were putting into place at the time, would not be covered. It is only consequent damage where cover exists."
Source
Security Installer
