Mystic Lake’s Gold Standard

Original article published at StarTribune.com, click to read the full article here – Mystic Lake’s Gold Standard “Mystic Lake Casino is known for gambling, concerts and buffets, but it’s also known for having one of the best surveillance systems in the world. Mystic Lake Casino surveillance experts watched over the Prior Lake casino. Tribal officials […]

How Trimming Support for Obsolete CCTV Products Benefits the Industry

I received an E-mail blast from a CCTV manufacturer today describing a new five-point plan aimed to overhaul its technical support and customer service. Four of the five points were in line with expectations for a high-end company in the electronic security industry, but I suspect that the bulk of the objections the manufacturer hears […]

How to Impress Clients During a Bad Installation Job

It seems to me that clients often measure the performance of an integrator by how well the company cleans up the metaphorical messes its made. I suspect that this is one, if not THE most important, factor when considering job performance and customer satisfaction. In fact, for many, this defines the actual quality of the […]

P/T/Z Control in an IP World

Based on some comments I have received from a surprising number of manufacturers, I’m going to write a “CCTV 101” type blog. It will be short and sweet, and if this is too basic for you, check back in a few days for a new entry. But when a question comes up as often as […]

The UPS and Downs of Camera Power Supplies

In an earlier blog, I mentioned that innovation seemed in short supply at ISC West this year. That’s not to say there wasn’t anything new, just that you had to dig further to find it. So, digging I went … Case in point was a new line of camera power supplies from Altronix that include […]

Objectionable Consultants

At ISC West, I had the honor of teaching a class on bright and early on April 6. Early in Las Vegas was at 11:15 a.m. The session, “Developing, Influencing and Responding to Request for Proposal’s (RFP’s)“, focused on practical, hands-on tips to make the whole RFP process work better for all involved. The class […]

ISC West 2011: The Year of the Copycat

I’m a big fan of the ISC West trade show, which is held in Las Vegas each year at the beginning of April. As a consultant who must bill hours to make a living, my time is valuable and I try to choose one major trade show a year to attend. The two biggest shows […]

Grade A Security for ‘Big D’ Complex

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the sprawling Galleria Dallas shopping center and its new expansive security system live up to that claim. However, what looms largest was the tightly coordinated effort the security consultant, integrator and end user demonstrated to help maximize the facility’s safety. There is nothing average about Galleria Dallas. […]

Handling Coax, UTP Cables During Installations

“There’s a lot of coaxial cable out there.” “The 100 meter limit for Ethernet over copper presents some installation challenges.” I think there are very few people involved in the installation of IP-based CCTV systems that would disagree with either of the above statements. In an upcoming study featured in SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION’s April […]