The Tradesperson Should Have Requisite Knowledge To Design And Install The System In Accordance With The Customer's Requirements. Are They Not "Professionals"?

Jamie, I made this its own post because I think it's a very good topic.

1. I agree with you. The tradesperson should have requisite knowledge.

2. In practice, that is often not the case.

An example: I like going to ADI Expos. ADI does a good job putting it together and it is an efficient way to catch up with a lot of manufacturers. I also talk to some dealers and listen in to what they talk about and questions that they ask at the 'Seminars' held as part of it. The average dealer there has lots of fundamental misconceptions and ignorance on the things they sell / install.

Who's to blame for this is a good question. Is it the dealers themselves? Is it the manufacturers? Is it the mega distributors like ADI for ignoring it? Is it the government for not more heavily regulating it? Is it the media like IPVM for not calling it out enough?

There is no excuse for selling 125KHz readers.  There are enough alternatives to HID with competitive pricing on hardware / credentials to give you a clean migration path, pricing that won't kill the sale on a competitive bid, while including 13.57 MHz, BTLE and/or NFC and OSDP that are rock solid.

It behooves the industry to NOT sell known unsecured credentials and hardware from any vendor.  I know I won't do it.

I carry my clone tool and blanks on sales calls for that purpose (the best $21 investment I've ever made).  Once this is in the mind of the end user, they would be foolish to not ask the competitors if their quote leaves them vulnerable.

Have I lost projects due to this, absolutely.  Do I sleep better at night knowing I won't comprise on the same, absolutely.

Unfortunately, in the litigious society we live in, this will not be decided by someone buying a 2-Door kit at ADI, it will be a class action lawsuit that pushes all the insurance carriers we relay on to cap E&O or dictate the exclusion of 125KHz readers and credentials.

This should not be a government issue, we are smarter than this, it's the naivety of our business and the ultimate pursuit of a sale.  As an industry, our job is to mitigate risk, not exponentially increase it.

I don't think we need to get the Government involved as this will add cost, complexity and simply drive the shoddy workers into the grey market. Even with building codes and apprenticeship programs there are still an awful lot of unskilled people doing renos, electrical, plumbing, framing, etc for cash and without permits, licenses, insurance, etc.

125 kHz prox credentials are easily duplicated but they aren't a fire hazard or a direct threat to peoples' well being. If we are going to get bent out of shape over this then why are we not worried about people that don't have high security key systems? Your garden variety Schlage keys are easily duplicated for a few bucks at a hardware store or a locksmith. Why isn't every locksmith in the land shouting from the roof tops and why isn't the Govt. doing anything about this?

To be clear I don't sell 125kHz anymore either and I'm in favour of higher security but it makes no sense to try and legislate it or force it on the end users if they don't want it. You can have the highest security credentials on the planet but they are worthless if someone props the door open. (Yes we also do door position monitoring as a standard feature of our access systems but that's not the point)

Those in the business that choose not to stay abreast of new technologies and emerging trends will be left behind, or sued or otherwise relegated to the sidelines. I for one am quite fine with them being my competition.