Subscriber Discussion

What Is The Most Unusual Installation You Ever Did?

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Ari Erenthal
Jun 28, 2017

We had one customer who had built multiple additions onto their home over the years at various times, and nothing lined up. At one point, they'd had a mural artist paint murals all over their walls, too. All the floors were marble, so we didn't want to install acoustic glass break detectors. Part of their house had a basement and part of their house was on a slab. Lots of big picture windows everywhere. A nightmare install, in other words. 

They wanted an alarm and cameras. And an intercom in every bedroom. And a phone system. And a PBX. And ethernet jacks everywhere (this is before reliable WiFi). And CATV. Oh, and why don't you throw in some access control. 

It took us five weeks to finish the installation, running wires everywhere without damaging any of the murals. In a few places, we carefully pulled off the (custom, expensive) crown moulding, channeled the drywall behind, used that space to run wires in, and caaaarefully glued the moulding back on.  

It wasn't even that big a house, 5,000 square feet maybe. But from a technical standpoint, it was the most challenging installation I have ever done. 

Wish I had pictures.

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Brian Rhodes
Jun 28, 2017
IPVMU Certified

It wasn't even that big a house, 5,000 square feet maybe.

When I read this, my mind voice had a Texas accent.

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Christopher Freeman
Jun 28, 2017

The Life Plan 

I have started 2 different Jobs , Projects where the customer had a Hobby house in mind , started then 10 years later finished. 

I also have a very good friend who is an architech, draftman , eng. and his life ambition is to create the Dream House 

We started 20 years ago 

prewired with expectation of everything you can imagine

the house got built in phase's 

wired for future ?

put coax, cat 5 , alarm, stereo, control wiring

about every 2 years we complete something else. 

we are about to complete house 

no idea what to finish with since start of project was 20+ years 

now we are finishing with state of the art products with lots of unusable cables, and products 

So we are upgrading with min. s 

1st house was the hobby house ( 2-5 million ) 

2nd house was the dream house ( 1-2 million ) 

same 

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Armando Perez
Jun 28, 2017
Hoosier Security and Security Owners Group • IPVMU Certified

Sounds like this infamous monstrosity... (aside from the footage.) Its kind of our local version of the winchester house.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4923-Kessler-Boulevard-East-Dr-Indianapolis-IN-46220/1263166_z0id/

title to the article should tell you everything you need to know...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/17/kessler-estate-for-sale-indianapolis_n_4459361.html

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Ari Erenthal
Jun 28, 2017

Almost as nice. 

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Christopher Freeman
Jun 28, 2017

Most unusual is when we install , and as soon as completed , we are to install something new or better. 

seems like you can never keep up the the latest greatest 

and the old does not easily integrate with the new . 

 

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Jun 28, 2017

The most difficult was a very famous home, made of concrete blocks poured onsite and wood framed glass, designed by a well known architect.

The most unusual was 20 stories of a high rise with dual DEC PDP11 computers running custom software that managed about 10,000 input/output points.  

The system included a CCTV matrix with both exposed and pinhole hidden cameras, exposed and hidden intercom stations, access control readers and door strikes, elevator control, parking gate control, fire alarm, security using dual security contacts concealed in the door frames, white noise generators, a copper lined conference room, bullet resistant executive bathroom, concealed security room with automatic weapons in cabinets and exposed security room for visitor management.

I despised jobs that were longer than one week after that job.

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U
Undisclosed #2
Jun 29, 2017

ISIS (fortecho) art theft tags on the octopus (google octopus yacht). Hirsh Model 8 on a submarine (yup). Focus 200 SIM modules over fiber at DIA (yup). Losing an account to a competitor company, they completely overhaul the system to mercury platform and my card still works at the space needle (it happened). Watching the video signal from an analog camera with no power connection thru my tote vision (Camera, 5 foot BNC jumper to tote vision that's it) This happened at a secret anti static facility. Betting my ex GF that I could enroll my bleep on a bioscrypt reader and it will work (Access granted, door not used!!! I won that bet), kudos to bench testing at home. Pneumatic underwater gate locks? (yup). Installed my first card reader when I was 11 years old? (Yes, @ Telecalc - Factoria, Wa) I had help with the local engineer, our keypad home ran on ribbon cable to the mainframe that would control a relays punched down to a phone block; door strike was existing. IP reader in 2002? I tried to get a wiegand signal to pass over a Master/Slave UDS-10, ran out of time dinking around. I still have a brand new pair of Moxa units on the shelf for round 2, should I ever find the time. Converting RKP databases to Onguard before you were allowed to. Enabling IP camera license values in the registry (who does that?). Troubleshooting the World Electronics wireless fire alarm system at the old Safeway distribution plant in Bellevue, Wa. Bean splicing a cat5 patch cord until I could replace it the next day it was only 10ft.

The Joy of Installing (a guide for beginners)

The Art of the Service Call (when you want to go home at the end of the day)

Which system is better? (fights at the office, near the water cooler)

So you think you're a Security Engineer? (can you scale in windows paint?)

MBA Leadership (when all you have is a bunch of half assed PSP sales reps)

RFP in Ten Minutes (when you know it is time to retire)

Coffee or Oatmeal (the aging work force never sleeps)

 

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U
Undisclosed #6
Feb 21, 2018

This is a great post all around, but I nearly spewed my morning coffee at "(can you scale in windows paint?)"

Well done.

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Scott Napier
Jun 29, 2017

The most unusual install I ever did was a two camera job in a swimming pool several years back.  The owner wanted cameras at the bottom of the pool with one on the end wall and one on the side wall to see if any person or "thing" was at the bottom of the pool.  His primary concern was alligators, his secondary concern was people.  We had to hire a specialty company to come in and drill a path for us in each spot.  Not that extravagant, but it was certainly memorable! 

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UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Jun 29, 2017

I have two examples from years ago.  Can't decide which is more unusual.  

1- Installed multiple surveillance cameras in the 'champagne' room in an adult entertainment establishment to ensure that the patrons weren't getting overly 'handy' with the entertainers. 

2- Installed 6x underwater cameras in a pond so the homeowner could keep tabs on his expensive Koi collection in the winter months while they hibernated at the bottom of the pond.  

In both cases I had a 'complexity' markup applied.  For the entertainment facility I charged triple time labor for the 'distraction factor' for my techs (no lack of volunteers to do that installation!).  

For the Koi pond I subcontracted a scuba diver with oil rig experience to do most of the work (was charged $500 per hour - billed me for 22 hours!).  Have since refused any non-traditional installations. 

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Ari Erenthal
Jun 29, 2017

For the entertainment facility I charged triple time labor for the 'distraction factor' for my techs (no lack of volunteers to do that installation!).

All kidding aside, those kinds of jobs are tricky, and require lots of supervision to make sure the techs don't get distracted or do something stupid. And you've got to trust the supervisor, too. 

I've worked for companies that had a strict "absolutely no talking to customers or customers' employees or playing with stuff the customer has lying around" rule, because otherwise the techs will be there all day and get nothing done. Or worse, the tech could offend or upset the customer or their employee, and now the customer wants your company off the jobsite. Good luck collecting on your invoice for work completed, too. 

Once, I had two techs spend most of an afternoon playing with a model train set. It took everything I had to pretend to be mad at them, because that train set was super awesome and I wanted to play with it myself but couldn't because that would set a bad example. 

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UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Jun 29, 2017

I had a pretty good ideal of what I was getting into with that installation so I initially tried to price myself out of the project.  When the customer committed, I required 75% deposit with their order to ensure that all hardware and labor was covered before we showed up to lift a finger.

To address the 'distraction factor' I took the decision that we would only be on premises when the establishment was closed for business.  I also made the techs draw straws to determine who would work the installation and offered a $1000 "Team bonus" to the techs for completing the installation under budget.  Hence the triple time labor charge.

I originally budgeted 36 hours for the installation.  They got it done in 22 with no go-backs.  

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Jon Dillabaugh
Jun 30, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

1- Installed multiple surveillance cameras in the 'champagne' room in an adult entertainment establishment to ensure that the patrons weren't getting overly 'handy' with the entertainers.

You mean to say, they wanted to ensure they got their proper cut for services rendered...

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MB
Michael Blumenson
Jun 29, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Once installed a camera inside of a nesting box for peregrine falcons. Prone on my back with my head sticking in the box, the momma falcon was about four or five feet from my face squawking her head off. I kept asking the State DEC guy there "are you sure she isn't going to claw my eyes out?".  He assured me she was fine and I finished it up and got out of there. Cool as hell but a bit unnerving. The shots from this camera over the years have been amazing.  

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Dave Arnould
Jun 29, 2017

Along with Michael, I've also setup cameras to monitor the Peregrine Falcons at our site. They are an amazing animal and very cool to watch hunt and develop the young. It was very scary to be so close and to even hold one of these birds while I helped the DNR tag the babies.

 

 

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Jon Dillabaugh
Jun 30, 2017
Pro Focus LLC

Wish I had pictures.

Pics or it didn't happen...

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Feb 21, 2018

Early on in my career, and before there was a long line of product specifically geared toward this need, my commercial work invariably led to personal requests from customers for covert work for spying on babysitters and, more often than not, spouses. Because technicians are generally underpaid, I took a few offers on weekends.  That always turned out to be a good time for my customers.

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UE
Undisclosed End User #5
Feb 21, 2018

Not an install, but a product. I designed a portable, battery powered camera for a research project in the Amazon. Basically a pelican case at the base of a tree full of batteries and an SD based DVR, with a 200 foot long cable running to a camera at the top of the tree, to watch the mating habits of some endangered bird. The kicker was that this tree was like a 4 hour boat ride from the nearest town, which was a 10 hour flight from the USA. So I got creative with a 12v boating lighting timer to turn the camera and DVR off for the 23 hours a day that the birds were not 'active'. (they apparently only do their thing between 7pm and 8pm) to maximize the battery run time and reduce trips.  That got a lot of jokes around the office for a while

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #7
Feb 21, 2018

When I was early in Video, I also worked part time at a large electronics retailer.  Everyone there knew I was a video guy, so they would send weird questions my way.

One evening, I got pulled in to a weird situation.  There was a 30 something Latin-American guy, definitely working the "cartel-chic" look.  We was with two girls, early to mid 20's, who looked like professional models, but were dressed and carried themselves like strippers. 

He was looking for a centrally monitored video solution for 11 offices around the city.  As I dug deeper, I found out that the offices were actually apartments, and "it's pretty dark in there, you know?".  Oh, and the cameras had to be hidden.  Dude's running apartment brothels.

I really didn't want anything to do with him, but I also didn't want to offend some MS13 guy to his face in public.  I told him that my solution was very reliable - "I'm working with all the local police departments and law enforcement."  When I mentioned "police", his demeanor changed completely.  "Hey man, sounds like good stuff.  I'll let you know."  He left, and I never saw him again.

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