** *** ****, ***** argues, **** *********** ******** required *********** ********* ****** ('an ******') ****** *********** **** *********. Now, **** ******** ** technology, ************ *** ****** less ********* *** *** differentiation ** ** ********* a **** '******** **********' with *** ****** ********* intelligence.
Residential ******** ******** ** ******* *** **********
***** ********* ** ** afterwards **** ***** ******* were ******** *** *********** wireless ******** **** *** that *** ********** ** well ** *******, ********* skills *** ***** *** and, *** *******, ******** more ********* ** ******* become **** ******* *** problems ****** ****** ** diagnose **** * *******.
Vote / ****
Comments (50)
Kevin Nadai
I agree with his premise, but not his ham-handed presentation where he manages to insult both his daughters as well as hundreds (thousands?) of professional ADT technicians.
Do ADT technician hiring and training emphasize personality and artisanship -- or just to minimize time on site?
If Mr. Whall is advocating change, I agree. However, the clip presented (which may be out of context) is an awful way to illustrate it.
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Undisclosed #2
Do women cook better than men? Can an apple be an orange? Whall is correct and incorrect depending on your perspective versus Whall's minds eye. If we lived to be 1000 years old why not say; "My 20 year old daughter installs a lot better than a 500 year tech". I would love the hear what that Babel fish in Whall's ear is not telling him. Another note is that the correct terminology is Technician, Specialist, Engineer with a preceding identifier such as Systems, Project and Applications. Show some humility Whall, I am quite sure your daughter is emotionally intelligent, we all are; however which method are you using to measure it?
One day she is an apple, the other day she is an orange but never both.
Now, back to those wireless residential installations with plug n play hardware. Is ADT actively training new "Emo Intellect-nicians" to do the future trade off in your residential sector and if they are how are you taking care of that 20 year veteran?
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Before the total impact of wireless detectors, wireless sounding devices, wireless keypads and wireless communications there was a lot more technique and art in the installation of a residential system. (Wireless doesn't always mean no wires, just not wired to a central location)
Now you have the summer knocker programs where the same sales guy does installs and in the case of my daughters friend....he was dangerous with a screwdriver but had a great personality.
It took me 3+ weeks to wire a Frank Lloyd Wright home with a full perimeter, smoke detection and keypads. If the owner would have accepted the look of transmitters my helper could have finished it in 2 days without me provided current technology was available.
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Ari Erenthal
It is true that, thanks to wireless everything being far more reliable today, that you can lick-and-stick a small resi job and have it come out looking and working fine.
It is also true that installers are the alarm company employees who the subscriber probably sees the most, and is in a lot of cases the person who teaches the subscriber how to use the alarm. It follows, then, that 'soft skills' and being a people person probably leaves the subscriber in a better position to use the alarm correctly with fewer false alarms due to user error. It also follows that friendly and communicative installers probably leads to more upsells and service contract agreements.
But I feel that artistry is and always will be required for everything but the lowest end of the market. High security jobs, larger residential, and high end residential all require the installer to hide the wires and make the devices look good. Alarm companies charge real money for those jobs- they have to, if only to pay the techs.
We're seeing the same trend in technology. The lowest end keeps getting better, affording access to security to those who previously couldn't afford it. But those with more complicated needs still have to get high end product, and that includes technicians with the skills to install it properly.
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Michael Fusco
I don't think he was insulting anybody. I think most are missing the point he is making by getting sucked into the PC rabbit hole of gender. ADT is facing the same problem many tech-sector companies face: the technical/physical install person is generally not suited to do customer service, and those suited for customer service are generally not particularly willing to climb ladders, drill holes and crawl through attics ( yes I stipulate there are exceptions). But now that the actual physical portion of the install is greatly diminished, that creates a problem - they are in effect sending the wrong person to the house.
So what he is really getting at is that the next generation of "installer" in the residential market will be more of a customer service/ PR rep than a technical/physical installation person. Whether that person is male or female is immaterial.
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Kyle Folger
You can still screw up a "wireless" install because a power wire is still involved for the keypad. In a residential install I saw the work of the installer afterwords. There was the Honeywell keypad with the power wire going into the wall 1-2" below the keypad down to the power wall wart on the opposite side of the wall in the family room.
I know if it was my house they would be paying for repatching and painting plus relocating the power supply. I would also request the tech is equipped with a stud finder.
I wish these companies spent more time on training. Based on observation in the field, often times training seems non-existent. To that point, I believe many don't know what a good install from a bad one is. I know reducing the time allowed on site is part of the problem as well.
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Undisclosed Distributor #5
I agree, most of these installer's are just trying to find a way to make ends meet. We have people calling us for the SAME PROBLEM on multiple installs... That's why the market is going to Costco and the DIY people. The specialists are dead.
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David Barnhart
He is conflating salesmanship with technical acumen. His argument is that homeowners are more demanding of their techs nowadays and want to feel empowered during and after the installation. In his opinion they need someone more into the "app" culture of it. I get that but at the end of the day, you need to be a craftsman to do a proper security installation (unless you want the house to look like hell when you leave and you want to revisit the property every three months because one of you wireless sensors has lost connectivity. Anyone can slap up large wireless sensors like ADT and leave the house in 3 hrs. We beat those guys every time by presenting this to our clients. Security needs to be in the background. Not a huge insecure ridiculous looking device like simplisafe or a battery hogging toy cam like Arlo or three inch door and window sensors everywhere.
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Undisclosed Integrator #6
Wireless alarm system are not the cakewalk people think. Motion detectors can be misapplied generating false alarms. Door and window sensors can be improperly installed in null spots or interfering with window coverings, can be installed in a way that can be tampered with, destroyed or prevent window maintenance.
Wireless alarm systems, many times, do not include outdoor audible devices, relying on indoor sounder and reporting. Law enforcement response in many jurisdictions can be delayed for long periods, enabling intruders to work their crime indoors while neighbors hear nothing, see nothing. I think this is a big problem with the lick and stick alarms.
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Jason Spielfogel
I recently met up with a friend of mine who just bought a new house and was having her cable & internet installed.
The tech set up the cable box, gateway/wireless router easily enough, but we couldn't get signal upstairs in her Master Bedroom.
The tech went on and on about how the gateway should be relocated upstairs. When I suggested a Powerline solution so she could get Internet upstairs, he just stared at me blankly. He'd literally never heard of it before. He then stammered and said powerline was a gimmick and he'd never seen it work right (I've installed Powerline in half a dozen homes and it's worked flawlessly every time.)
He then installed some no-name dropcam type wireless camera which looked like hell, but which I guess did the job. He attached to the wall with a sheet metal screw into the drywall with no anchor. When I challenged him on that he stared at me blankly again and commented "that's how we do it."
I asked him for the camera manual so I could access the camera web page to tune it and again he had no idea what I was talking about.
Granted, I know more about security cameras than the average cable company tech, but the guy was almost literally useless.
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Michael Fusco
This is the era of "Bring Your Own Device". They just want to plug it in and have it work, and aren't interested in the alarm guy being there all day or multiple days carefully installing and explaining complex pro-grade intrusion systems.
The day of the average customer willing to pay for expert installs and/or be locked into multi-year contracts to subsidize said expert install is on its way out. Of course we decry this because we know it will be a lesser product but unfortunately we don't get to control what people want. This is what the ADT CEO is trying to say.
As with everything, the high end is the only way to insulate yourself from this seemingly endless process of commoditization in the tech sector. There will always be high-end houses and condo's in which the owner is not only willing to pay for expert installations and service, but expects and demands it. And of course the commercial intrusion client remains.
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Gordon McFarland
03/01/17 09:57pm
It is very difficult to find technicians who have the full gamut of the skills necessary to install, configure and service an IP-based integration project, particularly when that install includes mechanical gates, automation, and server-based recording, let alone being able to correctly install, terminate and test a Cat6 direct-connect cable.
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Maggy Baetens
Funny to quickly glance through the comments of this polarizing header. So old-school. As female owner of a tech company with a lot of female engineers in R&D and Operations, I must say I didn't even waste my time looking at the video.
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Tim Calla
It's pretty typical these days to make men the enemy or the lesser sex. It's funny how things have changed. If you insulted women the would be in big trouble. Since men are now looked down on he knew he could get away with this. He is not a leader - just running out of ideas.
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Undisclosed Integrator #9
Mr. Whall's comments dovetail perfectly with the ADT notion that home security installations are now nothing more than 'Lick 'em and Stick 'em'. If you can't do it with double-sided sticky tape the job simply can't be done! What he doesn't say is that quality employees cost money. If you want a technically competent employee that also has a personality that makes the customer 'feel' good about the installation - well then you're going to have to pay more to find them and to keep them. Personally, If I hire a professional to work in my home my FIRST expectation is that he/she has the knowledge and experience to complete the job to my satisfaction. As long as they are not outwardly rude, I could give a damn about their personality! I also feel Mr. Whall could be called on the carpet for the sexist nature of his comments. Women are much better at emotional skills, where as the traditional installer is just a bunch of guys in trucks. What?
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Undisclosed Integrator #10
Politicization has penetrated social media, the news, every aspect of life. Now this cancer has entered business. This thread is a perfect illustration of how politicization spurs people to find their bottom.
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Undisclosed Integrator #10
The thread has devolved into name-calling and in some cases irrelevant political correctness discussion which is often the case found in the "comments" section in any clickbait article or political "meme" on social media. The arguments found in such threads are for the most part mindless and I would hate to see a great technical and business forum like IPVM devolve into something like that.
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John Honovich
We posted this video to Facebook, embedded below:
We noticed that alarm techs are quite active on Facebook. Our share there is getting a lot of engagements.
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