Indoor vs. Outdoor IP Cameras: What the Ratings Mean
IP, IK, and operating temperature answer three different questions. How to read outdoor camera ratings and match a camera to heat, storms, and vandal risk.
Resources
Short a Part Mid-Job? How to Get It the Same Day
Being short a part is normal. Losing the afternoon to it doesn't have to be. A five-step playbook for getting the right part the same day, plus what to keep on the truck.
How to Source System Sensor Components Locally With Expert Support
Buying System Sensor is easy. Getting the right detector, base, and accessories for the panel on the wall, the first time, is the hard part. Here's what to bring to the counter.
Cat5e vs. Cat6 vs. Cat6A for PoE Camera Installs: How to Choose
For most camera jobs, cable category isn't where installs fail. Conductor material and jacket rating are. How to choose between Cat5e, Cat6, and Cat6A for PoE cameras.
How Security Contractors Expand Revenue Streams
The best new revenue stream may already be inside accounts you serve. How to pick an adjacent category, confirm licensing, train your team, and bid the first job without wrecking a quarter.
How to Open a Wholesale Account with a Security Distributor
Opening a purchasing account and getting approved for credit terms are two different decisions. Here's what a security distributor will likely ask for, why, and what keeps your application from stalling.
Fire Alarm Battery Backup Calculations: How to Size Standby Power Correctly
The math behind a fire alarm battery calculation is simple. Getting every load into the right column and applying the right sizing factor is where submittals go wrong. Here's how to size standby power correctly.
What It Takes to Power an Access Control Door
The panel and the reader are the easy part. The power side is where door quotes come up short. Lock function, current draw, supply capacity, voltage drop, battery backup, and the life-safety release, and why every one of them belongs on the quote before install day.
How to Substitute a Spec’d Product Without Losing the Bid
An "or equal" clause is permission to propose an alternative, not approval to install one. What the spec actually allows, what has to match before a product counts as equal, and the documentation that gets a substitution approved instead of rejected.
How Security Data Supply’s Dallas Fire Licensing Class Prepares Contractors to Pass
Every contractor who's completed Security Data Supply's Dallas fire alarm licensing class has passed the exam. Here's what three Thursdays a month with instructor Mike Ryan actually covers, and why a distributor runs the program at all.