I’ve heard it time and time again. A newcomer to the industry lines up their first customer, closes the deal, buys a lot of very expensive CCTV equipment, sets the install date, hires installers, oversees the physical installation, deals with all the headaches and unexpected issues, only to fire up the solution at the end of the day and be disappointed with the results. After putting in all that hard work and time, this feels a lot like getting blind-sided by a grizzly bear. NO ONE wants to be in those shoes, and the worst part is, you need to keep this customer happy and get a great reference. It is critical to growing your business.
The question that begs to be answered is; Why? The solutions are many and varied, but the root cause is usually the same; a weak link.
This seems obvious, but many people are shocked to find out that that $0.12 a foot cable they bought is the cause of their problem, or those underpowered cameras. Everyone wants to get a fantastic looking system for a bargain price. This can be done, but not without a little homework.
Gleaned from my years as a sound engineer with Baylor University during my undergrad days, here is the mantra of every sound engineer on the plant. The integrity of your signal path is ONLY as good as your WEAKEST link. This means that when engineering (or diagnosing) a video installation, you have to suspect EVERYTHING as a potential problem area.
Much like great software engineers, great video system engineers tend NOT to think in terms of how things work. They don’t need to… they’ve done their homework and that level of awareness is automatic. They think in terms of how things break! So, let’s take a look at your typical signal path, and look at all the things that come into play in creating your final “product,” which is, of course, the video stored on your customer’s hard disk drive.
#1 by AA on October 7, 2009 - 5:04 am
Thanks…