How do you find a good residential installer?

[imaniguana 0]

Title says it all. I'm looking to go IP megapixel, NVR, etc.. I don't really have the time or extension ladder to go 2-3 stories up for the camera installs. I like playing with tech stuff, but don't really have the time to do it myself.

[Q2U 0]

You may be able to find one here. What is your general location?

[luckyfella 0]

A good start is to inform us where your located. This forum is viewed by everyone around the world. It is the internet, you know, LOL.

[imaniguana 0]

I'm near Philadelphia, PA. USA

[ssnapier 0]

I'm near Philadelphia, PA. USA

 

Send a PM to "thewireguys" on here, he can take care of you and does fantastic work. I will send him a text right now to make sure he pops in and sees this.

[ssnapier 0]

I'm near Philadelphia, PA. USA

 

Send a PM to "thewireguys" on here, he can take care of you and does fantastic work. I will send him a text right now to make sure he pops in and sees this.

[buellwinkle 0]

What works for me is to hire a licensed electrician to run the Ethernet cables and hang the cameras. It's less expensive than using a security guy and electricians are sometimes better that hiding wire than security companies. This assumes you know what cameras you want, where you want them and your willing to take the time to configure them. If you don't, then it may be worth paying a pro to do it for you.

[ssnapier 0]

What works for me is to hire a licensed electrician to run the Ethernet cables and hang the cameras. It's less expensive than using a security guy and electricians are sometimes better that hiding wire than security companies. This assumes you know what cameras you want, where you want them and your willing to take the time to configure them. If you don't, then it may be worth paying a pro to do it for you.

 

 

As a security guy my feelings are officially hurt.... oh wait... not really, this is just the internet!

[buellwinkle 0]

LOL, sorry, I'm a DYI guy, so I use the trades to do what I can't do and do the rest myself. Some people want a turnkey job and a security installer is great if you can find the right guy and of course, at the right price.

 

I just had poor experiences with security installers on multiple jobs so I'm more jaded than most. After 3 mediocre security installers, I think we found a guy that really knows what he's doing. Just hope the OP has better luck than us. Just spent this morning chasing a bad connection because the original installer used indoor cable outdoors and it didn't hold up, 2nd time on the same project.

[luckyfella 0]

Buell, I wouldn't recommend that to everyone. Just cause it worked for you, doesn't mean it's common. I sold a camera kit

to an electrician and he asked me to come in and program the internet stuff. I told him, I'm sorry, but it looks like

an amateur installed this system! The wires came out the side of the building and he went up to the roof and dropped

down for each camera. Than he just wrapped all the connectors with electrical tape. I am the furthest thing from an

electrician, but I am a security low voltage guy and every single one of my installs are done better than anyone I've

seen. So, my suggestion, is if you want to get anal, hire a security guy and ask him to drive you to one of his previous

jobs and see what it looks like.

[buellwinkle 0]

Haha, I had the opposite experience, with a security company, good sized company installs stuff on the outside with 1" flex conduit, looked really bad. Imagine 1" gray flex conduit going up the side of your front door to put a camera in. So after they end up having to redo it all, or not get paid I figured they learned their lesson. Then a few months later, same guys do the same sloppy wiring job and has to redo it. When I hire an electrician, the wires are hidden, pull boxes in the appropriate places, uses emt conduit in exposed areas that can be painted. Every install by the security company led to unfocused cameras, cameras pointing more towards the sky, default motion detect zones that didn't work. I have to spend days getting them to fix it, or I can spend hours fixing it myself. At $1,000 to hang a camera, I would have expected a lot more than $100 for an electrician, but not my experience.

 

That's just one "security company", we hired another one, they do the toll road cameras, worst wiring jobs I've ever seen with bare wires close to each other that eventually touched, not screwing down a nema enclosure so all the electronics got flooded the first big rain storm, spent a week, 2 guys trying to troubleshoot why an electric strike didn't work. They left a battery in an enclosure that must be wireless because it's not connected to anything.

 

Maybe it's different for you, but there's no contractor license I know of to install CCTV in CA, but you have to be licensed to be an electrician. Which is really bad, because we have little recourse with a lousy security company other than small claims court, with licensed contractors, we have much better recourse.

[Numb-nuts 1]

I would recommend you allow the whole job to be done bt a security installer. The reason I say that is I am guessing that you bought your own equipment, and if part of the installation is already done, why on earth would a security installer be interested in your job?

As a security installer I make some of my money on the equipment, some on the installation and very little on the commissioning.

 

I think that a security installer might be feeling somewhat 'resentful' of you once he realizes that there is very little left for him to do

and that you've had it all done on the cheap. Anyway, I would be satisfied just doing a full install of your own equipment. Once you get several people involved, I promise you id things should go wrong everyone involved will deny responsibility and blame the others. Then where will you be?

 

I read a lot of threads where the wireguys added their 2 cents worth, and I believe they would most-likely do a proper, tidy jobwith the wire and the setup etc.

 

That would be my take on this situation anyway.... best of British

 

By the way the problem with security companies that grow too fast is that they need staff and have to take on whats available whereas a slowly expanding company can take far more care in choosing a suitable technician that does a tidy job with integrity.

[thewireguys 3]

I'm near Philadelphia, PA. USA

 

Send a PM to "thewireguys" on here, he can take care of you and does fantastic work. I will send him a text right now to make sure he pops in and sees this.

 

 

Scott thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately we no longer do residential installs so I will not be able to to help on this project.

 

Also I have found that most electricians are clueless when it comes to installing IP video systems hence why my business has exploded.

[luckyfella 0]

I'm not suggesting one or the other. I'm just saying, the best way to find a good installer is to get referrals, go to previous jobs and look at his work, see if he has a portfolio, anything like that. Do not call an electrician just because it was suggested here, and the same for a security installer. Also, it all depends on the person. If your a good judge of character, that helps. If I have work

done to my house, I do not want a salesman coming to sell the job. I want to meet the installer. Ask the company to

send the installer to your house to sell the job so you can see who will be doing the install.

[CraigVM62 0]

As a long time residential electrician who turned to specializing in the low voltage side of the industry, I think Luckyfella gave spot on advise.

 

Just explain to the installer what you expect to see, and most importantly not see as far as exposed wires. I know I have spent a good amount of time up in attics and in crawl spaces just so I could tell a potential customer what I can and can't do in regards to hiding wires.

I have never been a believer in telling a customer "I will do my best to hide wires where I can"

It may take some effort during the walk through, but I should be able to tell the customer 95% of exactly what it will look like when I am done.

If the installer is an electrician, make certain they are familiar with CCTV equipment and have experience installing the hardware also. Just because a person can get conductors from A to B doesn't mean those cables will be of any use when they are done.

Any decent installer will have a resume of past projects that will show off his work. They should be able to show you projects and not just give a few phone numbers of people who will praise them.

 

In a nutshell, just try and find a Super Installer. They will have the experience that an electrician typically has, familiar with structures as they are being built so they know what to expect when fishing finished walls. At the same time, they will be Ultra Geeky "meant as a compliment" knowing current technology in and out.

[english 0]

I'm near Philadelphia, PA. USA

 

If you were in Los Angeles area I'd be happy to help you.

 

30yrs of communication experience- If it beeped, ticked, had flashing lights, I worked with it. With or without a keyboard.

 

Once you select the person or business, Google them.

[henrysccott 0]

Different electricians specialize in different areas. Some are more knowledgeable about industrial applications while others deal exclusively in the residential sector. Make sure they have experience in what you need done.