This month’s tip is about some great new (since I last wrote about it) CI apps for the iphone/iPod touch. I would like to pass along my experience with two iphone apps that I use all the time in the field and I think you’ll find very helpful. A network test app and an audio …
NAS can be used to keep common family files such as photos, music, and video in one place, accessible by everyone, as well as a secure place to backup all the family computers. It can also be used as a music/video server with a client device at the display device. NAS Explained NAS is a …
It turns out this is harder than it looks, but someone watching the event told me an easy way to do it using a soda straw which I thought was clever enough to pass along [sorry to whoever told me this the show, I failed to write down your name!]. It also reminded me of …
With oil prices finally seriously expensive, it’s time to rethink the old boring residential energy management business. Our industry is in a key position to take advantage of new technology that when combined with automation products we already install, can finally take your customer’s house off the grid. And as you’ll see, it has some …
A Little Background on VoIP VoIP carries telephony signals as digital audio, typically reduced in data rate using speech data compression techniques, and encapsulated in an IP packet stream over aninternet connection. The service has been around for at least 8 years and has reallymatured to the point that it’s become a reliable service, meaning …
Retrofitting in Insulated Walls Author: Grayson Evans, Training Dept. Seminars – Copyright 2008 Drilling up or down, or fishing cable in insulated walls is an inconvenience but nothing more. Sure, there are certain techniques you can’t use through insulation like dropping a ball chain (actually, you can use a ball-chain, read on) but there are …
RF Distribution TIPS Author: Grayson Evans, Training Reels – Copyright 2008 Installer/designers seem to associate the word “modulator” with “crummy picture”. This is undoubtedly due to a bad experience in the past. Someone installed a modulator incorrectly, didn’t know how to measure levels, or connected it to a poorly designed coax infrastructure and the whole …
Every cable that you install on a job MUST be labeled. No excuses. Labeling will not only save you lots of time on the job site, but will greatly reduce frustrations of troubleshooting and service. Professional labeling will also separate you from the non-professional competition. Every cable installed on the job (interconnect or infrastructure) should …
I Should Have Known This I was teaching the CEDIA Advanced Boot Camp class a few months ago where part of the class team exercise is to hook-up a rack of A/V gear for a home theatre. DVD player audio/video out through preamp, through 5-ch. EQ, to 5-channel amp., to surround speakers. About 30 cables …
This month’s TIP is a quick review about a great new gadget you can use with any type of multi-meter (or other device that uses fairly standard test leads) to make your work one notch less frustrating. The “gadget” is a new set of test leads that incorporate a magnetic tip on each end. This …