How to Invest in Home or Business Security - New Construction 2

Following from my earlier post, here are some pretty reliable rules to follow when planning for the security installations in your new house.

1. Your electrician should not under any circumstances be solely responsible for planning or installing your security. While many electricians may have experience in these systems, they are almost universally under-equipped or trained. In some smaller towns this is unavoidable as your electrician is often a jack-of-all-trades. However, in bigger cities there is no reason to take this shortcut.                                                                                                                                                
2. Budget appropriately before-hand. Too often, security specialists are asked to perform wonders with what little (if any) budget remains. The cost of effective security should be a major line item in any new construction. Ensure that you have met, consulted with and appointed a contractor while still in the planning phase. It is vastly cheaper to pay for a consultation than to fix up the mess caused by poor planning afterwards.                                                                                 
3. Ensure that your plans include details such as the location of intercom handsets, alarm panels and other security devices and peripherals. It does not need to be drawn up in auto cad (or other architectural software) but a set of plans should be marked up by hand (at least) to show where all devices are going to be placed. You should personally perform this with your security specialist so he can advise what will be possible.                                                                              
4. Do not assume that your engineer, architect, electrician or building contractor necessarily knows enough to advise you fully on budgeting for or choosing security options.                        

In future posts, I will discuss these points in depth and illustrate some examples.

Keep Safe!         

How to Invest in Home or Business Security - New Construction 1

One of the most common issues we encounter when advising a new customer, is which security systems should take priority on a limited budget. Every customer is different and choosing which systems require priority can sometimes be a personal and individual decision. There are however some really important pointers that should always be considered.

In the next few posts, I will discuss some of the considerations for new homes or business premises which are being built from scratch. It is extremely common for security automation specialists to be called in during the final stages of construction and often when the entire structure is complete. Often consumers are not aware of the cabling, electrical and planning requirements that may be needed.

Unless the architect or contractor is extremely well briefed or experienced in these systems, they are likely to miss numerous opportunities to plan for the best possible systems and installation.

In the next post, I will list a couple of rules to follow when planning the security in your new house or business.

Welcome to Security Automation in South Africa - I hope you can learn something !

Staying safe in South Africa in no simple issue. The purpose of this blog is not to scare or promote afro-pessimism. It is a simple look at safety and security issues affecting everyday South Africans. The perspective of this blog is to look specifically at security technology, professional as well as DIY for homeowners, installers, advisers and people who are considering entering the industry. I am certainly not the best or the most qualified security automation professional out there. However, I am one of the very few with several degrees in people movement and management, ergonomics, consumer psychology, change management. I will try bring this perspective to the ideas I present here.