RJ45 jacks

I prefer them inside the panel where only the customer can access them. I always give the customer the keys to the panel.

Hmm. I just realized you said RJ45. Presumably you meant RJ31X.

internet reporting maybe?

An RJ45 doesn't have shorting bars, and without the shorting bar across the pins, the customer won't hear much when he disconnects the jack; inside or outside the can. Do you know something we don't, or is this a trick question?

RJ31/38X residential outside box (90% of the time), commercial;; locked in alarm panel (100% of the time).

I don't imagine you have much of a choice seeing as how the equipment is shipped directly from which-ever supplier your account is current with.

Ok RJ31X I was just guessing numbers

OK Now I have two good answers.

I'll ask the customer.

Where you put the jack is a matter for you to determine and not your customer. If you're planning on placing it *inside* the control panel, then the customer will have to have ready access to it. If for some reason the panel won't release the phone line, they have to have some means of restoring service so they can use it. You'll always find our jacks inside the control panel.

What?? Noooooo! Put it where YOU want to. The only decision the customer should make regarding your installation is cash, check, or plastic.

It's an easy mistake to make since they look very similar. Here's a simple diagram of the RJ31X in case you're interested.

Last week I was walking a house we were about the rough-in and the client's wife and her "designer" came in ( I LOVE firing up the generator when I see designers so I don't have to listen to their dribble)...so anyway...they come over to me and wanted to show me where to put the smoke detectors and the pirs and glassbreaks. HA! after I stop laughing I say; welp...you can have some say in the locations of the gbs, a little with the pirs...and NONE with the smokes...the smokes go where the smokes go... AND NO YOU CANNOT FAUX paint them!

A few months before I watched a designer trying to tell the firesprinkler guy where to put the sprinkler heads...he tells her; we go by the fire plans lady, if you want changes it will have to go back to the engineering dept. (maybe even back to the city), then job costing, then a change order will have to be issued and signed..so should we stop now and come back in a few weeks or what?

Freekin' designers...what a joke.

I like the red dust covers that come with Sentrol Smokes these days. I leave them on until everything is done, then remove them upon alarm walk through time. You should see the self important busy bodies get all uptight about those bright red blobs on the ceiling.

I tell them, that its a new fire code and all the new construction has to have them. I actually had a home owener try and stop one of my guys from removing the dust covers when he was doing his wlak through with them.

Some folks are just to freekin' stupid to be one of MY customers.

Nice, but I can see painters just rolling over them thangs!

I use the Hochiki smokes.

Hochiki makes great smokes no doubt about it. But just think how much money you'd make back charging the painters.

Many years ago we were installing a Napco Magnum 800 in a house in CT. The lady of the house asked if I could have my men wear white cotton gloves and remove their shoes while working in the house. I explained that gloves would be a hazard when operating drills. We also would not go shoeless because of the danger.

She accepted that but was generally a pain at every step. Several times while we were drilling door switches and such she actually tried to vacuum around us. It was obvious the lady was a bit of a nut.

On the last day I went out to my truck and brought in a huge "Hole Hog" drill with a huge bit in the chuck which we used when installing a certain type of recessed transmitter. I didn't need the tool; just carried it in past the lady for fun. It worked. Right away she asked, "What is that huge thing for?"

I said it was needed to drill the mounting holes for the control panel.

"How big is the control panel?"

"Not too big. It's a red cabinet, 2' wide by 3 high and it weighs about 85 pounds."

"Where does it go?"

"I found only one ideal location -- on the wall above the couch in the living room."

She stared at that drill for a moment and then said, "Stop. I want to ask my husband about this."

He knew what a PITA she was and when he saw the smile on my face he caught on right away. He told her that we were the experts and if that's where it has to go, well that's it. :^)

Ever have a curious client with ^garlic^ breath follow you around, lookin over your shoulder (literally)...almost all day long?

over your shoulder (literally)...almost all day long?

Only when I haven't eaten a big pot of beans the day before. I got in trouble in a SCIF once when the soldier guarding us followed us too much and I got mad. To get rid of him I said I hadn't been that frustrated since I missed my monthly copy of Soviet Life. Needless to say I spent the next few hours in front of the old man. But I did get Pravda read to me for the first (and last) time.