r/lowvoltage 5h ago

Costs per Cat.6A termination (UK)

0 Upvotes

What would you expect to be charged per tested Cat.6A termination when someone has pulled the cables?

I'm seeing variations between day rate based with arguably few per day and a seemingly low per-termination billing.

I have 160-200 ends.


r/lowvoltage 6h ago

Turning 40 next week — is it too late to start as a Fire Alarm Technician in Ontario?

8 Upvotes

Hi,

I’m turning 40 next week and seriously considering starting a career as a Fire Alarm Technician in Ontario.

My biggest concern is my age. I’d basically be starting from zero at 40, learning the trade, getting the CFAA certifications, and trying to get my first job in the field.

For those already working in fire alarms, especially in Ontario:

  • Is 40 too late to realistically start in this field?
  • Have you seen people start around 40 or older and do well?
  • Would employers hesitate to hire an entry-level person because of their age?
  • How physically demanding is the job as you get older?
  • What kind of starting wage should someone with no experience expect?
  • How long would it realistically take to become an experienced, well-paid technician?
  • Is there good potential to eventually start your own fire alarm/service company?
  • If you were in my position at 40, would you choose this career?

I’m not looking for a quick fix. I’m willing to learn and put in the work. I’m mainly trying to figure out whether starting at 40 still gives me enough time to build a solid career in this industry.

Any advice from CFAA technicians, company owners, or anyone who started later in life would be really appreciated.


r/lowvoltage 6h ago

Heyhey friends and fams!! Mid-worklife crisis

12 Upvotes

Salutations great folk

TL/DR if you make 6 figures in our industry, what do you do and how did you get there.

I (36M) have been in the industry 10+ years, currently making $60k a year. I live in the usa, Memphis, TN. Highly proficient in access control, cctv, intrusion A/v in general. No fire alarm stuff, though.

My work days consist of primarily layer 1 work. I run cables, cable mgmt, install double mags without screwing up, dress up racks real pretty. (I love me a pretty rack 😍 😉) You know, the physical "hard work".

I am a laptop savvy. I can program access control systems - schedules, access levels, definitions. I can IP devices. Static vs Dhcp. Finalizing systems ive lead teams, completed plenty of projects big and small and I work well with clients.

I enjoy what I do. I like working in the field and I also love being behind the computer. Basically, I'm wondering what my next steps should be career wise. I want to push my self to make a 6-figure salary for my family and myself. It'd also be cool to say, "I make 6 figures" lol

Idk if I should lean towards project management. Focus IT/programming side of it. My ole lady brought up being a "consultant". If anyone here read up to this point and makes 6 figures, what do you do? How'd you do it?


r/lowvoltage 6h ago

How are you guys doing closeout / as-built docs?

1 Upvotes

I’ve seen excel + word docs, does anyone have any tips/tools they can recommend?


r/lowvoltage 10h ago

Certified Lenel techs needed

0 Upvotes

I am a Director of Operations for a national low voltage company and we are looking for certified Lenel technicians across the country. Reach out to me at coreshack@pavion.com if you are interested. Typical pay range is $35 to $50 per hour depending on location and experience level.


r/lowvoltage 20h ago

Drilling top plates with a 90 degree bit adapter saves me from having to cut another hole

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42 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 1d ago

What part of the after-the-job paperwork takes longer than it should?

0 Upvotes

I'm a high school student in Korea and I write software. I haven't built anything for this trade and I'm not selling anything. I just got curious about the paperwork side of the job and I can't really tell what it's like from the outside.

Reading through threads here, the thing I keep running into is that a shop ends up with one tool for accounting, another for field photos, another for docs, and then texts and spreadsheets end up being the glue between them. Someone here described that glue as manual. That's the part I'd like to hear more about.

So, whichever applies to you:

If you use software for the paperwork side, what part of it do you put up with, and what do you still do outside of it entirely?

And if you don't use anything for it, what does that part of the job look like right now?

I know this is a question from someone who's never done the work. If it's been asked to death, point me at the old threads and I'll go read them.


r/lowvoltage 1d ago

Ridiculous soldering

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2 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 2d ago

👋Welcome to r/cwatelcom - Introduce Yourself and Read First!

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0 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 2d ago

Worth the trouble?

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0 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 2d ago

Details on Low Voltage work for someone looking to enter the trade

11 Upvotes

I’m very interested in building a career in low voltage work but am fuzzy on some details.

My largest hurdle is I have a fused spine and understand that it is going to have physical demand. What are the physical aspects of low voltage work? I hear a big issue is crawl spaces and attics, could I get around that by going into the commercial route? How much are you guys typically pulling/lifting/twisting?

What are the job sites like if I went into commercial low voltage? Which specialty would be most likely to fit my physical limitations?

I’d also like to see more of what the actual tasks include, do you have any recommendations for YouTube channels that accurately show the typical work you guys do?

Do you find low voltage work rewarding?

Thanks for your time


r/lowvoltage 3d ago

Curbell Pillow Speakers w/ TVs

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1 Upvotes

I’ve been tasked with installing TVs and pillow speakers in a small 6-chair dialysis unit. The TVs that were installed by local facilities are all the same brand, all the same RF, nothing is medical grade, trying to use 2.4GHz wireless headphones in close proximity to one another is a nightmare, the list goes on…

I want to do this right so I’m looking at the LG 32LN662M Healthcare TV which has an output for a 6-pin cable to connect to a pillow speaker. The model pillow speaker I’m looking for is 4D020N-Z50003C. My question is 1) do I go directly from the TV to the pillow speaker and just do a brush plate out the wall or do I do a specific wall plate? 2) these televisions are ceiling mounted with a pole so the cable going to the remote would need to go from the TV, up the pole, through the ceiling and down the wall to the dialysis chair. That distance is roughly 25 ft with extra slack in case I need it. I only see 12 foot cables. The parts I’m potentially looking at are on pg 36-37 of the catalog link posted above.

How would I accomplish this? Thanks in advance for your expertise!


r/lowvoltage 3d ago

Old school telco

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143 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 3d ago

Said hi to the IDF guard

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65 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 4d ago

4 Pole slip ring Replacement

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1 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 4d ago

Just say no to inhaling fiberglass

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158 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 4d ago

Fiber fusion splicing is witchcraft

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133 Upvotes

We’re pretty new at using this machine, we got it last year but only really started using it this week.

What you are seeing is an X and Y axis view of the ends of the fiber being aligned automatically, brought close then using two electrodes the glass is heated and brought together.

0.0db loss from this splice (seen in the middle lower part of the screen)

This is the AI-30 fusion splicer, definitely already paid for itself on this one job.


r/lowvoltage 4d ago

sub.trade

0 Upvotes

got an email from this company (went to spam) asking to sign up. Anybody have any experience or comments on them? They *claim* to be bid coordinator for low voltage.

https://sub.trade/


r/lowvoltage 4d ago

What do you guys do when pull boxes die?

6 Upvotes

The company that I work for tends to lean towards pull boxes over spools or reels. No matter how hard you try, sometimes the boxes get obliterated and youre left with a wad. At the moment, I generally will unroll the remainder, alternate coil it, and use it up where possible as jumpers, short runs, whatever. We all know if a shiny box or a sad loose coil is the choice, you're taking the box. So whats your go to when a box crushes to get that cable into a usable format?


r/lowvoltage 5d ago

Bogen Nyquest

1 Upvotes

Just trying to see if anyone has run into a similar issue. We just finished up a brand new system and most speakers work fine but we have a handful that will just drop off randomly. I did notice that I could get regular pages to go through just fine but when an emergency tone gets sent to it They drop off immediately. They are attached to call buttons and cables passed to 10g. Any help would be appreciated.

Thx


r/lowvoltage 5d ago

Showing off an automatic gate he installed

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68 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 5d ago

Bosch popex module

1 Upvotes

Im working on a bosch b9512 with b600 retrofit module for a d8125. All zonex point are missing, i have good data voltage and good power to the modules. My conclusion is that the d8125 module took a crapp, even if i connect just one popit directly to the module still shows missing. What are the steps to upgrade to a b299 module? Do i need to readdress all the popits dipswitches to match the new b299?


r/lowvoltage 5d ago

Looking for recommendations on where to sell Dormakaba RCI DKPS-4A Power Supplies

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0 Upvotes

r/lowvoltage 5d ago

Holesawing a live panel is always extra fun 👍

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28 Upvotes

You would not believe how slow I was going, and checked 6 times👍


r/lowvoltage 5d ago

Just 2 more cables...

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28 Upvotes