Resources · Guides
Planning, Specification and Installation Guides
How to choose a contractor, how the standards actually apply to a commercial building, and how to phase the work, written for the people who write the spec and the people who have to build to it.
Guides
All guides
- Guide · 8 min read
Cat6 vs Cat6A: How to Specify Cabling for a Commercial Building
Cat6 vs Cat6A for commercial buildings: bandwidth, 10GBASE-T reach, pathway fill, PoE heat, relative cost, Wi-Fi 6E and 7 uplinks, and a decision framework by building type
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
Cloud vs On-Premise Access Control: Choosing an Architecture for a Commercial Building
Cloud-managed, on-premise and hybrid access control compared: platforms commonly specified, licensing, offline behavior, credentials, integration, IT security and cost
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
ERRCS vs Cellular DAS: What Is the Difference
ERRCS and cellular DAS compared: what each system is for, who requires it, which spectrum and licensee, what consent and listing apply, and why the two are not interchangeable
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
Division 27 and Division 28 Specification Checklist for Commercial Low Voltage Systems
What a commercial Division 27 and Division 28 specification should contain, section by section, and the gaps in cabling, security and AV specs that turn into change orders
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
Fiber Trench vs Wireless Bridge: Connecting Two Buildings
Four ways to connect two buildings on one network compared: trenched fiber, aerial fiber, a wireless bridge and a carrier circuit, with cost drivers, lead time and permitting
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
How Long to Keep Security Camera Footage
Video retention as a policy decision and a storage calculation: what sets the number, California specifics, storage sizing tables, and why real retention drifts
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
How Many Security Cameras Does a Building Need?
A counting method for commercial camera systems: purpose per camera, pixels on target, standard positions, how building type changes the count, and a worked example
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
How to Choose a Low Voltage Contractor in California
How to choose a low voltage contractor in California: the license to verify, the insurance to ask for, the questions that separate installers from brokers, and the red flags
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
Low Voltage in Occupied Buildings: Phasing an Affordable or Senior Housing Rehab
How to phase Wi-Fi, CATV, camera, access control and nurse call work in an occupied affordable or senior housing rehab: notice, unit access, cutover, testing and records
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
Low Voltage Closeout Documentation Checklist
Everything a complete low voltage closeout package contains, who uses each document and when, the two defects that make a package worthless, and the spec language that gets it
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
MDF and IDF Buildout: Rack, Ground, Cool, Label and Certify a Network Room
How to build out an MDF or IDF to TIA-569, TIA-607 and TIA-606: room sizing, racks, ladder rack, power and UPS, cooling, bonding, labeling, certification and as-builts
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
Nurse Call Systems for California Senior Housing: A Planning Guide
Nurse call system planning for California senior housing and assisted living: system types, wired vs wireless, UL 1069 and UL 2560, owner requirements, occupied retrofits
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
NVR vs Cloud vs Edge: Where Recorded Video Should Live
On-premise NVR, cloud and edge video recording compared for California commercial buildings: bandwidth math, storage sizing, outage behavior and five year cost
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
Owner Furnished vs Contractor Furnished Equipment on a Low Voltage Package
OFCI or CFCI on a Division 27 and 28 package: what each arrangement transfers, the schedule and warranty seams it creates, and the clause language that makes OFCI work
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
PoE Budget Planning for Cameras, Access Points and Phones
Why PoE switches get undersized: per port power versus total switch budget, the four 802.3 types, a worked budget for a floor IDF, bundle heat, UPS sizing and growth margin
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
Single Mode vs Multimode Fiber: Which One to Specify
Single mode OS2 vs multimode OM3, OM4 and OM5 for commercial backbones: reach, optics cost, strand count, a worked loss budget, termination methods and testing tiers
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
Prox Cards vs Smart Cards vs Mobile Credentials
Access credentials compared for California commercial buildings: 125 kHz prox, 13.56 MHz smart cards and mobile, with a phased migration sequence for occupied sites
Read the guide - Guide · 9 min read
Structured Cabling Installation in California: A Commercial Project Guide
How commercial structured cabling installation works in California: TIA standards, pathways, rough-in timing, Cat6 vs Cat6A, certification, labeling, permits and C-7 licensing
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
What to Ask a Low Voltage Contractor Before You Sign
The scope and contract questions to ask a low voltage contractor after you have picked one: trade boundaries, labor, testing, schedule, change orders and warranty
Read the guide - Guide · 10 min read
Wi-Fi 6 vs 6E vs 7: What Changes for a Commercial Building
Wi-Fi 6, 6E and 7 compared for commercial buildings: what each generation changed, how 6 GHz behaves, the PoE and uplink each one assumes, and how to decide by building type
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