speakercon

That's an interesting point. Will it get to a point where the curve smooths off once all the schools who want/are willing to switch do so and all the ones who don't want to/aren't interested will just blindly stay put come what may (until such a time as there is change of staffing making the decision)?

I would recommend the Hikvision HiLook series, from what I can see its pretty much the same as the enterprise Hik stuff albeit without the stronger metal casings but if its out of reach its no issue. I've been using it for years with zero issues.

Comms Express or CPC (but only with the discount codes).

Yes you can name the DID and it will display that when an incoming call comes in next to the caller id, eg - 07777888999-Company1

I had a similarly bad experience with Fortinet wifi quite a few years ago, same issues you describe and sounds like its no better 5 years later. My take was it was all to do with the firmware (although there was also quite a high hardware failure rate). My only advise would be to keep trying the new firmware updates until you find one that works(ish) and then don't touch it. Or if poss try and get it all ripped out as it was nothing but problems until the day it was removed.

Solar panel and a couple of car batteries!?

What dimmers do you have? Most of them can be connected to a demux which converts DMX to 0-10V analogue so you can use a modern programable lighting controller with older dimmers.

Did the lanterns fail their PAT test? If this is the case and you still have working IWB's/dimmer's you can replace the fixtures quite cheaply with PARs/Fresnel's.

Have you used the company that did the inspection previously? Seems abit odd that they've condemned both the electrics and 'structure' (which I assume is the lighting bars?) Unless the electrics were done pre mid 1960's its unlikely the cabling will be VIR and will be T&E so unless its been messed with other the years not sure how it can suddenly become unusable - did they provide any more detail on why the electrics failed and what they tested? Same with the lighting bars, unless they were done incorrectly to start with or messed with further down the line seems a little odd too. Did they load test them? Not saying they might be exaggerating the problems to get the refurb job... but a second opinion might be a good idea. Do you have any photos you could share of the dimmers / lighting bars?

The Simpsons episode crossed my mind as well.

Absolutely. Although what with SIMS market share plummeting every quarter, it won't be long until they are left with no choice.

I can't comment on Inventry's offer, I know there is some Paxton integration, with the sign in solutions. Are they offering their own door controllers now? Either way I would recommend Paxton all day long for door access.

+1 for option 1, 100%. It's not as scary as everyone who says 'we can't possibly do that' thinks.

You get it with the iOS license, per device.

We are using Senso - The browser is deployed as a custom app and I disabled the use of Safari from the MDM which forces the use of their app for web browsing. Once the browser is opened you are prompted to log in via Microsoft/Google. Works well, as long as the pupils close the app down after they use it and not just leave it open for the next person to use.

Oh that's a shame, neverminded it fills up some space in the rack.

If anyone has one of these old Climate CM-2 monitors would anyone be nice enough to share your email settings for either google or O365. Seems to only support IP address's for the SMTP/POP mail servers and I've tried quite a few combinations but am yet to make it work.

Some of the older net2 versions are not supported on newer server OS's. You could either try installing your older version on an older server OS or install the latest net2 version. I've moved databases from much older net2 versions to the latest without any issues in the past.

I can't comment on Ryobi as I've never used them. I'm usually a Makita fan, but I've tried a few of the CPC Duratool - Power Tools | CPC (farnell.com) power tools (out of interest mostly to see how they are) and I would say they offer good value for money. None of them have broken yet and get used a few times a month.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with the box ticking, there was no flexibly from them and so much money has been wasted on hardware/professional services that was simply not needed. Example, I had a 48 port switch rejected because only 22 ports were for waps. Fair enough, so the supplier changed it to a 24 port, but it was a higher spec'd model as this was the only one they could get hold of (apparently) and cost over a grand more than the 48 port which the dfe then approved. So they paid over £1000 extra for a 24 port just so they could tick the 'only ports for waps' box. Its extremely frustrating, when usually doing projects like this myself, ensuring value for money and ensuring every penny is spent wisely is something that I spend allot of time and effort on, but like most publicly funded projects, it seems to be at the bottom of the list with this one and the suppliers knew this and took full advantage. Its tempting to think we should be grateful for whatever we are given, but at the end of the day this is our and every other tax payers money and I think its only right for they way this money has been spent to be open to scrutiny. EDIT Just to add, I don't believe this scheme was ever intended to have included any real input from the schools IT department, the dfe really just wanted it to be between them and the suppliers.

I'm sorry I can't help with your firmware request, but I am sad to see Coomber has gone out of business, I think they made excellent quality portable audio equipment for schools. I suppose now most classrooms have a built in AV solution, the need for the these portable units has all but gone which is sad in a way.

Probably an unpopular opinion and without wanting to sound too pessimistic, I personally think this whole scheme has been a terrible waste of tax payers money and has inadvertently (surely not intentionally...) served to line the pockets of both the big equipment suppliers and the major players in education IT systems installation (the same few big named companies seem to have landed the majority of the contracts). The ridiculous over spec on early installations, and then in recent cases I’ve seen, their own ‘digital standards’ rejected and swept under the carpet now the money has run out says allot about the practicality of these standards they try to get schools to comply with, which they themselves have then ignored because they are to expensive. If they had been sensible from the outset, the same real world result could have been achieved for around 25% of the cost and thus many more schools could have benefited. I've also experienced constantly changing and conflicting information being given to schools directly, and information given to the suppliers. It does look like the gravy train has been milked dry, good luck to anyone still hoping to get some scraps from the table.

I posted about DIY Paxton installs myself on here (quite a few years ago!) having no Paxton knowledge at all. I've since installed many of these, and the most challenging bit is installing the maglock (getting it lined up correctly and fastened securely) and cabling neatly so it looks like a professional install. If you have some good DIY skills and decent tools (not having the correct tools creates bodgey work in my experience) it shouldn't be a problem. If you have a less important door to do, I'd start with that one as I found my installs improved each time with experience gained. I always take a permanent 12V live/neutral to the to the 'break glass' release, and use the second pole COM/NO connectors to power a small 12v buzzer and just sit it in the back box. That way if it is pressed its very noticeable. On the tools front, all the money you save doing this yourself I think justifies the purchase of some nice drills etc... I have a contact who supplies me with very reasonably priced refurbished kit, I wont post here but drop me a message if you would like their details.

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