Chris_Cook

When we've done this in the past, we've used copiers as they are faster, and made sure they are near the fire exit, or have a good route to one. Its hopefully obvious, but the plan is if you see/smell smoke or fire, then get out and stay out. You can also make sure that one person is checking the route while the other one worries about the printing. We are quite lucky with our building layout for this, but like just about everyone else on here I'm not massively happy about using a printer for this and someone remaining in the building. But if it means that we can account for all the students then its probably ok - actual fires are quite rare. I always used to joke that if this ever worked properly, then it would probably be the printer that catches fire and burns the school down. We now tend to use chromebooks with arbor for the tutors (all teachers have chromebooks), ipad with signin app for visitors and students who are signed out during the day, and then some semi-dodgy google sheet linked to net2 for staff, sixthform + y11 when on study leave. This could probably be done with the net2 app, but I'm not sure I want to have that many admin logins active on net2.

I would find out what system you have in place as there are a wide variety of different technologys. The manufacturer or installer is best placed to recommend a solution, assuming they still exist. The best place to look is the box or control that triggers the system. The strobes themselves normally require 12v/24v DC power supply, but how that gets triggered can vary. A lot of systems have a pre-made solution as Andrew says. The systems can be 12/24v volt, 100v speaker line, SIP/Network, fire alarms or all sorts, so we won't be able to recommend something without knowing a bit more detail.

I'd agree. I've seen one rusted through before, so its worth raising the issue now before it becomes a problem. We got a leakage tester with our PAT test kit, but I wouldn't pass it unless it was just a little bit of rust. As above, I'd be much more concerned with hygiene rather than the sparking.

Can you check the part numbers on the back of the card readers? It sounds like the printed cards are Mifare or similar, and the fobs might be Prox. Some readers can be activated with a special card from Paxton so that they work with other types of tokens. It might be worth going back to the installer. Its always worth having the discussion with the installer about the types of fobs/cards in use before buying the readers. The P50 and P75 refer to the width of the reader (in milimeters). The different card formats are available in all sizes as far as I'm aware.

The microsoft intelimouse trackball was good. Its was years before I found anything close to that, and I was annoyed when mine broke beyond repair. I lost track of the number of times I replaced the microswitches in it. Its a shame MS have stopped doing the hardware like they did in that generation. Intellimice have lasted much longer in our school than anything else. Turbo buttons were cool, but always seemed to stay in turbo mode apart from a few games that based their framerate off of the CPU speed. Also, mouse trails. I still use them because it annoys my co-workers.

By BT I meant the Behringer B112W Bluetooth portable speaker you want to put on the pole. The behringer kit does give good results at a good price. I just find when cheap kit goes wrong its just before the most important event of the year. Radio mics seem to be particularly bad, but that can happen with anything. I've seen big high end sound desks turn into smoke machines at the wrong time as well. Our Behringer X32 has been running for 10 years now with very few issues. Also if they are 2.4Ghz, is that going to cause issues with your Wifi? Does the B112W get used for anything else? If doesn't and its got wall mount brackets available, I'd just get a second one of those and link it with the mix out connection or bluetooth. 3 speakers daisy chained might sound odd especially if they are of different types. Adding a second of the same type would be simplest. You could then get audio cables installed between the speakers and from the projector connection point to the first speaker.

What do the LD systems speakers get used for? If it were me, I'd install Active speakers like the BT speakers you have suggested on the wall, or the LD systems ICOA equivalent I'd then provide a double XLR connection plate at the back of the venue for events that need to be run from a sound desk. That can then be put away when not needed. The downside of these active speakers is you need to get power and signal to them. You can run the audio over cat5e if needed, and you can get RJ45 to XLR boxes for not a lot on amazon. You could also get a Bluetooth transmitter, but there will be delay. Active speakers are probably the way to go if small space is a concern. I think you will struggle to find a small amp to drive large speakers. Behringer do some fairly light-weight rackmount class-D amps which could go in a small data cab on a wall somewhere. RMS values should be taken with a pinch of salt as there is no standardized way of measuring it. It also doesn't account for quality - just how loud will it go even if it distorts. I'd also recommend avoiding cheap radio mics if they are going to be used for anything important. They tend to cause problems and frustration after a while. I'd also be careful about strapping things to scaffold poles if they are not designed for it. You need to make sure its not going to fall down or prematurely collapse in a fire. Your schools public liability insurance may not cover you if equipment is not properly installed.

Is it IDSN, or just a normal phone point? If its a traditional analogue line, you can plug a phone into it, and dial 17070 to find out the number. You could also use a toner + probe to physically trace it if that's what your after. If you like pain and disappointment, you could talk to BT/Openreach and get them to help. Things to check in a school would be lifts, alarms and fax machines.

There's certainly worse companies to deal with. Some I'd rather bang my head against the wall repeatedly than ever have to call them again. These are big companies, so they probably all have some decent account managers and technicians and some not so. But the last 2 lenovo onsite repair guys didn't know how to reset the Serial number on the mainboard on a chromebook. There's a video somewhere of someone actually trying to run over a lenovo thinkpad. It didn't go well for the laptop. Theres a satisfying 'Crack' sound and the silence of disappointment in themselves. I do like the way they do the drainage holes on the keyboards. We've still got some T420's kicking around that would work fine if they were fast enough and supported W11. Dell, Lenovo and HP kit from a decade or 2 ago refused to die. Some of it these days, your lucky if it works when you get it out of the box.

Also not that impressed by Lenovo in recent years. There stuff used to be solid, but we've had a higher failure rate on last years chromebooks and the year before. We've moved to Asus this year for student chromebooks and they seem a bit better. Screen breakages are a bit higher than I'd like though.

Yamaha, Soundcraft and Behringer are generally good. As long as you avoid the no-name brands, then you probably won't go to far wrong these days in terms of sound quality. Main thing is looking at mic channels and what you are plugging into it. Always get more channels than you think you will use. If you have had a desk before, then theres some login in keeping with the same brand so staff are familiar with it. If its radio mics then having a decent channel EQ section is really helpful. I quite liked the look of the Soundcraft Signature series. I wish we'd gone for that over the Midas DM12 because of the EQ. Lots of them have USB in/out these days, and that can give better quality (lower noise) input from a PC/Laptop. I've often found the PSUs on small desks are a weak spot, so its worth considering them a bit of a disposable item. Normally it costs as much or more to fix the PSU than to just replace it. There are some desks that use a IPad/Phone/Chromebook to configure them which might be handy if people like to fiddle. But you would need someone around who knows what they are doing if it needs resetting. Things like the X32rack or Xair18 etc. I do like being able to remotely check settings on our Behringer X32 though. Being able to sound check + control from where the audience are sitting is also a great time saver. The acoustics can be really different from the mix position.

We've had similar experiences. I tried to sign up years ago, but never got a response. We've now been using them for about 6 months, but booking in collections is a bit hit a miss. Otherwise I really like the cage service - it works really well for doing collections in term time and that frees up time holiday time for other jobs or even holidays...

Its possible its OM1 or older with a larger core diameter than OM2. You will get loss of signal if you don't match the core diameter. If the side of the cable isn't labeled, then it is unlikely to even meet OM1 standards. OM1 is 62.5/125 micron OM2+ is 50/125 micron

If you right click on the user groups/departments, there is a print group option. They seem to come out in a random order when I do it, but still better than printing 1 by 1. You can also set the card template and access level using the right click menu on groups.

This is the way I would do it. You would be able to set the times up to 6 days in advance, and then have to change it back. How regular/often are the days when the doors need to be unlocked? The other option might be to get a key switch fitted to override the lock. But that would require someone on site to do that.

Yes, the bug with triggers and timezones affects all days, not just the custom days. It also relies on the door or relay controller being in contact with the server. The setting on the door tab works much better as it uses the built in timer. For custom days, you have to setup the custom day for all access levels - eg if you have staff and students, you have to do the custom day for both. In the past, we've generally edited the normal day and then go in after and set it back rather than faff with custom days.

Yes, its all pulled across from Arbor (I assume the ANPR is as well). We've even pulled in the card IDs from Live register / Papercut via AD.

We use salamander and net2. I'm not sure if you need the pro version, I think you still get the card designer with the lite version. The pro version isn't hugely expensive if you do need it I think others on here have used mail merges in the past with sims. There is a label printer option in arbor, but I'm not sure if that's quite suitable for cards.

Are you after touch or non-touch? That will add to the price. Asus and Dell are good. ICT direct had something some chromebooks at one point I think. We've been using Asus CR1s for last years 1-2-1 devices and are staying with the same for this coming september as well. The only thing we didn't like was the screens pop out quite easily. Otherwise they are strong and easy to fix.

I'd also recommend the sennheiser. They do antenna distribution units which can reduce the number of antennas and psu sockets required. The new digital ones are also really handy - you can change settings and mute on the beltpacks from your phone without interrupting the event. It would be worth checking what frequency your current mics are on, as a number of years ago one band was removed from service. It might be that someone else is using that channel. If you use one of the licensed channels then you get more mics simultaneously and less interference. If you are getting proper feedback, then I would recommend checking any EQ settings on your sound desk or system controller (if present). If someone's boosted one of the frequencies that could cause this. You could also look up ringing out a sound system that might help set up your EQ to minimise feedback. Speaker and mic positioning are also really important for this.

If its a networked system, then this is one to keep on top of especially with regards to cyber security.

There should be a temp sensor outside the building for the OAT. I'd check if that's reading accurately - it might be out of calibration. I'm not sure where you are based, but its warmer than 14 degrees here. The "OAT Hold off" button will probably override that. You might need to check that you still get hot water at the taps if the boilers do both.

You need to isolate whether its DHCP, DNS or routing. What's the Lease time on your DHCP Scopes? I'd set some devices with static IPs (and a suitable DHCP reservation) and see if you can still ping from/to them when its going wrong. If that works then its DHCP, otherwise its something else. I'd also look at the load on your DC. Is it possible that this is overloaded? It might be that the network is fine, but your DC isn't able to respond to DNS requests. You could use nslookup to test this, and compare responses from your server and LGFL or Googles DNS Servers. It might be worth testing nslookup on the DC and on a client PC on each VLan. Some baseline data from when the network is ok would be helpful for comparison. Wireshark's also a handy tool to see what's going on on the wire.

Have you tried turning it off and on again? More seriously, there is a 'reset' button and a 'heating times' button on your screenshot. I'd try those and see if that makes a difference, or if you can change the times for the summer. They should also have left a building systems manual behind when this was installed.

We've been on this road for some time now. You will need to audit what software is getting used and what alternatives there are. For users of basic software, then this is great. But there are still some specialist systems that can be hard to replace. Management of devices is really easy and quick using google admin. Having 1-to-1 chromebooks for students has really helpful for embedding web research and IT into every lesson, but with all of it you need to be realistic about problems and what's possible.