Some installations come with an extra level of difficulty. Such was the case on one recent Security 101 project. Despite conditions appropriate for any scary movie, one aspect went smoothly: the fiber installation. By choosing Cleerline SSF™, Security 101 gained a 50% savings in time and labor and set themselves up for future fiber installation success.
Security 101 is an industry-leading commercial integration company. With offices across the United States, the company offers security-specific installation services, system design, and more. For this project, Security 101’s Plainville, CT group was tasked with upgrading analog cameras to IP cameras within a housing authority spanning 10 blocks.
INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES
The original infrastructure ran coax underground through the street, with all cabling being home-run. However, with the farthest set of cameras 2500 feet away from the head end, getting PoE to span the distance presented a problem. The solution? Fiber. Fiber’s high bandwidth and distance capabilities make short work of long cable runs. In fact, the single mode fiber Security 101 chose can easily run multiple miles. Security 101 opted to move their central switch to a junction point approximately 1200 feet from the head end and connect to the switch using fiber.
In previous installations, Security 101 had contracted with other companies for fiber termination. For this installation, they instead chose to work with Cleerline SSF™ fiber. Cleerline SSF™ is specially designed for easy, fast, termination. Since the SSF™ fiber termination process only requires a few minutes to learn, Security 101 technicians could terminate it themselves on site. Additionally, Cleerline SSF™ fiber’s construction not only makes it safer and easier to terminate, but also makes the cable far stronger than traditional optical fibers. This turned out to be even more important than usual due to the conditions of the installation.
“It was pretty much the worst conditions I’ve ever pulled cable in,” Lead Technician Frank Boutot notes. Each unit within the housing authority had its own crawlspace – its own hot, short crawlspace, complete with dirt floors and rodents. The conditions made the average horror flick basement look pretty good. Cleerline’s Rugged Micro Distribution cable, however, was up to the task. The Security 101 team was able to pull the cable in without any problems, even using pulleys in different buildings.
FIELD TERMINATION
Having survived the crawlspaces, the next hurdle was getting ends on the cable. As they had never worked with Cleerline SSF™ fiber before, the team was concerned – would it really be that easy? “It took me no time,” Boutot says. After watching the short training video online and reviewing the instructions in the connector pack, terminating the fiber was no problem.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
