Lessons Learned from a Small AV World
Steve Gibbs Jr
Ask questions
Simply asking people about your project and how things will be accomplished is the key to a successfully delivered solution. Even though one might sound confused, it’s always good to ask others to explain why something needs to be done a certain way. We also don’t always know how parts of the project that don’t seem to relate to the AV in a room or space suddenly do relate! Yes, I have attended many long meetings that might have very little to do with the tech we are installing, then suddenly we have a question about where a light might be installed or where category cable will run.
Try to break things
I know this sounds counterproductive and we are normally taught not to break things, but when you get a new projector, switcher, or camera you should put it through the wringer. Try to make it do what you were told it would do and then some. This will help you bond with the product! There are many times when just setting equipment up leads me to find something that needs to be addressed or changed. Testing is healthy for the soul! It’s a way to learn about the product and inspire confidence when something inevitably goes wrong later. You will know what is reliable and can be trusted and what should be vetted more carefully. This is key especially for small schools since resources are normally slim and we don’t have the chance to check-in often to make sure everything in each room is working. We want to know that our rooms are rock solid and then users can enjoy the spaces with confidence.
AV is trying to be IT
I agree that AV is becoming IT, but it is still a work in progress. This is mostly a good thing but can be a bad thing. Just because your sound mixer or other device has an Ethernet port on the backside does not mean that it will work like a normal IT device on your network. The same thing can be said for something like an Apple TV. Yes, it will work just fine using your home WiFi, but please test it on your campus network before you decide to install a bunch of them. This is where it is helpful to find out more about what these devices do. How will you be able to monitor them? What type of security do they provide? How are you able to update them? Things like this make a difference especially if you have equipment scattered in all of your rooms across the university. I still don’t know how equipment is being marketed in a higher ed environment, yet it is not a guarantee that it can connect to an enterprise wireless network! This is only going to be more important as our industry moves towards AV over IP installs. We need to know how the product will work and what that means for when we put it on our network. This will save us many headaches and surprises. When done right, having devices on the network will help us in the end, it just might not be easy at first!
Prepare for something to go wrong
It would be nice for there to be an install that goes off without a hitch, but this does not normally happen on the projects I have been a part of over the years. One person or party is not responsible, but issues are bound to arise. It’s always good to have margins in your budget. It’s important to make sure your products show up on time. It’s also good to visit your install site at least once or twice a week to check on progress. These are just a few ideas to make sure your endeavor happens smoothly. A good project manager also builds in extra days to an install so if something goes wrong you have time to make things right before the room needs to be used.
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In conclusion, lessons can be learned and it does not always have to be a bad experience. Learning from the past can make your future easier. I hope that we can continue to help each other learn together. Since at a small school I have always learned from others. Finding more seasoned colleagues helps us improve if we’re working on a smaller campus. Better together is a lesson I learned a long time ago and that I will not soon forget!
Steve gibbs jr
author
Stephen Gibbs, Jr. is a Senior Educational Technology Engineer at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. He enjoys spending time with his three young kids and interests outside of AV include disc golf and soccer.