hardware – Page 2 – WETONG Blog

Door Hardware to Keep Your Home Safe

Anna Woodward asked:

Moving into a new home or remodeling means thinking about cabinet hardware and cabinet hardware products. And, it also means thinking about the most important house hardware of all – Locks. Door hardware is your home’s protection against intruders.

Choosing the Right Hardware

These days, a deadbolt is essential for keeping your home secure. Regular door locks that function inside the knob just can’t guarantee the protection you need. They can be easily broken by force. The thick throw bolt of a deadbolt is nearly impossible to break through.

There are two kinds of deadbolts; single cylinder and double cylinder. The difference is that single cylinder deadbolts have a knob or thumb turn on the inside, with a key only on the outside. With a double cylinder, you need a key for both sides.

If you are getting a deadbolt for an exterior door, it is usually best to get the single cylinder variety. This is a safety issue. If there were an emergency inside the house, such as a fire, the occupants could risk being trapped inside or slowed down by having to use a key. A single cylinder and a regular doorknob locks will offer enough protection to the house, and also allow anyone inside to get out.

The only exception to this is a door with windows. If there is glass on the door, it would be easy for an intruder to simply break the glass and reach through to the deadbolt’s knob. It is usually best to consider safety first and go with the single cylinder, but if your house has inner and outer front doors, you can use both.

Don’t Forget the Windows

You might wonder, what’s the point of installing window locks? After all, if a burglar wants to get in, they will simply smash the glass. This is true, in Hollywood. But actually, most burglars are opportunists. They want to break into a house with the least amount of bother, and it would be much better to slip in through a window than to break one.

You should definitely have window locks, and make sure that each one, downstairs and up no matter how small, is covered. Even the tiny one in the bathroom should be secured. An experienced burglar can slip through just about anything, and slip right back out again with your stuff.

Whether to use key or thumb turn locks is the same issue we dealt with earlier. If the burglar chooses to break the glass, they can simply turn the thumb knob; if you use a key mechanism instead, they would have to continue breaking out glass and risk getting cut up coming in.

Even a cheap window lock will work wonders in protecting your house from intruders. Make sure it is one that is visible from outside. Most burglars would rather move on to another house than deal with any kind of difficulty getting in.

Keep in mind that locks work not only to keep your house safe, but as a deterrent for would-be burglars. In the same way that security guards deter theft by just being there, having good, solid, visible locks on your doors and windows will keep most burglars looking for an easier house.

Another thing to remember is that you can never have too much home security. It is a good idea to keep a safe, in addition to the other safety precautions you place in your home.

Pos Hardware for Retail Businesses

Gustef asked:

The fact is that today if a retail business isn’t implementing some type of digital POS system they are simply throwing money out the door. Wages are on the increase and the cost of POS hardware like all electrical components in general is decreasing. Why pay people over and over again to do simple point of sale tasks that can now be done by an inexpensive piece of POS equipment?

Unmanned Checkout Counters

In fact, POS hardware for retail businesses works so efficiently and is so cost effective that some larger retail establishments such as Wall Mart now have checkout counters that are completely unmanned. Customers actually scan and bag their own merchandise. This fact alone speaks volumes to the cost effectiveness of POS systems.

Automatic Fool Proof Itemizing

Not only do modern high tech POS systems save money at the front of the retail establishment but they also help in other areas of the business as well. This is because as each item of merchandise is passed through the system at the POS it is documented automatically for inventory tracking. Virtually any and all itemizing is done automatically and there is never a mistake.

Learn to Operate it in Just Minutes

The great thing about all of the latest POS hardware for retail businesses is that any idiot can be taught how to use it in just minutes and it is virtually tamper proof. This means that business managers and owner no longer have to cajole and plead with temperamental skilled checkers to stay. If they get an attitude and start demanding more pay or stealing simply punt them out the door and then stand a new employee in their place.

Planning Your Network: New Hardware, Used Cisco And Further Considerations

Byron Mackelroy asked:

These days building and maintaining an efficient business requires a growing emphasis on the technology that powers your people. Speed, collaboration and connectivity reign supreme in the modern global economy. In order to achieve best practices and maintain a level playing field with your competition, you must always be on the lookout for ways to empower your employees to work smarter. Any modern business without a technology plan is destined to reduce their competitive edge and under perform the potential of their human capital.

The advent of the global economy and the age of the internet requires a proactive plan to get your employees connected to the web and connecting to each other. While IT departments spend much of their time and budget on personal computer equipment, choosing your company’s network hardware infrastructure is a critical business decision.

When planning your network infrastructure always consider how employees will share access, what type of records you would like to maintain, what type of flexibility your company demands such as wireless access and how you plan to incorporate peripherals. Your network hardware and configuration are the key elements to driving employee collaboration and connectivity.

Price and performance are two key metrics that should dictate where you begin your search. The current market for network hardware contains a wide variety of manufacturers including Cisco, Juniper, Extreme, Foundry and more. New systems from the top manufacturers can provide incredible performance and security, but they can also be expensive. If you want a balance of top performance and price look for vendors of refurbished network equipment. Many companies specialize in providing price-conscience businesses with brand-name network equipment like used cisco.

Remember, when you begin the process of buying network hardware, keep your eyes open and look for the option that suits your company best. If the company is selling pre-owned equipment always examine the level of additional services and support they offer. If you are in the market for new equipment, make sure you choose a manufacturer with a good reputation. Whatever your decision may be, keep your company’s best interest in mind and you are sure to succeed.

VOIP hardware guide

Mansi Gupta asked:

VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is a technology that taken the telecom industry by storm by introducing significant changes in the field of telecommunications. Because of the changes it has brought to the traditional telephony system it has become a hot favorite in both the residential and commercial market.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is basically a process, which converts your voice into digital signals that travel over internet. Its most prominent feature is its affordability. With VoIP you can make long distance calls at a fraction of cost that you used to pay to your telephone companies. It is primarily because of the fact that transferring digital signals over internet is quite cheaper than transferring analog signals over the traditional telephone lines.

The VoIP hardware needed to make VoIP calls depends on the type of VoIP service being used. VoIP service is available in three different modes. These are ATA, IP phone and PC-to-PC. All these services are common and available for the use at the home PC. ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor lets the user to connect the regular telephone to the computer and use it for VoIP service by converting analog sound bits into digital data. Internet Protocol phones are those phones which are specially designed to be used with VoIP service. They look very similar to the standard phone models but their components are different from them. Moreover, a cordless IP phone will enable the user to use the VoIP services on the move. The PC-to-PC VoIP can be set up by installing the software provided by the VoIP service providers. Yahoo and MSN messengers are the examples of such software. In the PC-to-PC VoIP, users can make long distance calls through their computers and can communicate through the headphones with attached microphones.

As the VoIP is gaining popularity the market for the VoIP services and hardware is becoming more and more competitive. Presently there are several companies that are offering VoIP services and hardware to the growing market for the VoIP. However, the VoIP technology is so new that even the latest VoIP hardware becomes outdated in few months. Thus, one needs to be very careful while investing in the VoIP hardware. First of all, you should decide what kind of VoIP service is perfect for you. Then compare the cost of the VoIP hardware with that of the traditional phones. If it costs more than the traditional phones then there is no use of buying it as it is not advisable to buy VoIP equipment just for the sake of having the latest technology. Moreover as the products become outdated very fast you should purchase them only when needed. If you are using VoIP then you should be ready to spend more money in future to upgrade your hardware. Also, the installation costs are to be paid every time you change or upgrade your hardware. Finally, before going to shop for VoIP hardware you must collect information about the different vendors and should only select a licensed or authorized dealer.

Cabinet Hardware and Door Hardware Makes a Quick and Easy Remodel

Anna Woodward asked:

When people are interested in remodeling their houses, they spend months drawing up plans, shopping for appliances and fixtures, cabinet hardware or countertops, picking out tub, faucets and accessories that will highlight the house. The ability to purchase beautiful styles and finishes of cabinet hardware and fixtures used to be restricted to those who could afford to spend a lot of money on their renovation. But, with the influx of new manufacturers, high fashion design is attainable for individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Many companies can offer consumers both unique style with gorgeous finish and a great price.

Remodeling your Kitchen

Before remodeling your kitchen, research and take pictures of your dream cooking space. If you are looking to remodel your kitchen cabinets and if they are made of real wood, you may want to cut down cost and paint them yourself instead of replacing them. Older cabinets usually have more character and are more durable than the newer ones. If your cabinet needs to be totally replaced, then you can cut costs by ordering unfinished kitchen cabinets and painting them yourself. When choosing paint, ask your local paint store for a primer that sticks to a laminate surface. In addition, decorative crown molding can give kitchen cabinets a polished professional look.

Always a quick and easy update to older cabinets is refreshing them with new cabinet hardware, handles or knobs. Just switching out the worn and dingy to a newer modern style can make the cooking space feel so much fresher.

Floor in kitchen are subject to a lot of abuse over the same area. Instead of replacing floors, sanding and stripping can help the floor look more beautiful again especially when painted with high gloss enamel which will give the wood a new finish. Imperfections on old flooring can be covered with a lovely rug. Install new window curtains to change the look of a kitchen. Change your lighting by changing the ceiling fixtures, bulbs or lamps. Changing the lighting can create a whole new look and can even make the kitchen look larger. Where space is at a premium, look for creative storage options.

Remodeling the Bathroom

Select faucets and door hardware that are within scale of other elements in the room. If you are putting in a kitchen sink, carefully consider fixtures. As you choose the faucet for your bathroom project, make sure your bath accessories are available in that same style and finish to keep the personality you brought to the room consistent. Unique showerheads and shower systems continue to grow in popularity and can also bring customization to your bathroom.

Again, keep the styling and finish compatible with other fixtures in the room whenever possible. Research a product’s quality. A pretty faucet is not pretty if it leaks or does not operate smoothly. Buy components that ensure a long-lasting, reliable product because you don’t want to renovate that same room next. Shop around for the styling and finish you prefer and then compare prices with other brands that offer a similar style.

The choices available to you for your home remodeling project are endless. Make sure you bring out your personality with the unique projects. Create a beautiful room with great styling and design.

Commercial Door Hardware: the Iso’s Role in Maintaining Quality

Jenny Schweyer asked:

Every day millions of people around the world enter and exit public buildings. We work, shop, study and play in commercial buildings. Most people take for granted that public buildings are safe, and that components like doors are going to perform properly and as expected every single time. If we had to stop and think about how the door might work every time we entered a property, it would put a serious damper on how we do business and go about daily life. Fortunately, it’s organizations like the ISO that help make daily living easier, providing peace of mind for consumers and users of everyday products, like commercial door hardware.

The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) was formed in 1947. It is a network consisting of the national standards institutes of 157 different countries around the world. It collaborates with scientists, manufacturers and various industry experts worldwide to create product standards that”meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society.” The ISO helps to ensure that international standards for products and technology are developed, encouraged and adhered to by products manufacturers and industries in general. International Standards “provide a reference framework, or a common technological language, between suppliers and their customers.”

What does this mean for the consumer? Essentially, consumers and members of the public can be assured of two things:

1) Products will perform in the same manner no matter what part of the world they come from. In the case of commercial door hardware, such as an exit device, the device will perform safely and in the expected and acceptable manner in the United States even if it was manufactured in another country.

2) Technology is shared. ISO member countries work in partnership with one another. They share information and technology. This means that products (i.e. exit devices, door closers) are manufactured to perform in a uniform manner. While individual commercial door hardware companies are free to improve on existing products and to create new ones, they will still perform according to the technological guidelines as set out by the ISO.

The 1903 Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago, Illinois is an example of human tragedy that resulted, at least in part, from a lack of product/technology standardization. The theater was rushed to an opening several months ahead of schedule, despite the lack of safety precautions, such as working fire escapes. As such, the Iroquois Theater had a beautiful architectural and interior design façade, but lacked working safety systems.

When fire broke out during a matinee, hundreds of patrons were unable to escape the burning theater. Many of the theater’s fire doors had been locked, trapping patrons inside. Other doors were outfitted with bascule locks. While they were more common in European countries, they were virtually unheard of in the United States. Just a mere handful of visitors were able to work the bascule locks. Those who could not perished in the flames.

Had international standards existed in the early 1900’s, it’s probable that many more lives could have been saved. Over six hundred died in the Iroquois Theater Fire. The ISO exists, in part, to help ensure that these kinds of tragedies do not occur.

Today’s commercial door hardware can be expected to perform to the standards set out by the ISO. These standards apply to the United States, as well as the other 156 member countries around the world.

Cabinet Hardware – Make Sure To Go With Beautiful Ones For Your Cabinetry

Jesse Akre asked:

Are you at the tail end of a bathroom remodeling project and now you’re in search of a way to really complete the look of your space? There is an easy way to do just that, all you need to do is purchase some decorative cabinet hardware for your bathroom cabinetry.

Okay, so you might be thinking, cabinet hardware is cabinet hardware and what is the big deal? It is just there to help you open and shut your cabinets so it doesn’t need to be pretty. Well, the big deal is that fact that if you went through all this work to remodel your space, why would you through just any old thing on your cabinetry? If you do that, you will just take away from the new look and feel of your space.

So, purchasing attractive cabinet hardware is essential and the nice thing about it, is that it comes in a wide variety of styles. This is great for you since you can easily find ones to match and complement the décor in your space. For example, maybe the current style that your new bathroom has is a very modern, chic one. Then, what would be great for you is something that also has that same feel with sleek, eye-catching lines and a bold finish. Or, if your bathroom has more of a vintage look to it, then something that has an antique feel to it would be the way to go that features maybe a distressed finish or bold, looping scrollwork.

There are other styles cabinet hardware styles to choose from as well along with those just mentioned. Some of them include ones that have a traditional feel, others that have more of a colonial appearance, and some that even feature country styling. The reason why there are so many style choices how cabinet hardware can be crafted of a plethora of substances that can be finished off in a number of lovely ways. Take the modern ones for example, generally these ones will be made out of metal, will be formed in sleek, smooth shapes, and will have different brushed or polished finishes applied to them. The antique options are also normally made from metal, but there finishes are more on the hand rubbed or burnished side. Quite simply, they are just made from a lot of different substances and some of the other ones include glass, wood, porcelain, and plastic while some other finishes out there are plain, stained, and distressed.

To find just the perfect cabinet hardware for your cabinetry, just go online and do some comparison shopping. There you will be able to find everything you need, like cabinet knobs, drawer pulls, cabinet hinges, and drawer slides. You can check them all out just at the drop of the hat, plus, when you do happen upon what you like, it will usually be at the best prices possible.

Ultimately, if you want to finish off the look of your bathroom remodeling project the right way, make sure to buy beautiful cabinet hardware for your cabinetry. It doesn’t pay to skimp by going with something plain because that will only put a damper on all the hard work you just did. And, you definitely don’t want to do that.

Prevent Unnecessary Hardware Upgrades

Colleen Toumayan asked:

There’s nothing like having to replace something before it’s time. When a car, for example, starts breaking down four years after purchase, the owner unexpectedly has to pull together the financing for another vehicle and go through the painful lease or purchase process. Or a television goes out right in the middle of your favorite program when you fully expected it to last at least another two years. It seems nothing lasts as long as it used to—and it can be an expensive surprise.

This can be also true of computers, and in business it can be as expensive as or even more expensive than some car or a television. A company budgets its funds for a quarter or for a year, and having an unexpected hardware failure necessitating a replacement or upgrade turns that budget on its ear. It becomes imperative for an IT department to maintain that hardware and get as much life out of it as possible—and when it comes to hard drives, file fragmentation can rob a good portion of that life.

A hard drive is the only computer component that has mechanical, moving parts that can break down. Every time a file is requested, a read/write head must move across the disk platters and retrieve that file, and file fragmentation adds additional movements for every fragment. Because the free space on a drive is also fragmented, the same holds true for writing a file: the read/write head will have to keep moving until it has written all the fragments of a file in the free spaces available.

Many companies have implemented scheduled defrag to make sure drives are defragmented. But what system administrators in these companies may not know is that despite scheduled defragmentation, hard drives are still experiencing unnecessary wear and tear. Because file sizes have become enormous and disk capacities have so greatly increased, fragmentation builds up far quicker than it used to. In between scheduled runs, fragmentation continues to impact performance and continues to reduce hard drive life—and in some instances, as in the case of very large drives, the defragmenter isn’t even addressing the fragmentation problem.

An automatic defrag solution solves this problem, restoring that life and allows hardware to be used even longer than expected.

“I am still able to use five-year-old equipment even for software development and builds, simply because they are so highly optimized with automatic defrag software I use,” said Neil Beesely, network administrator with Integrated Medicine PS in Bremerton, Washington. “In addition to defragmenting data files we are particularly grateful for being able to defragment MFT and page files easily.”

Beesely has been able to address his fragmentation issues with automatic defragmentation. These include software build environments that suffer severe fragmentation problems, software test environments using VMware that also suffer severe fragmentation, and admin and secretarial workstations where he can prevent unnecessary slowdowns and avoid hardware upgrades.

File fragmentation takes a serious toll on hard drives. The right defrag technology, counteracts that toll and ensures hard drives last through their expected life spans and beyond.

How to Locate Wholesale Computer Hardware

Twinomugisha Charles asked:

If you are not actively looking for wholesale computer hardware as part of your notebook shopping process, you are making an almost fatal mistake that will cost you money that you could easily save for future use.

A visitor once asked me via email how she could track down laptop computer sales and if there was a time saving way to go on about this.

After a few thoughts, I simply put myself in her shoes and what you are going to read below is what I would do if I wanted information on wholesale computer hardware.

First of all, you need to know that at any given time, there is some sort of wholesales on laptops going on. The reason behind them is to get shoppers to buy now instead of later (which usually is never).

With that most sales you’ll hear about are nothing but marketing ploys that retailers use to get your money before their competitor does with promises of lower prices.

My favorite time to hunt down wholesale computer hardware is during special times of the year. For instance: back to school, holidays such as Christmas and the ultimate of all, when new laptop models are made available on the market.

An example I can share with you is the introduction of G5 desktops from Apple. All the retailers started holding sales to get rid of the now “older” G4 models to make room for the G5.

One thing you need to make sure of is that nothing should be wrong with the notebooks that you buy during these sales. Remember to ask about the warranty and other terms and conditions.If something is wrong with the unit that you get from wholesale computer hardware but does not affect the performance of the notebooks, make sure that the company you deal with knows about it. Better yet, have them right it down on your receipt.

Cabinet Hardware – Clean It And Make It New

Jesse Akre asked:

So, you’re moving into that home you just bought and now you are noticing a lot of little things that need to be done to really clean it up. While the place is clean enough and seems to have been well cared for, there are a few areas that some things were overlooked. The cabinet hardware seems to have been left on for a few paint jobs and the metal pieces have a lot of residual paint on them. Either that or when they repainted the cabinets, they just painted the cabinet hardware right along with everything else. Before you think you have to get rid of all those cabinet hardware pieces and start over again, there is another option. You can remove the paint.

When you look at the doorknobs, pulls, and other cabinet hardware pieces you likely can immediately see why regular methods of paint stripping would be futile. There are too many small curves to be able to take a scraper along them to get the old paint off. Taking a bunch of sandpaper or other abrasive action can damage the metal cabinet hardware that’s under all that paint, so you instead just need to take a breath, and have the patience to do this the right way.

Pull out a boiling pot that has seen better days and can retire from its life as a cooking utensil, add some water and baking soda and start cooking. You want to put enough water into the pot to cover the biggest of the pieces you are going to try and restore. You don’t want to overdo the water, or you will just waste time waiting for it to get hot enough. Now add enough baking soda to make a whole layer along the bottom of the pot.

Next, you’re going to place the metal pieces in the pot, turn the stove on, and wait for it to simmer. Once a few bubbles start you should turn it down to low and let it continue to simmer for at least a half hour.

You can tell if the paint removing concoction is done by seeing if the paint is starting to come off of the metal pieces. If you are not sure, you may want to use a wooden skewer or other similar instrument to push along one of the pieces to see if the paint has softened enough. The next test is to pull one piece out and see if you can rub the paint off. Remember, these are hot pieces of metal, so take precautions to not burn yourself.

If the paint does not rub off easily, pop it back in the pot to boil a little longer. Eventually that stubborn paint will give in, and let go. Get rid of your paint and water soup, and you’re ready to finish restoring those pieces of cabinet hardware.

You can now rub the metal until it shines, using a polish if necessary.

Reinstall those pieces of cabinet hardware and enjoy your new digs.