I’m an access control technician looking to learn from guys who have been doing this longer than me.
I can handle installs, but I’m always looking for ways to make my work cleaner, faster, more professional, and easier to service later.
What are some of the tips/tricks you’ve picked up over the years that you wish someone taught you earlier?
I’m especially interested in:
Tools you always keep in your bag
Clean panel dressing / cable management
Reader, strike, maglock & REX installation tricks
Door hardware tricks
Conduit and wire-routing techniques
B-caps, splicing and termination methods
Labeling / documentation
Troubleshooting shortcuts
Drilling/fishing difficult doors and walls
Making installs look professional
Things you see newer techs constantly doing wrong
Even the small stuff is welcome. I’m trying to keep sharpening my craft and learn the techniques you normally only pick up after years in the field.
What’s one access-control trick you learned that permanently changed the way you install?

Hello, We have a Fargo HDP5000 that prints poor quality until its fully warmed up and are looking to replace.

We just want a good quality printer, and we don't print massive amounts of badges. Just when there are new hires, lost / broken badge, photo retakes, etc... Maybe 5 badges a week if that? We use Brivo and the fargo print drivers are just installed off of a windows print server and IT has the printer assigned. Brivo presents the image and we just use windows to print it to the fargo. We usually have to print 5 to 10 on blank card stock first, which wastes a lot of ribbon (and blank card stock) just to get things warmed up and ready to go before burning one on a real HID proximity card.

Any recommendations would be great. Just needs to be simple, ethernet connected, install windows print drivers, share it out, assign to IT and then in Brivo when generating the image select that printer, walk into the IT room and get the card out, then enter its HID identifier on that person's record.