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MET_ECOMs
vining
Posts: 4,368
My initial observations of these are:
First they're not suitable for wet locations and I would argue that they're are also not suitable for damp locations as they are shipped. Even after using a di-electric silicon grease to seal up every opening or gap on and around the RJ45 connector, wiring terminals, camera angle slot, etc I was still able to get dust between the covers camera window and the camera itself when cutting a hole for something else directly above, slightly to the left so I can't imagine how water ws going to stay out. So there is no seal between the metal face plate and the electronics cover back box. There's still a gap at the slots that hook onto the back plate and at the release tab on the bottom. So these should be filled with the sillicon grease to in order to minimize moisture or water from entering the electronics compartement. Once you do all this and mount the MET-ECOM I would suggest placing a bead of silicon RTV around the whole thing to seal the structure (in wet locations) to prevent water from entering the back box and subsequently the building. If the back box was smaller than the cover a gasket could have be designed when dealing with flat, even surfaces but why think things through when designing device made to put on the exterior of building and designed to penetrate the skin of the building. For interior use no problem.
The camera needs the ability to aim up and down also not just left and right. Although down is probably an unlikely need the len's field of vision on these device when place at the ideal user height means you only see the faces of trick or treaters or girls selling girl scout cookies since every adult is seemingly headless. If you guys can't re-design it so we can also aim up and down then how about a wider angel lens? Actually I think it needs a wider angle regardless.
I'd also wouldn't mind seeing and option to remote a camera. Provide a switch to select the onboard camera or not and provide an optional mini spy cam with a 30' lead that can plug into the MET-ECOM. Maybe just make the MET-ECOMs w/o an integral camera (maybe another option) set up for just a remote camera.
So far they sound ok and they look great but they need some common sense installation design improvements. Sometimes it helps if the designers participate in some real world activities and maybe think about how these things are going to be installed and used before going into production.
First they're not suitable for wet locations and I would argue that they're are also not suitable for damp locations as they are shipped. Even after using a di-electric silicon grease to seal up every opening or gap on and around the RJ45 connector, wiring terminals, camera angle slot, etc I was still able to get dust between the covers camera window and the camera itself when cutting a hole for something else directly above, slightly to the left so I can't imagine how water ws going to stay out. So there is no seal between the metal face plate and the electronics cover back box. There's still a gap at the slots that hook onto the back plate and at the release tab on the bottom. So these should be filled with the sillicon grease to in order to minimize moisture or water from entering the electronics compartement. Once you do all this and mount the MET-ECOM I would suggest placing a bead of silicon RTV around the whole thing to seal the structure (in wet locations) to prevent water from entering the back box and subsequently the building. If the back box was smaller than the cover a gasket could have be designed when dealing with flat, even surfaces but why think things through when designing device made to put on the exterior of building and designed to penetrate the skin of the building. For interior use no problem.
The camera needs the ability to aim up and down also not just left and right. Although down is probably an unlikely need the len's field of vision on these device when place at the ideal user height means you only see the faces of trick or treaters or girls selling girl scout cookies since every adult is seemingly headless. If you guys can't re-design it so we can also aim up and down then how about a wider angel lens? Actually I think it needs a wider angle regardless.
I'd also wouldn't mind seeing and option to remote a camera. Provide a switch to select the onboard camera or not and provide an optional mini spy cam with a 30' lead that can plug into the MET-ECOM. Maybe just make the MET-ECOMs w/o an integral camera (maybe another option) set up for just a remote camera.
So far they sound ok and they look great but they need some common sense installation design improvements. Sometimes it helps if the designers participate in some real world activities and maybe think about how these things are going to be installed and used before going into production.
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So they were just trying to make more money from a 1 off custom order where the R & D was completely covered in the original PO. They then hand the MET-ECOM to marketing who know nothing about it where they make it sound suitable for resi installs when it clearly is not. Instead of making the necassary modification to fit the the new marketing strategy they ship as is and just let the dealers deal with it. I guess when they crap out from moisture and corrosion in a year or two they anticipate making another sale and the been counters and maketing genuises sit around the conferance table and start to salivate just thinking about it.
Ya know this doesn't make me feel better and it actually makes me think worse of AMX. I would have preferred an incompetent design team over a bunch of greedy corporate officers that decide to dump ill suited products onto the resi market just to increase profits as they ignore the need to provide quality solutions. What would it have cost to do this right. What happens when thos big custom orders end and they then realize they've alienated their base?
We each bring our perspective to these things. I'd have put it a little differently, something more like "given the opportunity to leverage work already done on a custom order, they decided to offer them as new products that, while not as developed as others, we'd otherwise be entirely without - because of extremely limited new product budgets."
I have no problem with AMX taking advantage of a product devoloped for other reasons and marketing it in the context for which it was developed and is suited. As is this shouldn't have been marketed for resi since resi door intercoms are external to the building and subject to the affect of weather. Maybe condo complexes but not single family dwelling. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know this and if the marketing department doesn't know what the product is suited for they should ask someone and not speculate. ZOf course a little oversight of the marketing department would be nice too. They burned me on a job last year stating the 5200i's were fully SIP capable when in fact that capability wasn't avsailable for at least a year after the ship date, some 3 or 4 firmware upgrades later. It's never good to mislead customers/dealers or mis-represent products by claiming capabilites that don't yet exist or that devices are suitable for installations that they clearly aren't. That's my only beef! I know they want to sell products but be honest about it.
I wonder if AMX has any plans to improve these devices or if it will just be a take it or leave it type product. It is one device thaat fits in the true (core) AMX line that has a potential for turning the company a profit so you'd think it would warrant some attention.