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The Smart Buildings Academy Podcast | Teaching You Building Automation, Systems Integration, and Information Technology

The weekly podcast where Phil Zito discusses topics related to building automation and provides useful tips and action packed examples to help you better understand building automation.
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The Smart Buildings Academy Podcast | Teaching You Building Automation, Systems Integration, and Information Technology
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Now displaying: Page 16
Sep 11, 2017

You've got an IP controls network and you're in a world of hurt because it's not working. You search Google looking for ideas, tech support puts you on hold for hours trying to help the thousands of other folks just like you.

You're feeling hopeless. 

But it's not hopeless. In this episode, I provide you 7 tips that you can apply immediately to help you troubleshoot your IP controls network. Success is just around the corner, have a listen... 

Aug 28, 2017

In my last podcast episode, I explained what IP BAS controls are. 

In this episode, I'm going to be diving even deeper down the rabbit hole and exploring how to design IP control systems. This episode is perfect for technical and non-technical folks. By the time you finish listening to this episode you will have a solid understanding of exactly what you need to know about designing your own IP BAS controls system.

In this episode you will learn:

  • The big difference between IP and non-IP designs
  • The different physical architectures of IP controls
  • A step-by-step plan for designing wireless and wired IP control systems
  • The key criteria you need to consider when designing wireless systems
  • The exact questions you should ask before you ever design an IP control system
Aug 21, 2017

IP controls are one of the hottest trends in the building automation world right now.

Yet for many folks in the BAS profession, IP controls are a mystery. Despite the prolific marketing by some of the largest BAS brands there still is a ton of confusion as to what IP controls are and what they can do!

That's why I created what may be my best podcast episode yet. In this episode, and over the next couple episodes, I am going to dive deep into the topic of IP controls. In this episode

In this episode you will learn:

  • What are IP enabled controls?
  • How are they different than normal BAS controls?
  • What are the use cases for IP Controls?
  • Do IP controls cost more?
  • What are the pros of IP controls?
  • What are the cons of IP controls?
  • How do IP controls affect the design process?
Aug 14, 2017

You can master networking... 

But you need to start now! In this episode, I give you 7 tips that have been immensely helpful to me over my career in BAS.

That's it... No fluff just tons of valuable insight around networking. You won't want to miss this one!

You will learn:

  • Why you must understand the first four layers of the OSI Model
  • How Ethernet and IP are not the same
  • The difference between Frames and Packets
  • Understand Physical vs Virtual Lans
  • Why Broadcast domains are vitally important
  • How Subnets and Default Gateways work
  • The importance of Trunking and QoS
Aug 7, 2017

What is a building automation server? 

What does it do? 

Should I cloud host my server? Should I use a desktop or server class platform?

If you've ever wondered these questions then this episode is for you!

In this episode, I unpack the topic of BAS servers. I dive deep into the topic of BAS servers. 

You will learn:

  • What a server is and how it works?
  • Why you shouldn't use your server as a client
  • When you should cloud host your server (and when you shouldn't)
  • Why your choice of server architecture can make or break your BAS installation
  • And much, much more!
Aug 4, 2017

In last weeks podcast episode, I talked through how you can enter the building automation field. But what if you are already in the field?

More specifically, what if you are trying to build your own building automation group?

If you've ever wondered how to build a building automation team or how to run an existing building automation team then this is the episode for you!

In this episode I discuss:

  • The two main types of BAS work
  • How to organize a project focused BAS team
  • Whether or not to have an in house BAS group or an external BAS group
  • What the future holds for BAS teams and what skills you should hire right now
  • How cloud and IoT tie into your BAS business
  • Why you should shift your business to a residual income model
Jul 24, 2017

Do you want to have a career in building automation systems? Does it seem like every job interview ends in a salary that is too low or you being told you don't have enough experience?

If this sounds familiar then this is the episode for you!

In this episode I discuss:

  • The three skills that make up a BAS professional
  • The four paths for entering the BAS field
  • Why most folks believe they can't move into the BAS profession (and why they are wrong)
  • How you can get a job working with BAS, WITHOUT a pay cut
  • The future of BAS and how it will change who we hire
  • The three ways you can "future proof" your BAS career or business

 

Jul 17, 2017

I recently went through a 3-day power outage. It was utterly debilitating. Our well pump wouldn't run leaving us without water and we ended up loosing all our food. The good thing is we were prepared with backup food and water. Yet, many of our neighbors weren't and it was amazing how fast all of the surrounding stores sold out of basic goods.

So why do I tell you this?

The reality is so many BAS professionals are sitting on time bombs. There are facilities across the world that have put zero thought into how to keep their BAS operational after a disaster. The good news is that if you follow what I teach you in this episode you will be massively more prepared for when, not if, disaster strikes!

In this episode you will learn:

  • The three kinds of disasters
  • My four-step plan for disaster planning
  • How to find the Goldilox zone (not over prepared but not under prepared)
  • Why you must test your disaster plan
Jul 10, 2017

Man, I am so stoked for this episode. I've got to say out of all the episodes I've recorded I think this is the most value packed episode of them all!

As you may or may not know, at the time of this recording I'm into my second IT for BAS class and the questions I've received have been phenomenal!

What I wanted to do in this episode was to share with you some of the questions I've received from my students and share with you the answers I provided. I think you will find this episode eye opening as I really dive into some great topics.

In this episode you will learn:

  • How IP controls and IT are coming together
  • How to properly segment your IP controls
  • What VPN's, DMZ's, and proxy servers are, and how that affects your ability to remotely connect to your BAS
  • Why understanding databases is critical to your career
  • Why API's aren't all they are hyped up to be
  • What the deal is with all these goofy IT cyber security terms
  • And sooo MUCH MORE.
Jul 3, 2017

I've gotten a lot of questions from my subscribers about BAS networks lately. I actually find this interesting as there is a definite uptick. 

I get it, networks can be ultra confusing and most folks are having to deal more and more with IT. IT naturally is asking very detailed questions about how these protocols work. 

And that is why I recorded this episode. 

In this episode you will learn:

  • The four layers of BAS networks
  • How encapsulation and decapsulation work and why you should care
  • The difference between BACnet MS/TP, Ethernet, and IP
  • The life of a BACnet Message
Jun 30, 2017

Naming standards.

As you know I'm a bit of a standard fanatic.

The reality is most of the BAS problems I have experienced have come from when people went off into left field and created designs that just don't make sense.

And there is no other better example of this than in the area of naming. Zone temp, space temp, room temp. They all mean the same thing...

Or do they???

In this episode unpack what makes naming standards good and what makes them not so good..

By the time you finish this episode you will know:

  • The three keys to good naming standards
  • How to create a naming standard
  • How to push through the overwhelm of applying a naming standard to an existing building
Jun 28, 2017

Most BAS training at the end of the project is terrible. 

I know you've been there. You bring in 2 dozen donuts and a jug of coffee and hope and pray that you can keep the customer's attention for more than 2 hours before they wander off (either physically or mentally). What if you could create awesome training that helped your customers learn your BAS?

What if this training was so awesome that your customers told everyone they knew about how awesome your company is?

Well, that is what I'm going to teach you in this episode!

By the time you finish this episode you will know:

  • Why most BAS training sucks and how to make sure your's doesn't
  • The amazing secret to knowing exactly what your customers want and need to know
  • My 4-step process to creating amazing training that your customers will rave about!
Jun 26, 2017

Alarms, they can make or break your BAS. Yet so many building owners seem to just accept that having a crappy alarm design is just par for the course.

Why is this? 

Is it possible to have a structured alarm design that prioritizes the issues that need your attention the most? 

I believe it is and by the time you finish this episode you will know:

  • Why most BAS alarming designs are terrible and how to avoid your's becoming terrible as well!
  • My step-by-step process for creating amazing alarm designs (hint, this takes less than one hour!)
  • How you can implement an alarm design, even if you have already built your building!
Jun 23, 2017

When I say redlines and as builts what do you think of? 

Do you think of how much redlines and as builts can impact the success of your project?

Do you think about how much redlines and as builts can impact the effectiveness of any future service calls? 

Do you think of how redlines and as builts can massively increase or decrease the time you spend on a project?

You should!

By the time you finish this episode you will know:

  • Why you MUST make sure you are dealing with the latest drawings on any project
  • The #1 method for making sure your redlines get turned into accurate as builts
  • How proper as builts will determine the success or failure of your service career
Jun 21, 2017

CSI MasterFormat is the defacto standard for specification formatting. But how does it work?

What are the gotchas you need to be aware of?

By the time you finish this episode you will know:

  • What MasterFormat is and how it is organized21
  • What you can and cannot change in a specification
  • Key changes you can make to massively increase the effectiveness of your specification!
Jun 19, 2017

Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) plans. So many BAS professionals think they know what these documents are. 

But do you really know what these documents are? Do you know which part of the plans contains what information?

By the time you finish this episode you will:

  • Know what the three parts of the MEP Plans are that you must know!
  • Be clear on how to avoid scope creep by reading the plan details!
  • Ensure you are are looking at the right floorplan for the information you need
Jun 14, 2017

One of the greatest challenges faced by BAS professionals is getting remote access to their BAS. 

In this episode, I teach you my four-step process to get IT to give you remote access to your BAS.

I also explore analytics. I unpack what analytics are, how they work and why they are important. 

By the time you finish this episode you will:

  • Have a four-step process for gaining remote access for your BAS
  • Understand what analytics are and how they work
  • Be able to describe the two types of analytics and the methods for collecting data
Jun 10, 2017

Lately, there have been a ton of questions about data tagging and data normalization. But what does that actually mean?

This is a super important topic especially when you consider that having common data formats is required to implement analytics, fault diagnostics, and other advanced services!

In this episode, I'm going to dive deep into data. You're going to learn:

►What data is and how it relates to a BAS

►Why data normalization is important and how you can plan for it

►What a data tag is and how it is used

►How data is related to API's

Jun 2, 2017

There's a lot of noise and miscommunication out there about IT technologies lately so when BAM Nation member Jim e-mailed me asking about Zigbee I was excited to answer his questions and help clear up some of the things he'd been told about Zigbee.

In this podcast episode you will learn:

  • What Zigbee is and how it works
  • The two main types of wireless communication
  • The differences between physical standards and data protocols
  • How integration is independent (mostly) of the physical media
May 31, 2017

There’s been a lot of chatter across the Facebook group recently about Comm trunks and Mixing and matching different vendors controllers.

There seems to be a lot of misinformation out there and I thought I’d do a podcast episode where I discussed both topics.

These two topics are very much interrelated when you start to mix and match third-party controllers you can effect your comm trunk so it’s important to have a process.

In this episode I will be teaching you:

  • My 5-step process for adding third-party controllers to an existing network 
  • My 7-step process for troubleshooting communication trunk issues
May 26, 2017

You just finished your first integration project! Your all excited you finally stepped into the world of systems integration.

But then it happens! 

You get that call telling you something's not working. 

Maybe it's a value from one of the points you integrated?

Or perhaps it's that a command to control one of the integrated systems is going through.

It doesn't matter really why. You just need to solve the problem.

But how do you do that?

How can you resolve issues with integrations?

In this podcast I'm going to teach you:

  • The danger of double dipping on integrations
  • Why data models matter
  • How to step through an integration to find the root cause of your troubles
May 24, 2017

For a lot of folks, systems integration is the hardest thing they will ever do in their BAS career.

And I get that, some of my biggest screw ups in my career were related to system integration projects. That's why you have to listen to my latest podcast episode. 

I've got all the scars from systems integration! In this episode I draw on this experience to teach you:

  • How to quickly disqualify a potential integration project
  • The 6 questions you must ask before every systems integration project
  • The three different approaches to systems integration
  • How and when to apply each approach
May 19, 2017

In the world of Building Automation, there are only a select few things you need to know in order to be awesome at your job. 

One of these things is Proportional Integral loops. 

I've gotten a lot of questions lately about PI loops and so I recorded this episode.

In this episode you will learn:

  • What a PI loop is
  • How the P and I are calculated
  • The difference between deadband and error
  • How to calculate your prop-band
  • And much more!
May 17, 2017

Can you feel it!

Something in our industry is changing. We are the edge of a new revolution in the BAS world the likes of which haven't been seen since we switched from pneumatics to DDC systems!

Threats like the Wanna Cry ransomware are becoming daily occurrences. And with each passing moment networks and integrated systems grow more complex.

Yet amongst chaos comes opportunity. Throughout history when shit hit the fan, those who stepped for reaped the rewards.

In this episode, we are taking a unique look at the future and then addressing the immediate reality.

I will show you how to prepare for the future and then I will show you how to harden your BAS so that it can survive the present.

You ready, this one's gonna be awesome!

In this episode you will learn:

  • The career altering, industry-shattering change that is coming to the BAS industry
  • Why it is no longer acceptable to "run it til it dies"
  • The 5 steps you must implement to secure your BAS
May 12, 2017

I started my BAS career in service and I'm thankful I did because I learned so much from servicing BAS. But, there's a dark side of service. 

You see not everyone had the power and clout behind that I did working at a Fortune 100 company. Often times BAS service providers are used and abused. 

Customers dispute billing, disagree with scope, and flat out ignore recommendations that can improve the functionality of their systems. 

Software upgrades anyone?

But, you have to understand it from the customer's perspective. So many service providers are like ninja's they swoop in, fix and issue and are off another call. They don't take the time to explain what was done and customers imagine the worst!

So how can we resolve these issues? 

In this episode you will learn:

  • Why you must approach planned maintenance and service calls differently
  • My 7 step process for the perfect service call
  • The three types of customers and how to deal with each one
  • The 5 questions you must answer when creating a Planned Maintenance agreement
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