I recently won a Home Automation Project that included Wireless Home Security Transmitters and a Control Panel. Even though I informed the owner that I had no experience with these products or his existing light system, he insisted that I was the man for the job; which was fine with me.

I made a rather large mistake by allowing my client too much control over the project. He requested 2 design changes in 2 days, negating much of my previous efforts. However, this man was also a invaluable assistant, working as if he was "hired help" rather than the " Big Boss", a refreshing and unexpected turn of events.

As the project approached the programming stage, another setback occurred, the manufacturers' Tech Support had misinformed me as to the number of wires needed to interface the Wireless Receivers to the Control panel. Instead of a single wire from each of the 3 wireless receivers I installed, each receiver required a total of 10 wires and to make matters worse, the project would now require 2 very expensive "Expansion Enclosures" to complete the Interface.

Needless to say, my credibility with my new friend was completely destroyed. He called in a new "expert" which turned out to be a person who could program like the wind, whipping through the setup and macros like Crazy! Very Impressive! I was very happy to make this persons' acquaintance!

However, this person went on to "Step on my Toes" as salesmen say; snapping up a hefty equipment order from my client; dashing my hopes of recovering lost revenue on the project. The last I heard from my client was that a local government inspector was going to look over the property, hope it went well; my client declined a local permit when I offered to handle that for him!

Hopefully this tale of frustration and humiliation can be of service to other entry level HTI's! Best Wishes, Mark Veen Pres. AutoValue, Inc.