“As manufacturers design locks that use batteries more efficiently, I believe we’ll see more and more wireless systems.” dozens of Networx locks installed. We supplied the trims to the customer’s IT department a few weeks before the install. The IT professionals configured them, and the trims were waiting for us at the location to install when we got there. Alarm Lock offers lots of training for installers and will also come out to the customer’s location (for a fee) to assist with the initial setup if needed. I prefer hardwired systems, but I will admit that wireless is probably going to become the primary installation choice. It has already happened in the alarm side of the security industry. One of the issues is that locks require more power compared to alarms, so as manufacturers design locks that use batteries more efficiently, I believe we’ll see more and more wire- less systems. In Tribute to Bob Many of you have seen my friend Bob Hayner mentioned in my articles. I have partnered with him on jobs for at least 15 years. This was my last big job with Bob. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer and lost his battle just a lit- tle over a month aſter we finished this install. Bob worked up until the day be- fore he was admitted to the hospital, where he passed. I was able to help with a couple of small jobs that last day, and WWW.ALOA.ORG Figure 23. In one of the author’s only pictures of Bob, he is shown at one of prior installations for the same customer. He was complaining about never having his photo taken, so the author snapped this to quiet him, never expecting it would be published. The author now wishes he’d used it earlier. I suspected his time was short. I think he knew it too, but neither of us spoke about it. It was our tough guys’ way of saying goodbye. Bob was a Vietnam veteran, husband and father. He held many jobs after be- ing discharged from the Army in the 1960s but was a locksmith for the past 20-plus years. He opened his shop in Lone Pine, CA, for a little retirement income. Like many “retired” part-time locksmiths, his business grew, and he quickly was serving the entire Owens Valley. He eventually moved his shop to Bishop, CA. I met him doing some safe work in Bishop, which is a couple hours’ drive from my shop. Bob was one of my best friends, but like many friends, it didn’t start out that way. We kept it business- only for many years, but over time, Bob would come to my shop, interrupting my weekends to ask me to help or look at locks with him. I began to appreciate the time spent with him and learned a lot from him — and it was not always about locks. Sometimes it was about business and other times about life. Bob has been gone for almost a year now, and I truly miss those weekend “interruptions.” Greg Perry, CML, CPS, is a certified master locksmith and certified professional safe technician, working in all phases of locksmithing. He has taught various lock- smith topics for 10 years. He currently works in the public sector as a locksmith. He has worked in the hardware industry since 1975 in wholesale, retail and institutional settings. He has written extensively for locksmith maga- zines and is a five-time Keynotes Author of the Year. Any opinions expressed by Greg in his articles are his alone and do not reflect any official government position. FEBRUARY 2020 KEYNOTES 47
