Today`s Smart Wired Contractor

When it comes to problems with wiring, Craig Holland is something of an expert.

When it comes to problems with wiring, Craig Holland is something of an expert.

This Smart Wired accredited contractor has too often had to put right the work done by others in the trade.

"Most of my smart wiring work to date has been rectification work - redoing wiring by electrical contractors who promised they could do the job but weren't up to the task," he explains.

"People say that anyone can run a cable, but running a cable and doing it properly are two different things. It is not exactly rocket science, but it needs to be done properly.

"A sign of a good job is labelling, correct terminations, testing, safety segregation and segregation from power that will cause interference."

As a communications technician, Craig spent many years installing and maintaining phone systems for a company in Sydney, before moving to the Gold Coast in 2002 and setting up his own business.

Around 20 percent of his work is smart wiring in homes, with the remainder largely made up of network communications, audio and phone system installation for commercial buildings.

He recently listed his business on the Smart Wired website with the aim of generating leads in the residential market and promoting himself to builders involved in the Telstra Smart Community developments.

"I like the flexibility of smart wiring - being able to provide more than one function on a single platform. It's also the sense of accomplishment of finishing and doing the job properly that I enjoy."

Craig admits that as a sole operator it would be difficult for him to handle a full automation job by himself. His preference is to build expertise in his areas of specialty - audio and telephone, TV and data networking.

"Some consumers prefer to have a large company handle all their smart wired and home automation needs because they don't know enough themselves to want to be involved. That's fine but of course it will cost you money for someone else to do it all for you. If you have a more restricted budget or you want to have more of a controlling influence on what goes in your home, then it makes sense to use different contractors for different parts of the job.

"At the end of the day, one person can't know everything, but one person can know enough about their areas of specialty to get the job done properly."

Contact: Craig Holland
Elonora, Qld
Ph: 07 5522 6416
datatrekcommunications@hotmail.com