Security and low voltage

Alberta Electrical designs and installs access control, video surveillance, fire alarm systems and structured cabling for Edmonton businesses, facilities and homes.

Low voltage still needs a plan

Security and communications systems run on small wires, but they depend on good power, clean pathways and a layout that makes sense a year from now. When the same crew handles the line-voltage circuits and the low-voltage systems, nothing falls between two trades.

Alberta Electrical installs and services four connected systems for Edmonton offices, warehouses, retail spaces, multi-family buildings and homes:

• Access control: card, fob and keypad entry with door hardware that works with your exits and fire alarm.
• Video surveillance: IP cameras, recorders and remote viewing, planned around what you actually need to see.
• Fire alarm systems: new installs, extensions and panel replacements, with verification by a qualified technician.
• Structured cabling: the copper and fibre backbone that ties cameras, phones, Wi-Fi and access together.

Why one contractor for the whole package

Most low-voltage problems we are called to fix trace back to coordination. A camera was mounted where there is no cable path. A maglock was wired so it does not release when the fire alarm trips. A rack was put in a closet with no dedicated circuit and no ventilation.

Planning the systems together avoids that. We map device locations on one drawing, pick a single telecom room or rack location, size the circuits and backup power, and route the cable before the drywall goes up.

• One drawing set for power, data, security and fire alarm.
• Shared pathways and sleeves sized for the cable you will add later.
• Clear labelling at both ends of every run.
• One point of contact, with progress and reports through our online job management.

Codes, permits and who signs off

Low-voltage work in Alberta is not a free-for-all. Communication and signal circuits are covered by the Canadian Electrical Code as adopted in Alberta, and fire alarm work also has to meet the Alberta Building Code and Alberta Fire Code and the CAN/ULC standards they reference.

Permit requirements depend on the scope and the location. In Edmonton, the City issues its own electrical permits, and other municipalities may use an accredited agency. We confirm what is needed for your job before work starts, so inspections are booked rather than discovered.

Homes and multi-family buildings

Security and low voltage is not only for large commercial sites. In houses we often wire cameras, video doorbells, network drops for a home office and ceiling-mounted Wi-Fi access points during a basement development or renovation, when walls are open and cable is easy to run.

In condos and rental buildings, access control on entrances, parkades and amenity rooms cuts the cost of lost keys and gives managers a record of who came and went. Fire alarm upgrades and cabling for intercoms and cameras are often planned together in the same project, which saves on access and disruption for residents.

Whatever the size of the job, we start by asking what problem you are trying to solve, then recommend the simplest system that solves it well.

Planning for Edmonton buildings

Our climate shapes low-voltage work too. Outdoor cameras and readers need housings rated for deep cold, and cable entering from outside needs proper sealing so frost and meltwater do not follow it in. Gate operators and exterior readers often need heat or a protected location to stay reliable through a -30 C week.

Older buildings bring their own puzzles: plaster walls, full ceiling spaces, and abandoned cable from three previous tenants. We survey first, remove dead cable where practical, and give you a realistic picture of cost drivers such as wall types, ceiling access, device count and how much work must happen after hours.

Questions we hear