atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Telephony Discussion Phone & VoIP Systems ESI Telephones & Systems 50L RFID READER outside

We are going to install our 1st ESI presence Management reader, on a 50L It will be a door phone do i have to use the weather resistant enclosure ?

Thanks
Vic Bob

I did one that had a canopy over it and did not use the housing

The New style reader is Water Resistant, It also doesn't come apart like the old style ones( But, You can take it apart if you have too( to re-strap for options ) The Weather resistant enclosure that ESI recommends doesn't really Look too Good...especially on the Front of an Office ( I have installed one, on the Back door to a place...)

We just installed 12 readers and I decided to not go with the cover box. The readers have been in since March, exposed to direct snow and rain and no failures yet. Just double check the white pair for Normally Open (supposed to be factory default). I had 3 boxes come through as Normally Closed. The readers can be opened, with a little persuasion, but just be careful and open it a little at a time so as to not break the fragile plastic tabs.

Also, use the provided plugs and screws to mount the back plate. Don't try and re-engineer the mounting. They ship the plugs and screws for a reason. Be careful with the torx locking screw on the bottom. Run the screw into the box before installing on the bracket as the holes in the plastic don't exactly line up with the hole on the bracket. Running the screw in and then back out before mounting will save you about 15 minutes of frustration.

Rcaman

Thank You for all the info !

Vicbob

Just a general note to those that might read this thread:

If it's going to get wet, put it in a box...(even as ugly as they are)

If your area experiences hurricanes and/or tornado's, put it in a box (I'm sure of this - don't ask me "why?") Even under a canopy, it can get soaked, even the new ones

I don't even know how many we have out of all types, IP, non-IP, old type, new type, doesn't matter.

Oh, if you DO put them in a box, and "perhaps" the sun hits it directly, and let's add one more caveat, you're located in the south of the US. "VENT or SHIELD THE RECOMMENDED BOX!" It can literally become an oven...

Don't get me wrong. If you have a LOT of canopy area. you can try it. We did...We replace lots of those things too...

Just as an update: All readers (approximately 75 installed now) working perfectly without the boxes. I did decide to run a bead of clear silicon around the mating edges just for my personal OCD. The ones in over three years without the covers and without the silicon bead are still working perfectly. I think it's probably a combination of what protection is afforded by the building and how severe the weather is in your location. So far, the readers seem to be able to take Pennsylvania weather fairly well.

Rcaman

At the end of the day, that's all that really matters.