We make a wireless, police radio-based alarm system with network connection. Thousands of them in the field. The system is fully supervised, monitors everything, even has a months-long battery backup. It's a critical piece of life safety equipment that saves lives in basically every courthouse, hospital and schools.

It runs off a "wall wart" that plugs into an AC outlet. The transformer has a hole at the top for a security screw that's difficult to remove. So it must be plugged in an outlet in the bottom, then screwed into the electrical plate center screw hole. It's basically secure, hardened, locked and monitored by IT and the police. It can even push direct to 911 systems, bypassing operators to direct officers instantly.

We always install it, which is basically bolt it down, plug it in and tighten that one screw, turn the key, and then teach them how to use it.

A few months after one routine install they called and said it had quit working. Asked us to fly in and fix it. It's a $2,500 charge. So off I go.

It's unplugged. Someone in IT

had unscrewed it, and plugged something else in. In a locked IT closet.

Easy fix. Unplug their box, move it to the top plug and screw mine in the bottom.

Then the police remember that for two months it has spoken over their radio that it was on battery power. Every hour. They thought it meant it was working. And IT had ignored every email saying the system was on battery power.