I got a bids from several companies to have 3 IP cameras and 18 Cat6* drops installed in my home. BreakFree Technologies was one of the companies that placed a bid. BreakFree was the most competent of the bidders with a competitive rate and I agreed to the bid. I was given an install date and the crew arrived on time with an OMW call. They started work immediately when arriving. They were doing great until they ran into a problem, the access to the crawl space was blocked. They had to cut an access hatch to be able to proceed. I was home during the install and had a discussion with the owner. We adjusted the original quote. The work paused but it didn't stop. BreakFree came to me and asked how they should proceed, a hatch location was agreed to and work continued. (Seems simple enough but this is where many companies fail. Simple communication.) Before making the hatch they drilled a small hole and put a tiny camera through. (As a technology enthusiast I thought this was fantastic). With the tiny camera they made certain it was a good spot for the hatch. This attention to detail was impressive. Due to the issues with access to the crawl space in my home an additional day had to be added to the work. The job estimate was originally two days, it would now take three. Again, I was informed of this immediately and a date was added without delay. The second day they did a great job push all the cable. On the third day the crew arrived on time (Three times in a row!). Even though the company has a busy schedule they were able to fit me in to get the job completed. I wasn't left with a messy house for several weeks waiting. In fact I wasn't left with a messy house ever! They cleaned up and came back promptly each work day. This company is in the major league. Many companies I work with have a poor work ethic, not these guys. They get the job done right. They took the time to test each cable to make sure all the terminations and punch downs were done correctly. If an error was made they corrected it immediately. I rarely leave positive reviews. I am fairly particular. BreakFree Technologies is one of the best if not THE best companies I have ever done business with.
Edit: I was so pleased with BreakFree that I asked them to come back to install some tracking for me (see last picture). It was a minor job for them but they were happy to come out and do it.
Pros:
Excellent communication
Attention to detail
They make sure the job is done right
If they make a mistake they correct it within a reasonable time frame
Adapt easily to unforeseen circumstances
Clean up after each workday
Competitive install charges
Cons:
I would advise calling them a few weeks prior to your desired install date. Although, this is good advice for any large project you do for your home or office. The only Con I have is that there isn't a BreakFree that does every other trade in this town. Plumber, Electrician, etc etc.
*Note about Cat5 vs Cat6 in the early 21st century. The owner (Greg) at BreakFree Technologies didn't argue with me about putting in Cat6 as some companies did during the bid process. Some companies wanted to sell me Cat5 (probably cause they didn't want to buy a box or two of Cat6). Unless your install is ONLY for VoIP or IP cameras you want to put in Cat6 for data, pay the extra money you will thank me in 10-15 years, those companies selling Cat5 for data might save you a buck today but you will come to be slightly upset when you have to pull it all out to get 10gig speeds. Try using a computer from 1997 or 2000 and you will see, technology moves really quickly. Get the install done right. Just call BreakFree I got several bis from handymen who didn't know a thing about data cabling. Tip: Ask them how to terminate Cat6, type A or type B? If they answer A? Wrong! Hire someone competent. read more