Profiles

The Art Of Home Technology: Caught On Camera With Trinspin

By Becca Opp

Posted on May 17, 2018

In 2011, Trinity Schaff founded TrinSPIN, which is a play on his first name and the unique spin that he and his technicians put on their work. Photo: Trinity Schaff stands next to a security display inside of the TrinSPIN showroom.

Photos by Hillary Ehlen

Trinity Schaff has been working in the home technology industry for three decades. In 2011, Schaff founded his own business, TrinSPIN, which is a play on his first name and the unique spin that he and his technicians put on their work. Recently, Schaff gave us a tour of his showroom and discussed his personal experience with home security.

Caught on Camera

Home security has been one of the most popular services that TrinSPIN provides. Schaff noted that home security is becoming increasingly user-friendly, allowing homeowners to customize and control their own systems and settings with ease. Now, clients can monitor their commercial and residential properties from almost anywhere in the world via an app on their smartphone. Schaff himself favors an app created by alarm.com to keep an eye on his home, business and lake home. During our visit to his showroom, Schaff shared with us his personal experience with home technology.

The TrinSPIN showroom was a collaboration between owner Trinity Schaff and architect Chris Hawley.

About a year ago, Schaff installed a new camera outside of his home. Days later, he noticed a sports car parked outside of his neighbors’ house. After months of the car sitting empty, Schaff became suspicious and called the police. Local authorities found that the vehicle had actually been reported missing and Schaff had captured the thief’s face on camera immediately after he parked the car. “Of all places to drop a car off, he couldn’t have put it in a worse spot,” Schaff said with a laugh.

TrinSPIN

You might be thinking, ‘What if something were to happen to your smartphone?’ That is why clients have control panels placed in strategic locations throughout their homes. Schaff usually recommends installing a control panel by the entrance closest to the garage. This allows clients to easily access their settings on their way in or out of the house. “People used to always have one in their master bedroom as well, but that’s been eliminated now because of mobile devices,” Schaff explained.

Some of Schaff’s favorite items in the TrinSPIN showroom currently include a waterproof, SEURA TV screen, mirrored TV screen and simulated home theater room.

TrinSPIN

Schaff keeps supplies and equipment on hand in his warehouse, which is connected to the TrinSPIN showroom.

Family-Friendly Location

In addition to servicing all of North Dakota and Minnesota, TrinSPIN has had project sites in Kansas, Arizona, Colorado and Wisconsin. Despite the fact that Schaff and his support technicians travel frequently, they maintain a family-friendly work environment. In fact, the TrinSPIN showroom sometimes plays host to Schaff’s daughter and her Girl Scout troupe.

From his smartphone, Schaff can monitor the automated shades, thermostat, doors, windows and surveillance cameras in all of his properties. He can even see when the TrinSPIN showroom is opened each day.

Schaff encourages anyone with an interest in home technology to come visit the TrinSPIN showroom. “We pride ourselves on being a turnkey solution for all of our clients so we can go into any residential, commercial or industrial project from the design phase all the way to the cabling phase,” he concluded.