Unpopular opinion: Hardwired zones arent always better than wireless. Let me explain.

I used to be the guy who swore by hardwired everything. 6 years ago when I started installing alarms in Phoenix, I thought wireless was a joke for serious security. But after doing a retrofit in a 1920s adobe house last month where we would have had to tear open 3 walls to run wire, I flipped. The wireless sensors from that job have been solid for 6 weeks now with zero false alarms. Battery life is the big question though. My old hardwired panels never needed battery swaps. So which camp are you in - are you still pulling wire for every single zone, or have you switched to wireless for most residential jobs now?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jessica13d ago

Oh man, bring up batteries and you get everyone wound up. In my experience the trick is to use the right sensor for the spot. I put a wireless door sensor on that adobe house back door and its still going strong 6 weeks later, but I only program them for frequently used doors. For a basement window nobody opens, I still pull wire because @jordan330 is right, swapping batteries in a dozen sensors twice a year adds up fast. I usually mix and match now, hardwire the spots that are used once a year and wireless for the high traffic zones.

jordan33013d ago

Wireless is fine until you're the one getting called back every 6 months to swap batteries in a dozen sensors, that's the real hidden cost everyone forgets.