Decided between wireless and hardwired sensors for a big job last month

Had a 3-story apartment building in St. Louis to outfit with alarm systems. I went back and forth on using wireless sensors versus running wires to every door and window. Picked the wired option because the building had good crawlspace access and I figured it'd be more reliable long term. Took me two full days longer than planned because I hit a stud in every other hole I drilled. Has anyone else dealt with the headache of fishing wires through old firewalls?

4 comments

4 Comments

ray_williams1mo ago

Start with thinking about how much easier wireless would have been. You could have had that whole building done in one day without breaking a sweat. Those old firewalls are a nightmare with wires, and you know the next electrician or plumber is going to cut right through your new runs anyway. Honestly, wireless sensors have gotten solid enough that a battery swap every few years is way less hassle than fishing wire through studs and fire stops. Plus, if the tenant ever wants to move a sensor to a different window or door, they're stuck with a hole in the wall. Seems like you picked the harder path just because you're used to it.

samflores1mo ago

Yeah okay you got me, that actually makes a lot of sense.

the_christopher14d ago

Gotta disagree a bit here. In my experience, wireless sensors can be hit or miss depending on the building materials and how many other wireless devices are in the area. I've seen plenty of false alarms and connection drops in commercial settings that just don't happen with a hardwired system. Plus, with battery sensors you're either changing them all at once or dealing with random failures one at a time, which can get annoying with a big system. Your mileage may vary based on the specific setup, but wired has earned its reputation for reliability for a reason.

pat7811mo ago

You ever notice how we all kinda do this in different parts of our lives, like sticking with the same brand of shoes even when they fall apart faster? @samflores that's the same trap I see people fall into with their old tools or routines at work, just because they know it works. It's like driving the same route to work even though a faster one opened up six months ago. Sometimes the hardest part is just admitting the new way might be better.