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Changed my mind about wireless sensors after a service call last Tuesday | Alarm System Installers - Chatter Central

Changed my mind about wireless sensors after a service call last Tuesday

Honestly I was dead set against wireless stuff for years. Always thought wired was the only way to go for reliability. Then I had to troubleshoot a system at an old building downtown and the wiring was a nightmare, took me 3 hours just to find a broken splice. Meanwhile the guy I was with had wireless on his van install and it took him 20 minutes. That specific moment made me realize I was ignoring how far wireless has come in the last 5 years. Ngl I still like wired for big commercial jobs but for residential retrofits I'm switching my thinking. Anyone else had a job that made you flip on wireless?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan9033mo ago

A 20 minute install vs 3 hours of hunting a broken splice? That would change my mind too right there on the spot. Wireless has gotten way better for sure, especially when you're dealing with old buildings where the wiring is a total mess. Still feels weird trusting a battery over a hardwire sometimes though.

the_derek3mo ago

Swapped to PoE cameras and never looked back.

johnson.paul3mo ago

Fair point but wireless cameras don't all run on batteries... plenty of them still plug into an outlet or use a solar panel. The battery ones are mostly the Ring and Arlo type stuff. If you're okay with a cord the install is still way faster than running Ethernet through walls. I've got a mix in my place... some wireless plugged in by the eaves and a couple PoE on the front porch where I already had conduit. The battery ones I only use in spots where there's zero power nearby and I swap them every few months. Not perfect but beats crawling through an attic for three hours just to find a bad connection on a wired setup.