c/alarm-system-installers

Hit 500 service calls without a single false alarm callback this year. That number shocked me, honestly. Is it pure luck or a sign we're getting better at system design?

Just swapped a customer from a Honeywell Lynx Plus to a Qolsys IQ 4 panel.

The Lynx was a pain to program on site, took me over an hour. The Qolsys with its built-in installer app got the same job done in maybe 20 minutes. The touchscreen and wireless sensor setup is just way faster. Anyone else making the switch to these newer all-in-one panels?

Had a weird signal drop on a Vista 20P install last week and tried something dumb

The keypad in the master bedroom kept losing its link to the main panel, even after I swapped the wire and checked all my connections. On a hunch, I moved the keypad about six inches away from the metal door frame it was mounted next to... and the signal cleared right up. I guess the frame was acting like a big shield. Has anyone else run into interference from building materials like that?

Showerthought: I thought a client's 'haunted' motion sensor was just a bad joke

They kept saying it went off only at 3 AM, and I was ready to blame a draft. Then I saw their cat's toy, a little motorized mouse, set on a timer under the couch to run every night. Has anyone else found a pet setup that kept tripping a system?

Warning: I see a lot of installers pushing for all wireless sensors, but after a retrofit job on a 1920s brick house in Springfield, hardwired contacts with a wireless takeover module were way more reliable and saved me two service trips.

The old steel door frames and thick plaster walls caused constant low battery alerts on the new wireless sensors, but the hardwired ones with a simple RF transmitter at the panel have been solid for over a year now, so has anyone else found that a hybrid approach is better than going fully wireless?

A simple change to my sensor testing routine cut my callbacks by half in three months.

I used to just check the sensor light and call it good, but I was getting a lot of false alarms on motion detectors. About three months ago, I started using a small space heater on a low setting to create a gentle heat source. I'd walk it slowly past the sensor from different angles during the walk test. This caught a few units that would trip from sun glare or HVAC drafts that my old method missed. My callback rate for false trips on those jobs dropped from about 10% to under 5%. Has anyone else found a better way to really stress-test a PIR during install?

Pro tip: A false alarm call at a big warehouse in Tacoma made me start using a $5 laser pointer for every sensor check.

I was up on a 20 foot ladder for an hour trying to find the beam break on a motion sensor until the site manager came by and shined his keychain laser at the lens, showing me it was just a spiderweb that had tripped the sensor, so now I always carry one in my tool belt to save time.

A simple trick for labeling alarm panel wires that saved me hours last month

I was doing a full system upgrade in a big old house in Ann Arbor, and the old panel had about 30 wires with no tags. Instead of just guessing, I got a cheap label maker and a pack of colored zip ties. I labeled each wire with the zone number and used a different color zip tie for each floor. It took maybe 20 extra minutes during the demo, but when I wired the new panel, I was done in under an hour with zero mix-ups. What's your go-to method for keeping a messy panel swap organized?

Vent: A client in Oak Park called my wire runs a mess and they were right

I was finishing a panel for a retrofit and thought my work was neat enough, but the homeowner pointed out the bundle of 22/4 behind the keypad looked like a rat's nest. He said, 'If that's what I can see, what's behind the walls?' I went back the next day, pulled it all out, and used proper clamps every 18 inches. Has anyone else had a simple comment make you redo a whole job?

Had a smoke detector start chirping inside a finished wall in a Phoenix condo

I was doing a panel swap at a high rise near Camelback Road, and this faint beep kept coming from behind the drywall every 30 seconds. Turns out the original installer from years back left a backup battery in an old unit they just sealed over. I had to cut a small access panel, fish it out with a magnet on a stick, and patch it up. Anyone else run into a 'ghost' detector like that?

Hit 1000 service calls this year and the number that shocked me was 127

That's how many false alarms I've been sent to in the last 10 months, and honestly, it's a huge waste of everyone's time. I'm talking about the same three things over and over: pets tripping motion sensors, users forgetting their own codes, and those cheap, flimsy door contacts that fail after a year. I drove 40 miles round trip last Thursday just to reset a panel because the homeowner's cat jumped on a kitchen counter. It's not just annoying, it eats into the day and makes it harder to get to real service issues. I'm starting to think we need to have a much tougher talk with customers during the install about placement and user training. Has anyone else tracked their false alarm rate and found a way to cut it down?

PSA: Saw a DIY job in a Phoenix strip mall that made me rethink wireless sensors.

Was grabbing coffee at a strip mall in Phoenix and noticed a new smoke shop had a motion sensor just stuck to the glass door with double-sided tape. The whole system looked like a box store kit. I used to think wireless was fine for basic stuff, but seeing that sensor ready to fall off changed my mind. What's the worst DIY install you've ever seen on a commercial job?

Pro tip: A job in a 100-year-old house in Savannah taught me more about wire fishing than any training video

Last week I had a job in a historic district home, and it was a mix of pure frustration and a weird kind of fun. The walls were solid plaster over brick, and the owner wanted a sensor on every first-floor window, which meant about 15 runs. My normal drill bits and fish tapes were useless. I ended up using a 48-inch flexible drill bit extension and a borescope I borrowed from a plumbing buddy just to see inside the walls. We found old knob and tube wiring and a chimney flue we had to route around. What made it stand out was the puzzle-solving aspect versus the usual cookie-cutter install. It took two full days instead of half a one, but the customer was thrilled we didn't tear up his original trim. For those of you who do a lot of retrofit work, what's your go-to method for impossible plaster and lath walls? I'm always looking for new tricks.

I finally swapped from a standard drill to an impact driver for running wire through joists

The impact driver's quick bursts of torque made a huge difference in tight attic spaces, especially on a job in that old Victorian on Maple Street. Anyone else find a specific tool that changed their daily routine?

A homeowner in Tacoma insisted I hide all the sensors, even the motion one.

He wanted the motion detector tucked behind a bookshelf, saying it ruined the room's look. I explained it would miss half the room and be useless, but he wouldn't budge. Ever had a client fight you on basic placement like that?

Had to choose between a wired or wireless retrofit for a 1920s brick house

I was working on a big old brick house in Springfield last week, and the owner wanted a full system but didn't want visible wires. I had to choose between fishing wire through the solid brick walls, which I quoted at 12 hours of labor, or using a high-end wireless system. I went with the wireless option to save the walls and my timeline. The install took 3 days and the signal strength has been perfect so far. Has anyone else done a major retrofit in an old building and faced a similar choice? What was your deciding factor?

I read a report that 34% of false alarms in monitored systems are from user error, not equipment failure.

That stat came from a security industry white paper I found online, which makes me wonder if we should push for more client training over just selling fancier gear, what's your take on reducing those calls?

Pro tip: A homeowner in Phoenix told me to always run the main panel wire before the drywall goes up, even if the builder says they'll do it later.

He said he'd seen three jobs in his old neighborhood get messed up because the drywall crew buried the wire run, so now I always insist on doing it myself during the rough-in phase, even if it means a minor argument with the GC.

Just hit 500 service calls without a single callback for a bad install

I was looking over my work log from the past year and saw the number. It kind of shocked me, honestly. I've been doing this for about eight years now, and for a long time, a callback here and there for a loose wire or a sensor I missed felt normal. The big change came when I started taking an extra ten minutes at the end of every job, no matter how tired I was, to walk the whole system with the customer. I'd have them open every door and window while I watched the panel, and then I'd do a full walk test with them following me. It sounds simple, but that extra check caught so many little things, like a sticky contact on an old basement window in a house I did in Riverside. It's not about being perfect, it's about that final check. What's one small step you guys added to your routine that cut down on your callbacks?

Talked to a firefighter at a job in Phoenix and he changed my mind on smoke detector placement

He said they find a lot of detectors in hallways, but the smoke often pools in bedrooms first. Now I always put one inside each bedroom, not just outside in the hall. How do you guys handle placement in a standard residential layout?

Back in '09 we were still pulling 4-conductor for keypads, but switching to CAT5 for everything was a total game changer.

The sheer flexibility of having extra conductors for future upgrades, like adding a second keypad or a wireless repeater in a tough spot, saved me from so many callbacks and made the initial install in those old brick houses way less stressful.

Rant: I keep seeing guys run alarm wire right next to AC lines

I was on a job in Tempe last week and saw a whole panel wired with the low voltage alarm cables bundled tight with the 120 volt lines. I know some people think it's fine if you're in a hurry, but that's asking for noise and false trips down the road. I've had to fix three systems in the past year where this was the main issue, and each one took over four hours to trace and re-run. Why do we still cut this corner when the code book is pretty clear about separation? What's the fastest way you guys keep signal and power lines apart in a tight stud bay?

I was crimping Cat5 for years before I saw a guy do it right.

Always thought a little untwist before the jack was fine, until a tech from a Florida company showed me his tester results. He said, 'Your crosstalk is through the roof, man,' and proved it with his Fluke meter. Now I keep the twists right up to the pins and my data runs are solid. Anyone else have a basic habit they had to unlearn?

Got a real lesson about wireless range from a house in the hills above Santa Barbara

I was setting up a system at a big place up on a ridge, and the main panel was in the garage like usual. The keypad for the master bedroom kept dropping signal, even though the spec sheet said it should work fine. I ended up having to move the main panel to a central closet and add a repeater, which added about 90 minutes to the job. Anyone have a good rule of thumb for judging signal loss in stucco and metal-framed houses before you start running wire?

Showerthought: I used to think all alarm panels needed a dedicated phone line to work right.

Now I see most new installs in Phoenix just use cellular backup, and the change happened in maybe the last 5 years. Which setup do you think is more reliable for a standard residential job?