Debate: Should we still use hardwired sensors in new builds, or is wireless the way to go?

I was talking to an older installer named Dave at a supply house last Thursday. He said he hasn't run a single wire in 3 years and thinks wireless is more reliable now. But I still see tons of false alarms with wireless from interference in big homes. I mean, in a new build you can hide the wires easy, so why deal with battery swaps and signal drops? What do you guys lean toward for new construction?

3 comments

3 Comments

carr.elliot2d ago

Last winter I had a job where the homeowner wanted no visible wires, so we went with a hybrid setup - wired the main zones like doors and windows but used wireless for the smoke detectors. Three months in, the kitchen smoke detector started chirping at 4am because the battery was dying. The customer didn't have a ladder tall enough to reach it. @jordan_webb that thunderstorm story reminds me - we ended up running a temporary wire just to shut that thing up until we could get a taller ladder out there. Hardwire every time for new construction, at least on the essentials.

jordan_webb3d ago

Man, I heard a story from a buddy last month that made me laugh. He did a whole new build with wireless sensors, thought he was cutting edge. Come the first thunderstorm, three zones started false alarming like crazy. The homeowner called him at 2am screaming. He spent the next day tearing out the ceiling in a finished basement to hardwire everything. So yeah, I'm still team hardwire for new builds.

jenkins.reese3d ago

My buddy in Colorado did almost the same thing. He put in a full wireless setup for a customer who wanted the "cleanest look" for their new house. First decent snowstorm came through and the motion sensor in the garage kept tripping because the IR was bouncing off the falling snow. Customer called him at 3am thinking someone was breaking in. Had to rip out the whole ceiling and fish wires through the attic to fix it.