The extra time I spent pairing zones on the DSC panel just wasn't worth the headache of running wire through that old attic, has anyone else gone all wireless on a retrofit and regretted it?
I was at a hardware store Tuesday grabbing some screws and I heard this guy telling his friend how he installed his own smart lock but had to reset it three times because the alarm kept false triggering. He said the instructions didn't mention anything about the lock's magnetic sensor interfering with the door contact. That really made me think about how often I just throw in standard contacts without checking what else is on the door. Now I'm planning to start asking homeowners about smart devices before I run any wire. Has anyone else run into interference problems with newer smart locks on your alarm panels?
Ngl, I had a Vista 20P get zapped even though it was grounded proper during a storm last Wednesday in Austin. Anyone else seeing boards die from indirect hits like this?
I was swapping out a dying backup battery at a 24-hour diner off Route 9 when the terminal clip slipped and sparked against the metal casing. The whole panel started beeping like crazy and the owner came running over. Anyone else had close calls with those old lead-acid batteries?
I always thought you had to wire tamper loops normally closed and alarm loops normally open. Then I did a service call at a church in Toledo where the alarm kept false triggering. Old timer showed me you can flip the zone type to NC for alarm loops too and it cleans up noise issues. Has anyone else found that changing zone polarity helps with false alarms in older buildings?
I just finished a job outside of Portland on a 4,000 square foot house and had to choose between hardwired sensors or going full wireless with the new Honeywell stuff. I went hardwired because I figured it's more reliable long term, but man it took me an extra 2 days running all that wire through the attic. Has anyone else dealt with this choice and regretted not going the other way?
I was installing a new DSC panel in a basement in Oak Park and everything was going smooth until I noticed corrosion on the terminal block. Turns out the old battery had been sitting in there for who knows how long and leaked acid all over the PCB. Dead board. Had to drive back to the shop for a replacement and lost an hour. You guys ever find old batteries on new installs where someone just left them in?
Kept getting called back to this house off Maple street in Dayton. Every time the temp dropped at night the motion sensor would trip. Turns out I had it aimed right at the furnace vent and the heat blast was setting it off. Finally the homeowner mentioned the furnace kicking on and I felt like an idiot. Anybody else forget to check for HVAC vents near their sensors?
I had a Tuesday where I finished three installs by 2pm with no callbacks, which normally takes me a full week with at least one trip back. Has anyone else had a streak like that where the universe just cooperated for a few days?
He was grabbing a dozen keypads for a new apartment complex in Austin and swore the old tech never fails, so I asked him what happens when a tenant tries to connect a smart lock to it, and he just shrugged.
I used to run 4-conductor for every zone back when we did wired keypads, but now I just pull a single Cat6 and let the panel talk to the cloud, has anyone else had trouble getting older customers to trust the app instead of a physical keypad?
I was at a supply house in Portland last Tuesday and overheard a guy telling the clerk he only wanted a basic panel and a couple sensors because his insurance company made him get one. He straight up said he didn't care if it ever alarmed, it was just for the discount. I get that insurance is a factor but man, that really bothered me... do any of you run into customers who treat security like a checkbox instead of something that could actually save their stuff?
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?
I showed up to this new build in Scottsdale last month and the plans showed a standard 8 foot ceiling for the basement. Turns out the architect had the elevation wrong by 2 feet, so all my sensor wire runs were too short by a mile. Had to splice every single zone because the drywall was already up and the homeowner was breathing down my neck. Do you guys actually check every single measurement before you cut wire or am I the only one who got burned like this?
Been doing residential alarm installs in Phoenix for 6 years and always used screw terminals on keypads and sensors. Last month I tried those little plug-in connectors from a buddy's van and my first panel took 2 hours less than usual. Has anyone else made the switch or am I late to the party lol?
Had a guy last month put the PIR and microwave heads on opposite sides of a corner mount. Said he thought it would give better coverage. Called back three times for false alarms before I just went out there and fixed it myself. How many times do you walk someone through the manual before you just let them fail?
Had a job at a house in Arlington last Tuesday. Finished up the install, everything tested fine. Got a call the next morning that the door sensors were going off randomly. Spent 3 hours troubleshooting before I noticed the home owner's IT guy had run Cat6 through the same pipe I used for the alarm wires. Cross talk was messing with the signals. Had to rerun everything. Anyone else run into interference issues from shared conduits?
This guy told me my wiring looked "like spaghetti" and after I spent 45 minutes redoing it cleaner, he gave me a $200 tip on top of the install cost - has anyone else had a customer's nitpick actually improve your work?
I was installing a system last month at a warehouse on 14th Street and forgot the keypad was sitting right under a 500-watt halogen work light. After about 45 minutes the plastic casing was literally gooey and the buttons wouldn't press. Had to swap it out and reposition the mount, but now I always check for heat sources before I leave anything on a ladder.
I picked up a no-name wireless panel off Amazon for $90 last month, thinking I'd save some cash on a residential install. Took me 6 hours to get it programmed because the manual was translated wrong and half the features didn't work. The thing would lose connection to the sensors every 2 hours, and the battery died in less than a day. Tried to return it, and the seller ghosted me. Now I'm out $90 and had to buy a proper Vista panel anyway. Any of you guys ever get burned by these knockoff panels?
I ran a test last month. Installed a 2GIG panel with hardwired sensors in my own house. Compare that to the wireless DSC system I put in my brother's place. Zero false alarms on mine in 4 weeks, his went off 3 times from a damn spider.
Ran into a job last month where a house had been triggering false alarms every 3 days like clockwork. Customer said they already swapped motion sensors and even the panel board. I checked the voltage on the backup battery and it was 10.2 volts. Swapped it out for a fresh 12v 7ah and the false alarms stopped completely. Lesson I learned: always check the standby battery first on intermittent stuff. Have any of you seen weird issues from old batteries besides false alarms?
I used to spend forever tightening every wire connection with a small flathead on screw terminals in alarm panels. A few months back I tried Wago lever nuts on a job in Austin because I forgot my screwdrivers. Honestly it felt weird at first not seeing the screw bite down. But after that first panel I was sold. No more stripped screws or loose wires. Now I use them on every residential panel I do. Cuts about 15 minutes off each install for me. Has anyone else made the switch or do you stick with screws for some reason?
I was getting false alarms at a house on Maple Street every night around 11pm, thought it was raccoons. A guy from Honeywell showed me a chart where car headlights and engine heat can trigger certain PIR sensors from 50 feet away. Anybody else deal with this in neighborhoods near busy roads?
I was doing a commercial install last week at a old office building in Portland and the drop ceiling tiles were a mess from previous work. Every other tile had wires just hanging down or stapled ugly to the grid. I tried using those plastic wire clips at first but they kept popping off because the metal was so old and flaky. An electrician who was working nearby told me to just use a piece of fishing line and a paperclip to fish the wires through the ceiling grid ties. I mean, it sounds ridiculous but it actually held everything clean and out of sight for the whole run. No special tools, no extra cost, just stuff I had in my truck. It took me maybe 20 minutes for a full row of six tiles and the owner complimented how neat it looked. Has anyone else found an old school shortcut that beats the modern stuff for this kind of work?