Switched from wired sensors to wireless for a 3 story house in Austin last month

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?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew_miller901mo ago

Six months! Dude @adam_robinson that's crazy to hear your buddy's system has been solid that long. I was honestly worried mine would start dropping zones or have interference from all the metal ductwork in my house. But after that attic crawl at 2 in the morning trying to snake a wire through a fireblock, I don't think I'll ever go back to wired for a retrofit either. I spent a full Sunday just pairing up all 16 zones on my panel and it was still way faster than the wiring nightmare I avoided. My wife made me promise never to buy another spool of alarm wire after she saw me covered in dust and fiberglass.

adam_robinson1mo ago

Admit I used to swear by wired sensors no matter what, but after helping a buddy retrofit his 60s bungalow last year I completely changed my mind. The hours we saved not fishing wires through blown-in insulation more than made up for the extra setup time, and his system has been rock solid for six months now. It's one of those things where you have to actually live through the attic work to understand why wireless makes sense for older houses.