Which do you trust more for residential jobs, wireless sensors that save install time or hardwired ones that never drop signal?

I swapped to wireless for a big house in Austin last month and saved 4 hours on labor but the panel randomly lost connection to a door sensor twice, so now I'm wondering if the time savings are worth the headache for anyone else doing this full time?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimr102mo ago

Hardwired is the way to go if you hate backtracking. Wireless feels like ordering takeout quick and easy until it shows up cold or missing half the order. Same deal with smart locks or light switches I've seen friends install. They love the convenience until the hub goes down and the garage door won't close. For a big house with lots of corners or thick walls, you're just asking for dropped signals. Hardwired might take longer upfront, but it's like building a table with real screws instead of glue. It stays put.

grace5082mo ago

Stick with hardwired for anything you aren't willing to drive back to. Wireless is still too flaky when the homeowner's wifi decides to have a bad day.

charles_kelly431mo ago

Preach. I learned this the hard way with a smart thermostat. Homeowners wifi went down for like an hour while they were on vacation and the thing just locked itself into some eco mode. Came back to a 78 degree house in July. Had to rip it out and swap in a basic programmable one that just works. Same deal with a garage door opener I did last year. Customer insisted on the wifi model cause of the app. Three months later they're calling me cause the door won't close from the phone. Hardwired button on the wall worked fine the whole time. I'm all for tech but not when it turns a 30 minute job into a return trip.