miles_burns•27d agoMost Upvoted

That time I doubted wireless sensors and ate my words

Back in 2019 I was working a big commercial install in Portland and the customer insisted on all wireless contacts. I argued with the project manager about it for 20 minutes because I grew up on hardwired systems and thought wireless was just asking for trouble. Four years later I have to admit I was wrong. Those honeywell 5800 series sensors have been rock solid through three battery changes and not a single dropout. Even the range on a three story building surprised me. What finally convinced me was going back to a hardwired retrofit job and realizing how much extra time I was spending running wire through finished walls. Has anyone else flipped their opinion on something they used to hate in this trade?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_palmer4427d ago

Man, you're speaking my language. I was the same way, swore by hardwired everything for years. But once I did a three story Victorian with lath and plaster walls, trying to fish wire through that nightmare made me fully switch over to wireless for any retrofit. Battery life on the Honeywell stuff has been way better than I expected too, I have some on a customers place that are still going strong after five years. The only thing I still wont budge on is the main control panel, that stays hardwired with a backup battery. But for sensors? Yeah, I eat my words every time I finish a job in half the time I used to.

finley_gonzalez4927d ago

Yeah that lath and plaster is a beast. Did a 1920s craftsman last year and said never again after spending two days just on window sensors. The new Honeywell stuff with the encrypted radio is solid, I've had zero interference issues even in dense neighborhoods. Only thing that bugs me is customers losing the little tools for the battery covers, but I keep spares in my van now.

parker_palmer4427d ago

Man, I feel you on those battery cover tools. I swear half my customers lose them before the first battery change. I started keeping a little ziploc bag in my glove box with like a dozen of them. Also learned the hard way to double check the plastic tabs on those sensors in old houses. Did a job last year where the vibration from an old window frame cracked one right after I installed it. Had to go back and replace the whole thing. Stuff like that makes you rethink your whole approach.