Was skeptical about wireless panel links until a retrofit job last month

I had a job in a 1950s house near Portland where running new wires for the door contacts would have meant tearing out half the plaster walls. The homeowner was firm about no visible wires, so I tried a wireless transmitter setup I normally avoid. Has anyone else had these hold up reliably after a few years in the field?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancyn6918d agoMost Upvoted

The Honeywell 5800 series has given me solid results in older homes where you need that extra range through plaster and lathe. One thing nobody talks about is how those old houses often have metal lath in the walls which can totally kill your signal. I had a job near Salem where I had to move the receiver three times before finding a spot that wasn't blocked by the backing in the walls. Plaster plus metal mesh is basically a faraday cage for wireless stuff.

ruby_henderson3618d ago

My buddy had almost the exact same problem in this old Victorian over in the Arlington area. He was using a different brand, not Honeywell, but same deal with the metal lath just murdering his signal. He said he ended up having to run a wire to the attic and mount the receiver up there just to get a clean shot through the roof. The wood framing alone was bad enough, but that metal mesh turned it into a nightmare he was not prepared for at all.

phoenix24618d ago

What specific wireless transmitter brand did you go with on that job? I had a similar situation in a craftsman bungalow in Seattle and tried a Honeywell model that seemed fine for about eight months before it started dropping connection during the afternoon every single day. Turned out the homeowner's neighbor was running some kind of HAM radio setup that was totally stomping on the frequency. Did you run into any interference issues near Portland or did it just work clean from the start?