Debate with myself: cheap wireless alarm panel vs hardwired after a house call went sideways

Dropped $180 on a budget wireless panel for a client in Denver. Thought it would save time. First false alarm in 2 days killed the savings. Now I'm thinking hardwired is worth the extra $400 and labor. What's your experience with cheap wireless stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.mia14d ago

I've had three of those cheap wireless panels die on me within a year. First one lost connection to the door sensor after a month. Second one had the battery drain in like 8 hours. Third one just stopped powering on completely. Hardwired stuff has been way more reliable in my experience and the extra cost upfront saves you from having to replace the whole thing later. False alarms alone will eat up your profit fast when clients start complaining. I'd rather spend the $400 now than deal with angry calls at 2am.

jake_dixon14d ago

You ever think about how the false alarm issue with cheap wireless stuff isn't just about angry clients at 2am but also fines from the city? I had a buddy who got slapped with a $250 fee after his third false alarm in a month. The cheap panel wasn't even worth half that. Hardwired systems have their own quirks too, like being a pain to install after the drywall is up, but at least you're not chasing phantom alerts all night. What's your take on dealing with false alarm laws in your area?