Are wireless systems better than wired?

I call on many customers who tell me that another alarm company that they met with advised them that wired systems are “old school”, and that EVEN IF THEIR HOME IS WIRED FOR A SECURITY SYSTEM they are better off going with a wireless system. What a crock!!

If your home or business is NOT wired for a system, I would agree that a wireless system would be appropriate reducing the cost of the installation, and more importantly the cost of the repairs to your walls and ceilings after the premise is torn up from the wiring process. Current wireless sensors are very reliable, and we install them with confidence in a great number of our client’s properties.

If your home is wired, you would be doing yourself a great disservice to install a wireless system. The two main benefits of sticking with a wired system are aesthetics and maintenance. Wireless sensors are generally surface mounted as the recessed variety require a very large diameter and deep hole be drilled into the door or window. Wired sensors are easily recessed. Wireless sensors have a battery making them significantly larger than wired sensors, and require regular maintenance when the batteries need to be replaced.

A wired system can be set up to enjoy ALL of the interactive services that a wireless system can, so you lose no functionality as is often implied by some alarm companies. So, why do they tell you otherwise??? Generally it is because they do not have technicians who are trained in the installation of wired systems. These types of seasoned techs are paid quite a bit more than the folks that these companies are sending into their customers homes and businesses, and they are barely trained to install a wireless system. Always use licensed contractors to do any work in your home or business. It is the only way to ensure that you get the work done correctly and are protected if anything goes wrong with your installation.

I hope that this blog entry was helpful.