Always thought wireless sensors were a gimmick until a house fire changed my mind

I've been installing wired systems for about 12 years now and always told customers wireless stuff was just for folks who didn't want to pay for a real job. Then last March I got a call from a customer in Austin whose house had a small electrical fire in the attic. The wired smoke detector melted before it ever went off because the fire started right on top of the wiring path. But a wireless sensor I had installed in their bedroom hallway six months earlier when they added an addition actually caught the smoke before it spread. That thing saved their house and honestly made me rethink everything. I still like wired for reliability but I've started putting wireless heat detectors in attics and crawl spaces on every job now. Anyone else had a situation where a wireless unit outperformed the hardwired stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

umasullivan20d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my neighbor's ring camera catching a raccoon trying to break into their shed through a window at 3am. They thought it was a false alert until they saw the video the next morning. That little raccoon was determined.

parkerb7520d ago

Funny you mention the raccoon thing because I actually read a study recently that said false alarms from critters are way less common than people think. People always blame animals but the stats show it's usually just dust or bugs setting off sensors. But that's a side thing. Your neighbor's raccoon story reminds me of something though. I heard a security guy on a podcast say that most people who trash talk wireless sensors have never actually seen one handle a real emergency. He said the industry is full of old school guys who refuse to admit a $40 wireless detector can do what a $200 wired one does in certain situations. That stuck with me because it's exactly what I used to be like. The attic fire situation proved it to me personally. Wireless heat detectors are just better for hot spots where you can't run wire without turning the whole place into a construction zone.