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I swore hardwired zones were dead, then a 90 degree attic in Fresno changed my mind
For the last two years I have been pushing wireless sensors on every single quote, mostly because pulling wire in finished houses is a pain and the new batteries last forever. Last month I got a call for a 1962 ranch house in Fresno with a crawl space full of old cloth wiring and the homeowner wanted 14 zones covered including a detached shop out back. I quoted the wireless setup at $2,850 and a hardwired job at $4,100, expecting them to take the cheaper one. The husband asked me one question: what happens when the power is out for three days in a heat wave and every sensor battery is cooking at 130 degrees in the attic? I did not have a good answer. So I ran the hardwired job instead, used 22 gauge wire through the attic and down the walls, and put the panel in the garage with a backup battery that lasts a week. Six months later they have had zero faults, zero low battery chirps, and one power outage where the system stayed live the whole time. Now I quote hardwired first on any house with attic or crawl access, and I eat the extra labor because comebacks cost me more than wire ever will. Anyone else flip back to hardwired after getting burned by a wireless callback in a hot climate?
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