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TIL that "wireless" alarm panels still need hardwired power in most commercial jobs
Overheard a new guy at the supply house bragging about a fully wireless install for a strip mall in Phoenix. Tried to tell him those commercial fire code requirements will still force him to run 12V lines to every panel and he just laughed. Anyone else deal with customers who think wireless means zero wires?
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nelson.gavin1mo ago
That 10th fire code rule about powered bases always gets overlooked. I swear this whole "wireless everything" mindset is bleeding over from people's homes into commercial work and it drives me nuts. I've seen guys try to run fully wireless alarm systems on battery backup alone in Phoenix strip malls, only to fail inspection because the fire marshal wants to see a dedicated power source tied into the building's electrical. It reminds me of how people buy those "no installation required" smart thermostats off Amazon, then get shocked when they still need a common wire for the C terminal. Same logic applies to almost anything with "wireless" in the name now. The real world just needs physical power to run the brains of the system, no matter how many radio signals you throw at it.
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Ugh, I had this exact same headache last month on a retro fit for a restaurant chain out in Mesa. The store manager kept pointing at the wireless panic buttons and asking why we were still pulling 14/2 to the main panel. Tried explaining that those wireless signals still need a powered base station to pass inspection and he just shrugged and said "my last guy did it different." Had to walk him through the fire code step by step before he finally stopped arguing. It's always the strip mall owners too, they see one ad for a "wireless system" and think that means no electrician needed.
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