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Wireless sensors had me real skeptical back in 2019 | Alarm System Installers - Vivisector

Wireless sensors had me real skeptical back in 2019

I remember the first time a supplier tried to sell me on wireless door contacts for a big apartment job in Phoenix, I laughed and said no way they hold up. Then my buddy Dave installed 40 of them at a complex near Camelback and showed me the signal strength readings six months later, not a single dropout. I still run hardwire for the main panel but I finally swapped to Qolsys PowerG for zones 3 through 8 after that. Anyone else eat their words on wireless gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_reed475mo ago

@emma_rodriguez30 the stucco thing gets brought up way too much like it's some impossible barrier, but I've seen PowerG punch through adobe and rebar no problem. Your hesitation is probably overthinking it unless you're dealing with literal Faraday cage construction.

emma_rodriguez305mo ago

Did you run into any issues with the PowerG sensors in stucco or metal frame construction? That's the one thing that still makes me hesitate on wireless for certain jobs, especially in those old Phoenix buildings where everything is concrete and rebar. Curious if your buddy had to boost the signal at all on that Camelback job.

samrodriguez5mo ago

First off, I’ve been hearing this "PowerG cuts through anything" hype for years now and it’s just not that simple. I helped a buddy retrofit this old church in downtown Phoenix that had plaster over metal lathe and concrete block walls, and his PowerG sensors kept dropping out on the far side of the building. He had to throw in a signal booster just to get the back doors to register. It’s not a disaster but it’s definitely not plug and play like people claim. So yeah, if you’re dealing with real stucco over chicken wire or metal studs everywhere, I’d still plan on adding a repeater or two. Better safe than chasing ghost signals later.