Switched from wireless sensors to hardwired after a residential job in Tampa last month

Was always team wireless because it's faster to install and looks cleaner. But I was doing a retrofit in this older house in Tampa and the owner kept getting false alarms from his wifi ones. Every time the microwave or a neighbor's garage door opener went off it would trip something. Spent 3 hours troubleshooting and finally convinced him to let me run some 22/4 cable through the attic. Not a single false alarm since. I read a forum post from a guy in Florida who said wireless has a 15% failure rate in humid climates over 5 years. That stat made me rethink things. Has anyone else made the swap and regretted it or was it worth the extra time?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron3181mo ago

Actually saw a thread on a security forum where a guy tested wireless sensors in a humidity chamber, basically simulating 5 years of Florida weather. He said the humidity ate through the seals on like 3 out of 4 brands within 18 months. The corrosion got into the contacts and made them flaky. I think he even posted pictures of the circuit boards with green crust all over them. That kind of stuff makes me lean hardwired for anything south of Georgia.

victorclark1mo ago

Did that guy mention if any of the brands actually survived the test?