Vent: That wireless system I swore was junk actually saved my butt on a commercial job

I was always skeptical of wireless alarm panels, especially after one failed during a test at a house in Phoenix last year. But last month I had to install a DSC PowerSeries Neo at a warehouse with concrete walls so thick I couldn't run wires anywhere. That system held up solid, no false alarms or dropouts. Anyone else had a similar switch on something they used to hate?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin22810d agoMost Upvoted

Phoenix heat killed a Honeywell panel on a test for me once, so I feel your pain. That DSC Neo held up better than my last attempt at soldering a zone expander, which ended up looking like a melted spider. Now I only badmouth wireless stuff after I've had to eat crow on a concrete monster job myself.

umar4910d ago

My uncle’s shed install caught fire from a bad wire and took out the whole backyard fence.

juliarodriguez10d ago

Funny you mention Phoenix heat, @gavin228, because my buddy down in Tucson had a similar mess on his hands. He had a Vista panel that just kept shutting down in the afternoon sun, no matter what he tried. He finally switched to a different brand and popped the whole thing under a little shade awning, and it's been fine for like two years now. The concrete monster jobs are always the ones that humble you, though. I've heard way too many stories about wireless gear melting in attics up here in the Pacific NW, but never that kind of heat death. Your soldering story gave me a good laugh though, I've got a few of those "melted spider" photos saved on my phone myself.

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