A customer on the phone told me he hides his keypad behind a fake thermostat
I was doing a panel swap in Roanoke last month and the homeowner mentioned his old installer put the keypad in a fake thermostat housing so nobody would mess with it. That got me thinking about how many installs I do with the keypad just sitting out in plain sight by the front door. Any of you hiding keypads or contact plates in weird spots on purpose? Curious what disguises actually fool people.
Saw one in an old house in Salem where the guy cut a hole in a paperback book on a shelf and stuck the keypad in the spine cutout. Honestly the fake thermostat trick works because nobody stares at a hallway thermostat twice. I have also seen a contact plate hidden behind a hinged picture frame, and that one fooled me for a solid minute. Keypads by the front door are fine until a nosy neighbor kid starts pressing buttons for fun. Hiding stuff is cool but leave a service loop so the next guy is not cussing you out.