Unpopular opinion: I stopped using wireless sensors on retrofits after a Denver job went sideways

Last month I was doing a full retrofit in an old brick building near Cherry Creek, and the homeowner wanted all wireless because it was supposed to be faster. I pushed back, but they insisted. So I mounted the contacts, tested everything, and left. Three days later they called saying the bedroom sensor kept going offline every night around 9pm. Turned out the neighbor's new LED security light was blasting RF interference through the thin walls, and the sensor's battery was draining hard because it kept retrying. I spent two trips swapping in hardwired zones and running wire through the attic. The job took longer and cost them an extra $400, but it actually works now. I get that wireless saves time on clean installs, but for older buildings with weird framing and shared walls, I'll take the drill and fish tape every time. Has anyone else dealt with RF bleed from nearby fixtures in a retrofit, or am I the only one who got burned?

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1 Comment

the_linda4d ago

Feel you on this one, that RF bleed is a nightmare nobody warns you about until you’re crawling in a hot attic. Sounds like you made the right call going hardwired, even if the client didn’t love the bill at first.