A major decision that will have to be made is whether to opt-in to a wired or a wireless system. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and the better choice mostly depends on the house you are planning to install it in.
Wired systems follow the tradition method of attaching sensors throughout the property and connecting them to a central monitoring station via cables. Wireless systems, on the other hand, use radiofrequency (RF) signals to communicate with individual sensors positioned through the house. Here are three factors to consider when choosing between the two, namely installation, reliability and cost.
For an existing house the biggest issue with wired systems is the cost of installation. There will be a lot of cabling involved, most of which will need to spread across the house to reach all the censors, and this is especially difficult in multi-storey houses. Afterwards, the task of concealing all the wiring also remains. In an ideal situation, the house should be pre-wired with all cables during the construction of the walls, making it simple to reach all necessary rooms as well as to concealing wires behind the drywall. Many houses have these cables already prebuilt, so the first step would be check if your house is already setup for a wired system. If you are considering a wireless system, then the installation is relatively straightforward and isn’t much of a concern. The main consideration in this case would be to position all the parts strategically close enough to each other in order to send and receive signals effectively. Also note that if you’re plan on getting a security system professionally installed, wired systems will usually cost much more than a wireless systems simply because they will take longer to setup.
A second factor to consider is reliability. Wired systems usually follow a loop configuration that triggers when a connection is lost. This can happen when a door or window is opened, or even if a cable is cut by an intruder. In addition, these systems are powered by the home’s power supply and do not require much regular maintenance. In contrast, wireless systems use RF signals to send their status to a central unit, since no wiring is involved. They also mostly run on batteries, which will need to be replaced periodically, depending on the battery life of that particular product. Wireless systems also have more components that are required to function, which could correlate to more things that will need to be serviced in the long run. In the end, a wired system may take longer to setup, but will require less maintenance.
The third factor to consider is price. As mentioned above, professional installations will cost more for wired systems than wireless systems. But on the other hand, a wired system itself will cost less than a wireless system. So the most economic method would be to purchase a wired system and install it yourself. Furthermore, many dealers offer 24 hour protection plans with their systems, for a monthly fee. This may or may not be a consideration for you depending on your economic mindset. However, some dealers offer free installation with such protection plans, which could be an attractive offer if you’re planning a wired system. Then again, it could also end up costing more if the deal is for a long term contract. It’s important to take all these factors into consideration before making the final choice.
Thusara S.
FindMy3.ca
