Wireless vs Hard Wired Burglar Alarms Systems – 2024 Comparison Guide
An alarm system in an office or home is essential nowadays to ensure the safety of your employees, family, or valuables. Without one, your property is exposed to burglars or other invaders. Adding this kind of protection will ensure that every thief is deterred. Even the sight of an installed alarm scares away 99% of the thieves. However, if you plan on installing one in 2024, you will probably want to pick the right system. So, should you go for a wireless wired burglar alarm system or a hard wired one?
With so many different models, features, and brands on the market, it can be difficult to choose the right. If you want to make the right decisions, you will have to do a few comparisons. Once you put the advantages and disadvantages side by side, you can come to a conclusion.
To help you with that, I made a 2024 comparison guide for wireless and hard-wired alarm systems. Make sure you see all the pros and cons before you make a decision.
Pricing and installation process
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One of the first things I will have to cover is the difference in pricing between these two types of burglar alarm systems. Keep in mind, the pricing will heavily depend on the model you choose.
When it comes to the raw price tag on the device, the wireless ones are usually the more expensive option. Although, the difference is not that high. But, I think that it is still worth mentioning.
However, when you factor in the installation process, things get a little bit more expensive with the wired devices. Since everything needs to be connected with a cable, it makes things more complicated. More cables, more work for drilling holes, stapling cables, etc. All of this amounts to overall a lot more money.
Setting up a wireless burglar alarm system is much faster and easier for everyone. There is no need for drilling new holes or anything like that. Everything is connected wirelessly. The entire installation process will take no more than a few hours. Although, that depends on how many devices you plan on installing and where.
If you think about installing either of these alarm system types on your property, you should probably learn more about the costs and installation process.
Reliability
I think that the winner of this topic is quite clear. When it comes to reliability, wires always take the number one spot. The response times of cables are always faster and they rarely fail. You could run a system 24/7 for years without any kind of fail.
The story with wireless devices is quite a bit different. You probably use this kind of technology every day in your life which means you already know how unreliable it can be sometimes. The Wi-Fi you have at home and the 4G/5G network you are connected to with your phone use that same wireless technology. It often happens to lose the signal or the quality of the signal drops.
However, we cannot ignore the fact that wireless technology is improving every single day. It is better and faster than ever. It is much more reliable than what it was just a few years ago. It is also quite faster. So, if you buy a high-end wireless burglar alarm system, you probably will not notice any serious connectivity issues.
So, I would say that is one is a tie.
Maintenance/running costs
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This one is a point for the hard-wired systems simply because they have no running costs. Since they directly get power through a wire, there is no need for a wire. In other words, you will not have to worry about replacing batteries. In some devices, there is a back-up battery, but that will not be used most of the time. The back-up one should be replaced only once or twice in ten years.
On the other hand, wireless systems require frequent battery replacements. One or two replacements in about two years. It may not seem like a lot, but it still worse than not having to worry about that for a much longer period.
Design
I think most people would agree with me that wireless devices always look much better and cleaner because of the absence of cables. No ugly wires cluttering your walls, ceilings, or floors.
Although, an experienced professional would know how to properly hide all of those cables to make the hard-wired system look much more appealing.
Security
When it comes to security, there is no clear winner. These two models excel at this feature and you will not have to worry about losing or gaining any kind of security-related features. Whichever option you pick, it will satisfy your security needs.
Upgrading the system
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When making this kind of investment for your office or your home, I believe that it is important to look at the big picture. Make this investment as long-term as possible. That way you are going to save some of your future self’s money.
So, if you have any plans to further upgrade the system in the future and add extra devices to cover your property, I suggest going with the wireless option. Setting up a new device is much faster and easier. You could say that the installation process is just the push of a button.
Trying to add a new alarm to your hard-wired system is going to be a bit more frustrating. You will need to connect everything physically. There will also be the need for a few additional cables. Although, that will not be a hassle for everyone. So, it may not be a big disadvantage.
As you can see, these two types of burglar alarm systems are both very similar in some aspects and very different in others. Both of them are a great option, but it is up to you to decide which one is going to fit best on your property and which features you need the most.
