Wasted $200 on a fancy wireless alarm keypad that just added headaches

I installed a top-of-the-line wireless keypad last month for a client in Brookline. Paid $200 for it, thought it would be slick. But the battery died in 2 weeks because the thing needed constant signal checks. Client called me back, I had to run a wire anyway. Total waste - the wired version was half the price and never fails. Anyone else find wireless keypads more trouble than they're worth on basic residential jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver2426d ago

Used to be the guy who swore by wireless everything... thought wires were outdated and clunky. Then I put a similar keypad in my own basement and the battery died mid-winter when I needed it most. Having to crawl around with a flashlight to find the thing and swap batteries at 2am kind of changed my perspective. The wired one I replaced it with has been running for three years straight without a single hiccup. Sometimes the simple stuff really does work better.

maxp685d ago

My garage door keypad went belly up on the coldest night of the year. @oliver242 I feel your pain. I spent fifteen minutes shivering in the dark trying to find the battery cover with frozen fingers, only to realize I had the wrong size battery. I swapped it for a wired model from the hardware store for fifteen bucks and it's been bulletproof for over two years now.