Wired or wireless alarm system: which to choose and why

01How each one actually works

A wired system connects sensors to the panel with cables: signal and power travel over the wire, the sensors have no batteries (except the backup in the panel). A wireless system communicates by radio on protected frequencies: each sensor has a battery, and the panel monitors the link with every sensor and reports if the link drops or a battery runs low.

Fifteen years ago wireless systems had real problems: range, interference, batteries lasting a season. Today's generation (two-way communication, encrypted protocols, link supervision, batteries lasting 2 to 5 years) has solved those problems for typical residential buildings. So the decision today depends on the building, not on prejudice.

02A comparison of what really matters

Reliability

Wire is still the gold standard: no batteries, no radio interference, the link is physical. A quality wireless system with link supervision comes very close and reports every communication break as an event. Cheap wireless systems from the shop without link supervision: that's the category where prejudices are deserved.

Installation and aesthetics

Wireless wins without argument in finished interiors: a flat installation takes 3 to 4 hours, no chasing walls, no trunking across freshly painted walls. Wired makes sense when the walls are being opened anyway: new build, renovation, business premises being fitted out.

Batteries and maintenance

Wireless sensors need battery replacement every 2 to 5 years; the system itself reports which sensor and when. With a maintenance contract that's our concern. A wired system has no batteries, but an annual inspection applies to both: sensors get dirty, pets change habits, doors shift.

Tampering

Serious wireless systems detect frequency jamming and report it as an alarm; the sensors have tamper protection against removal. Wire, on the other hand, can be physically cut if run carelessly, which is why with wired systems the runs are planned through protected zones. In both cases: the execution decides, not the technology.

Price

For a flat: a wireless kit with installation from €490; wired would be more expensive due to the works and pointless. For a new-build house: wire comes out similar or cheaper because the cables are laid with the other utilities, and the sensors are cheaper per unit. For large buildings with dozens of sensors, wire wins long term on both price and scalability.

03Our recommendations by building type

• Flat (finished interior): wireless, no dilemma. Fast installation, tidy, pet-immune sensors for pets.
• House in new build or renovation: wired or hybrid. Cables go into the walls now, the system expands later without compromise.
• Finished house: hybrid. Panel and outdoor siren wired to the distribution, sensors per floor wireless.
• Business premises up to 100 m²: wireless or hybrid, depending on the possibility of cabling through a suspended ceiling.
• Warehouse, hall, larger office: wired, with partitions by zone and a connection to the alarm receiving centre.
• Holiday home: wireless with strong mobile communication (SIM) and battery autonomy; the power at holiday homes likes to go out.

04More important than wire: who receives the alert

Experience from the field: the difference between a system that did the job and one that didn't is rarely in the transmission technology, and almost always in what happened after activation. An alarm that only sends a notification to your phone works right up until the moment you're in a meeting, at the cinema or on a plane.

That's why we recommend connecting every system, wired or wireless, to a central alarm receiving centre: an operator sees the activation 0-24, checks the cameras if there are any and by protocol calls you, the police or sends a response team. From €25 a month, and that's the item that turns an alarm from a siren into protection.