I ran the numbers on wireless vs hardwired sensors and was dead wrong about cost

Been doing this for 12 years and always pushed hardwired because I thought wireless was way more expensive. Then I actually looked at it for a job near Charlotte last month. With labor and wire runs, the hardwired job came out to about $1,800 for 12 zones. Wireless was $1,550. That $250 difference surprised me. I checked with three suppliers and the wireless prices have dropped more than I realized. Anyone else seeing this shift or is my market just weird?

2 comments

2 Comments

iris_rivera441mo agoMost Upvoted

Yards in my area have so much rock and clay that running wire costs me more in labor than the sensors themselves. Are you factoring in how much your local soil conditions affect the install labor?

nancy_davis1mo ago

First time I did a wired setup I was cursing at my shovel the whole time. Hard packed clay and random rocks made me question every life choice that led me to that point. You are absolutely right that soil conditions can double or triple the labor cost and I was too focused on the sensor prices to see it. Changed my whole approach after that first trenching nightmare.