Heard a guy at supply house say 'kids today don't know how to work a screwgun'

I was picking up some 22/4 at the counter last Tuesday and this older installer, probably been in the trade 30 years, was complaining about the younger guys. Said they rely too much on wireless sensors and battery backups. But I got to thinking about it, and maybe it's just me but I actually like how wireless has made residential installs a lot cleaner. No more fishing wire through finished basements or drilling through cabinets. Sure, you gotta deal with battery changes down the road, but isn't that better than a homeowner calling you back because a wire got chewed by a mouse? I mean, I still hardwire my commercial jobs, but for houses I've switched almost all to wireless and it's been fine. Has anyone else noticed the old timers giving you crap for using wireless stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant_foster791mo ago

Switching to wireless for residential was a game changer for me too. Had an old timer at the counter tell me I was "taking the easy way out" until I showed him how much cleaner my last install looked with no wire mold everywhere. He still grumbled but I noticed he started using wireless on his own house calls a few months later.

julia_miller241mo ago

@grant_foster79 Is it really that big of a deal though? Wireless works fine most of the time.

dylan_bell16d ago

The thing is Julia, "fine most of the time" is exactly the kind of thinking that keeps me up at night. One random interference spike or a neighbor cranking up their microwave at the wrong moment and your whole movie night buffering. I've seen it happen way too often. Running a wire might take an extra hour of work but its basically set it and forget it reliability. A bad signal can mess with gaming, video calls, even smart home stuff that relies on constant connection. @julia_miller24 I'd rather spend that time upfront than chase ghosts every time the internet acts up. Its one of those things where you don't realize how much peace of mind costs until you don't have it.