Choosing between a wired and wireless retrofit on a 1920s house in Portland

I had a job last fall where the owner of an old craftsman wanted a full system but was set against any new holes in his plaster. The choice was clear: try to hide wireless sensors everywhere or push for a few small, careful runs to wire key points. I picked the wired path for the main doors and windows, using the existing phone line conduits from the basement. It took an extra day and some creative fishing, but we got solid connections on eight points. The wireless fill-ins for interior motion are fine, but I sleep better knowing those entry contacts are on a hard line. That house had more settled gaps than I've seen in years, and a wireless signal might have dropped. Has anyone else found those old conduits to be a lifesaver, or do you think I overdid it?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ryan3mo ago

Totally get that. I once spent a whole afternoon fishing a wire through an old fireplace chase just to avoid one wireless contact.

charles_coleman1mo ago

Did you ever see that old This Old House episode where they spent two episodes rewiring a Victorian house because the homeowner insisted on keeping every single wall intact? That's basically what you did, just on a smaller scale. I get the appeal of not trusting wireless (especially in old plaster with lath, which is basically a Faraday cage in some spots), but I read somewhere that those long cable runs can actually create signal interference if they're too close to old electrical lines. Then again, I guess you already won the battle by getting it through the fireplace chase, which is honestly the hardest part.

skyler_anderson653mo ago

Honestly, that sounds like a ton of extra work for not much gain. Wireless tech these days is super reliable, even in old houses. I would have just gone all wireless to save that day of labor and avoid any risk to the plaster. Those old conduits can be a real pain to fish through.