The prospect of being able to install an alarm system in a home or business without the mess and effort of installing a mile or so of wires can be appealing. However, each device connected to an alarm system requires some sort of power to make it work. Think of it like a light switch in the home that essentially breaks one of two wires going to the light socket. When the switch is closed, the electricity flows to the light. Now, consider how the light will come on if there is no power running through the switch.
The term wireless home security alarms may be confusing for some folks, as they envision simply setting a component in place and having it function as an effective piece of alarm equipment. Any type of sensor or switch that is connected to an alarm system has to be able to complete a circuit to trigger the alarm. Whether it is through a wire that takes the command to the control panel or a built-in transmitter that send the signal to the alarm panel, they both require power to make it happen.
With the units that are hard wired into position, the power typically comes from the alarm's main panel, much like the light receives power through the switch from the home's electrical box. With wireless home alarms, the individual components draw their power from either in internal battery or from an external power source. A transformer plugged into an outlet or wired into the house's electric system can provide power to the wireless component, but batteries will either need to be replaced or recharged to maintain appropriate function.
The size of the components will often determine the type and need for a power supply, with smaller components, such as buttonhole cameras using small disk-shaped batteries. Larger components such as infrared transmitters may require being plugged into an outlet. When talking about wireless home alarms, it is how the component communicates with the main alarm panel and not the fact that absolutely no wires are involved. Although many of the battery-operated units can be considered completely wireless, the batteries will need replaced frequently.
Even when using all wireless home alarms' components, the alarm panel will still require electricity for it to read the signals coming in from the components. Most of them will also have battery back up to provide protection in the event of a power outage, but many of the units will only function for a few hours before the battery goes dead. Insuring the components and the panel are consistently operating, a regular routine will need to be established to change the batteries with fresh ones on an established schedule, although many of the units will be able to offer a notifying beep when the battery power begins to dwindle.
The advantages of installing wireless home alarms include not having to run a lot of wires back to the alarm panel during installation as well as the ability to move components without a lot of rewiring for power and signal distribution.
