Rant: That conversation with a stubborn homeowner changed my approach to alarm placement

I had a job last Tuesday in a 1970s split-level where the homeowner kept arguing against putting a motion detector in his open hallway. He said it was ugly and blocked his decor. I let him talk me into skipping it, then two days later he called saying a window sensor got bypassed and someone walked right through that hallway. Now I don't back down on sensor placement even if the customer hates it. Has anyone else had to fight a client over basic security logic and then watch it backfire?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.patricia5d ago

Yeah but motion detectors in open hallways of split levels actually do more harm than good sometimes. Those 70s houses have those weird angles and open stairs where a pet or even a draft can set them off. Sounds like the real problem was that window sensor got bypassed, not that the hallway was lacking coverage. A good window sensor with a glass break detector nearby wouldve caught that intruder just the same without making the hallway look like a security convention. Live and learn I guess but Im not totally convinced that hallway was the real weak point there.

the_zara5d ago

Hold up though, @black.patricia makes a fair point about pet interference in those open hallways, but I've learned the hard way that a glass break sensor still leaves a gap if they come through a door instead of a window. Stick to your guns on covering the main arteries of the house every time.