Finally swapped out my old wired panel for a smart system after 15 years, what a mess that was

I replaced a DSC PC1616 from 2008 with a new Qolsys IQ 4 last week and the wiring in the old can was a nightmare of tangled 22 gauge and dead bugs. Took me two extra hours just to trace which zones were still active since someone had jumper wires hiding behind the transformer. Any of you guys run into old installs that looked nothing like the original diagram?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_brown501mo ago

Take it easy, it's just wires and bugs - not brain surgery.

evan_campbell1mo ago

You know, that reminds me of the time my buddy tried to fix his own espresso machine and ended up flooding his whole kitchen (he thought he knew what he was doing). I mean, sure, it's just wires and bugs in the tech world, but one wrong move and you've got a bricked device instead of a quick fix. My cousin once tried to save fifty bucks by soldering his own phone charger and nearly shorted his entire apartment building. So yeah, I get the "not brain surgery" thing, but some of us have the magic touch and some of us just make bigger messes (definitely speaking from experience here).

laura_black311mo ago

My old roommate tried to upgrade his router's firmware and somehow managed to brick it so badly the lights didn't even turn on anymore. @xena_brown50, it may not be brain surgery, but that same roommate once called me crying because his "quick fix" turned his laptop into a paperweight for two weeks. Ended up costing him triple what a professional would've charged just to fix his mess.