Earlier this week, Honeywell announced that it had produced its 50 millionth wireless transmitter, and many of those have been for security applications in the company’s “5800 series” of security devices. SecurityInfoWatch.com caught up with Honeywell Security’s Chief Technology Officer Ken Addy to talk about wireless technology for security and life safety systems. The overall concept of wireless security systems is that installing companies would no longer need to run a wire from a door sensor back to the panel. The installer would simply install the sensor (and there are now a wide array of wireless sensors from companies like Honeywell and others in this space) and the receiving panel, run a recognition process so that the panel learns that the sensor is part of its associated devices, and presto, they have a panel which can now monitor and receive signals from the sensor.

What we found when speaking to Ken is that Honeywell’s production of wireless transmitters matchers overall wireless growth in the security industry. According to Addy, he’s seen a gradual uptick in wireless security system applications over the last decade. That uptick has especially ramped up in recent years, and Addy says roughly half of today’s home security systems use some element of wireless technology – whether that’s a wireless sensor, a remote keypad, or a wireless arm/disarm keyfob.

Most of the wireless growth has been in residential security systems, said Addy, who notes that the ability to quickly install a system – with a limited amount of wiring – means the installing company’s job is faster and less intrusive to the homeowner. That, in turn, he said, means the job ties up the installing company for less time, allowing them to handle more projects, and create even more RMR streams.

“In the past, installing companies would talk about number of days per installation,” said Addy. “They now talk about the number of installations per day.”

The wireless technology is less prominent in security systems for commercial installations – some of that has to do with more conservative buyers who are slower to adopt new technologies like wireless. Sometimes also the commercial environment, which often involves larger spaces than the typical American home, puts limitations on wireless technologies in terms of range -- i.e., a sensor at a far-end of a commercial property might not have the wireless range to reach the receiving device. But with improvements in range and more increased user comfort with wireless technologies, Addy said he expects to see growth for wireless systems in commercial security applications.