2-Conductor Alarm Wire

When you are choosing wire for security systems, you will likely come across both 2-conductor alarm wire and 4-conductor alarm wire. The only difference is that a 2-conductor cable will have two (2) inner wires, while a 4-conductor cable will have four (4) inner wires. As a general rule, wire is wire, and you can generally use these two types in place of each other interchangeably. But using each set of wire for its intended job will make things a lot neater and more organized. If you only had 4-conductor cabling, then you would need to leave 2 of the inner wires loose and disconnected when setting up 2-wire devices. And if you only have 2-conductor wiring, then you will need to double-up the cable when setting up 4-wire devices. That is fine, but you will want to make sure you stay organized when tracing the wire. Doubling-up 2-conductor wiring means that you will have two (2) black wires and two (2) red wires. Putting a wire in the incorrect spot can lead to issues, such as your equipment becoming damaged.

Alarm Grid recommends the use of unshielded stranded alarm wiring. Stranded wiring is recommended for DIY use, as it is a lot more forgiving and less likely to break. By being broken up into different strands, the wire becomes much more forgiving and easy to work with. You won't have to be afraid of it snapping off and causing you an inconvenience. You will be able to easily connect all of your wired devices to your panel and have everything function properly and reliably. This is a great way to add value to a property and to provide a long-lasting solution for your security system. And if you ever decide to upgrade to a wireless panel, then you can easily do so by using a wired to wireless converter. Keep all your existing wiring in-place, and connect the convenient converter unit in the spot of the old panel. It will be very similar to when you made the connections at the panel, but without needing to run the wires from the original devices you mounted or installed.