Smoke Detectors and Your Smart Home
June 6, 2023
I don’t think that anyone would argue that smoke detectors save lives. Yes, they’re annoying when someone burns the popcorn but the upside is indisputable. And taking all that upside and adding smart technology only makes smoke detectors more effective. With all of the currently integrated smart features you can easily keep track of your smoke detector on your smartphone and ensure it’s working at peak performance to protect your home. Not to mention turning off the alarm with your smartphone when the popcorn is burning.
If you are in the process of building a new home like Debbie and I, there are a few recommendations to follow when it comes to smoke detectors in general:
- Install at least one smoke detector on every level of your home, including basement areas.
- Place smoke detectors in circulation areas of your home like landings or hallways. Consider placing a smoke alarm within 10 feet of each bedroom as well to ensure they can be heard clearly if residents are asleep.
- Most smoke detectors, including smart ones, have a lifespan of 10 years and should be replaced after this time.
As you can imagine, there are a lot of smart smoke detector options on the market, how do you pick the best one for you? For starters, it’s really easy to leave standard smoke detectors forgotten for months. Not having a way to verify if the batteries are still good or if the alarm will sound in an emergency can be unnerving.
Smart smoke detectors overcome this concern by connecting to your home’s WiFi, enabling you to check the current status from anywhere using your smartphone. Many smart smoke detectors can perform self-tests and provide you with a diagnostic report through its app. These convenient features provide peace of mind and mean you never have to wonder whether your smoke detector is working like it should.
With a smart smoke detector, you can receive real-time notifications, alerting you to emergencies or letting you know if the batteries are fading. They can pinpoint the location of an emergency and keep track of current carbon monoxide levels throughout your home. And in the case of burning popcorn or a false alarm, most smart smoke detectors can also be silenced remotely.
Many models also include optional professional 24/7 monitoring services. How this generally works is when an alarm is triggered, the service sends a message to you to verify whether there’s a real emergency. Verifying the emergency results in a fire truck being immediately dispatched.
By installing smart smoke detectors at home, you can set up an interconnected network of smoke alarms throughout your house and keep tabs on all of them remotely. And for added convenience, many are also compatible with smart home voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple Homekit.
As Debbie and I work with the Alexa platform in our home, we’ll be looking to smart smoke detector models like First Alert Onelink Safe & Sound or Kidde Hardwired Smart Smoke Detector.
Besides the photoelectric smoke alarm and electrochemical carbon monoxide detector functions of the First Alert Onelink Safe & Sound, it can connect with any other hardwired alarm in your house. It also has a built-in omnidirectional Bluetooth speaker for talking to Alexa, playing music, hands-free voice calls and as an intercom between two Alexa-enabled devices inside the home.
I also like the Kidde Hardwired Smart Smoke Detector as It’s hardwired to the electricity in your home — no batteries to worry about, other than the backup batteries. This one also uses photoelectric sensors to detect smoke and fire particles but doesn’t have carbon monoxide detection. And when it detects a threat will announce the nature of that threat. It also integrates with Google Home like the Google Nest Protect.
As the Apple Homekit is getting better about integration with third party solutions it’s still tough sometimes to find one. The Onelink Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Detector is the best smart smoke detector for those using Apple’s smart home ecosystem. Voice alerts will notify you of danger, specifying the alert’s nature and the source. It can wirelessly interconnect with other Onelink alarms to create a network that can then be controlled via the app. Should one alarm sound, it will then trigger all other interconnected alarms as a failsafe, ensuring that everyone in the home is alerted to the danger. And there are wireless and hardwired versions depending on your smart home preference.
Hopefully this rundown has been helpful. I’d imaging I’m like most people and don’t give smoke detectors a second thought but as I did research on this topic I realized that there’s more to the smart ones than you’d think. And how important they really are.
Let Debbie and I know in the comments, DMs and emails what you think. Thanks again to all those following Debbie and I through our home building journey. It’s great to hear your success stories and suggestions as we move through the process. And if you like the content I’m posting each week, don’t forget to ‘Like’ and ‘Follow.’
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