Here’s All You Need to Know About Smart Smoke Detectors
The concept behind a smart smoke detector is rather simple: A smoke alarm that alerts you if there’s a possible fire nearby is without a doubt great, but a smoke alarm that alerts you of a fire no matter where you are is much better.
Smart smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors have become one of the most essential smart home devices on the market today. The reason being that these smart devices have an obvious advantage when compared to traditional smoke detectors.
Moreover, if you have a vacation home travel on a frequent basis, you will have additional peace of mind knowing that if something was to go wrong in your home, you would get alerted no matter what, giving you sufficient time to reach out to the fire department.
A lot of people are hesitant to install smart smoke detectors as they feel it might be too complicated to set or the fact that there are too many features in them. On the contrary, these devices are both easily installed and used.
Once you have installed the smart smoke detector and powered it up, all you need to do next is download its relevant app and connect to the device through your home wireless network. Now, if an alarm was to go off, you won’t only receive an audio alert, but some of these smoke detectors also have voice instructions that will inform you just which alarm went off.
If you are considering buying one of these smart devices but are unsure how to go about it, we have shared all you need to know about smart smoke detectors below.
What Should You Know About Smart Smoke Detectors?
For the most part, smart smoke detectors work almost identically to smart smoke alarms. These devices are installed on your ceiling or at a high point of the wall. In fact, it typically replaced traditional smoke alarms in the exact same location.
Most smart smoke detectors usually come in the same price range or format. That is why, when you are shopping for one, you need to pay close attention to the type of smoke detector you are purchasing.
For instance, if you are upgrading to hardwire smart smoke detectors, it’s important to replace all your smoke detectors with the same model and make. One of the main reasons why people hardwire their smoked detectors is so that when one alarm detects a dangerous situation, all other alarms are triggered as well.
Hence, there is absolutely no guarantee that this feature will work if you have multiple smart devices from different manufacturers all wired together. While the total number of competitors in this specific smart device market is small, it’s still pretty fragmented.
First and foremost, you need to understand how smart batteries work. Rather than going ahead and replacing an entire smoke alarm, you could invest in a smart battery as it’ll only replace the cell inside the smoke detector.
These smart batteries consist of wireless radio that has the ability to communicate with your home Wi-Fi and its smartphone app. The battery also has a microphone that catches the smoke alarm. In other words, if an alarm went off, the battery would leap right into the action and work as a standalone detector.
Furthermore, there’s also a thing called a smart listener. Once again, a smart listener has the same idea as a smart battery: not needing to rip out the existing smoke detectors in your house. All you do is install an extra piece of hardware that will listen for alarms and alert your phone if an alarm goes off.
What to Look for When Shopping for a Smart Smoke Detector?
Here are some things you should consider having in a smart smoke detector when purchasing one:
Smoke and CO
Your home should be able to warn you when there’s a danger of smoke as well as carbon monoxide. As a matter of fact, some smoke detectors have the ability to do both. This means you won’t have to deploy and further monitor the batteries of more than one device.
Be mindful that smart batteries and smart listeners can’t detect smoke or CO directly. Therefore, you will need to make sure that the actual alarms do support certain styles of detection if you choose to go down that direction.
Sensitivity and Accuracy
It’s extremely tough to test how well a smart smoke/CO detector actually does its job without one burning their house down. However, simulation smoky situations can reveal a little bit about how sensitive your smoke detector is.
Multiple Users
You are the safest if more than one individual received an alert if there’s a potential fire in the house. Hence, look out for a system that has the capability of supporting multiple users via an invitation system.
Interconnectivity
Some smoke detectors have an interconnectivity feature. For instance, if one alarm goes off, all alarms in your house will sound as well. This is a huge benefit if you have a big home and fear that you miss out on hearing an alarm going off.
Conclusion
Well, there you go with everything you need to know about smart smoke detectors. Ultimatum, it depends on your and your household needs when it comes to a smoke detector, but it’s important to know which features are the most beneficial!
