Smart smoke detectors operate similarly to traditional smoke detectors. In other words, they sound an alarm when fire or smoke is detected, and provide you with as much warning as possible to vacate the premises in the event your house is on fire.
That said, smart smoke detectors have a particular edge to them, which is that they have the ability to send an alert directly to your phone when the fire alarm is triggered—even if you’re not home.
In fact, smart smoke detectors also send a modification when its battery gets slow, or if it detected a problem with its sensors. These specific capabilities alone have the sheer power to save the lives of you and your loved ones.
When you have the best smart smoke detector, you’re adding an extra layer of protection to your home, as these smart devices alert you whenever there’s a potential danger, no matter if you’re home or not.
Smart smoke detectors apart from sounding an alarm can also send a signal to your clod, so that you’re altered via your smartphone as well. Additionally, certain smart smoke detectors can be integrated with other smart home devices.
If you’re still not sure what’s so special about smart smoke detectors, then simply read on to find out everything you need to know about them!
How Do Smart Smoke Detectors Function?
The simplest way to actually understand how a smart smoke detector actually works is to think of them as wireless smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. However, not all smart smoke detectors have CO detectors.
When an alarm is triggered, your smart smoke detectors will use Wi-Fi or any other similar communication technology to connect itself to your smart home hub, if you do have one, and its app on your smartphone.
For instance, if you burnt something in the oven while binge-watching your favorite show, and you hear a false alarm, you can silence it through its phone app. Moreover, if you have more than one smart smoke detector that is synced together, they will all sound an alarm even if only one of them is triggered.
Additionally, the alert you receive on your smartphone can help determine which alarm was initially triggered, and this helps you find the cause of it. You can always notify the emergency services if you receive an alert, and you’re not home.
Smart Smoke Detector Connectivity and Power Concerns
Smart smoke detectors have the ability to function even when your internet or power is lost. This is even possible in those smart smoke detectors that are hard-wired into electrical systems, as they have a backup battery system that takes over when there’s a power outage.
For instance, in the event of an internet outage, many smart smoke detector models have the ability to use Bluetooth in order to communicate with your phone only if you’re home, or with your smart home systems whenever an alarm is triggered.
As long as your smart home system or hub has cellular connection capabilities, it’ll be able to utilize standard cellular signals to send alerts to both your and the emergency services if an alarm is triggered.
However, do be mindful that not all smart home automation systems have cellular connectivity, and if you still want this feature, you might have to buy an additional device that may cost you a monthly fee.
If power and internet outages are rather coming in your neighborhood, it’s best to choose an option that provides cellular connectivity as having peace of mind is definitely worth every extra penny you spend.
How Are Smart Smoke Detectors Installed?
First and foremost, the installation of smart smoke detectors ultimately depends if they’re hard-wired or battery-powered. Battery-powered smart smoke detectors are the simplest to install as they simply need to be mounted on a wall, the same way a painting is hung.
Now if you’ve decided to install more than one smart smoke detector, it’s always best to insert batteries in each and every one of them and conduct a testing and pairing process before going ahead and mounting them on your wall.
Whereas, if you decided to go for hard-wired smart smoke detectors, you’ll need to turn off your entire house power at the breaker box. That is because you’ll be removing the old hard-wired detectors for the new ones.
Of course, all of this may sound easier than done, hence you can always request professional assistance or if any of your family or friends have a DIY smart smoke detector at home, you can always get their help as well.
Conclusion
Well, there you have everything you wanted to know about smart smoked detectors. We hope you have got a better understanding of how these smart devices work, connect, and are installed. Good luck!
