On a recent IoT Podcast episode, we took a question from Ryan on our Voicemail hotline. Ryan wants to get notifications from smart smoke alarms on his farm. He looked into these a few years back but only found limited options. So he wants to know what smoke alarm systems today can send phone notifications.
Luckily, the number of available connected smoke detectors is much higher today than it was a handful of years ago. The challenge here is that Ryan needs phone alerts in case of a fire, given that he’s not just trying to protect his home, but his farm buildings too. We’re assuming that Ryan’s farm has network connectivity in all of the places he wants to install a smart smoke alarm system.
Surprisingly, not every connected smoke detector sends mobile notifications. Some simply announce alerts throughout the home. This makes sense if you’re actually at home but if not, you may not be aware of a potential disaster. Some systems also require a subscription for advanced features such as notifications.
Kidde does sell a $115.99 connected smoke and CO detector that sends phone notifications through the Kidde mobile app, so that’s one option. You’ll also get notifications when the backup battery needs replacing, which is a nice value-added feature. The product integrates with both Amazon and Google smart assistants if you want to check the alarm or device status by voice.
The First Alert OneLink line of smart smoke and CO detectors also sends phone notifications. Pricing varies based on the retailer but you can expect to pay around $125 per detector if you go this route. The company also offers Safe and Sound models that include speakers for Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant integration as well as phone notifications. You’ll pay more for Alexa in your detector though: Retail pricing ranges from $188 to $279 as of the time of this writing.
Google’s Nest Protect alarm system is another option here and is reasonably priced at $119 each. Like most of these devices, the Nest Protect monitors for both smoke and carbon monoxide. If the system identifies a fire or high level of CO, it will immediately alert all of the phones associated with a Google account. There’s no subscription fee for the alerts as the Nest Protect devices are not part of the Nest Aware security service.
Keep in mind that some smart speakers can listen for smoke alarm sounds. And that can potentially save you some money.
Amazon Echo devices support the free “Alexa Guard” service, which does this for example. Most recent Google Home speakers and Nest Hubs also support this listening and notification feature. However, this isn’t free. Instead, it’s part of the paid Nest Aware subscription service, which also adds video storage for Nest cameras. The devices can also listen for the sounds of breaking glass for security reasons.
If you’re already paying for Nest Aware then using Google smart speakers and displays might be a less expensive up-front option than replacing your smoke detectors.
To hear Ryan’s question in full, as well as our discussion on the topic, tune in to the IoT Podcast below:
Read your article on smoke alarm systems that can send phone notifications, and thought I may share a related option with you – Cellular-connected smoke and air quality sensor by LMT (can be checked out here: https://sensors.lmt.lv/en )
It’s been recently launched in Europe, and combines smoke and CO detection with air quality monitoring. When triggered, the device sends an alert via the mobile network to its owner. The owner receives three alerts: a notification on the sensor’s mobile app, a text message, and an automated phone call. The user can add up to five people who will be alerted in case the primary user doesn’t respond to the alert within 60 seconds.
One important point to remember is that many of the notification systems that are not UL listed for smoke detection rely on the internet rather than having their own Cellular connection. So if the fire takes out the power or your Wi-Fi router or the Internet is out, you won’t get a notification. This includes the echo system.
One very interesting alternative for those in the US is to choose an acoustic sensor that can listen for the sound of a US UL listed smoke detector and then connect to a system that can send a cellular notification.
One good choice in this category is Ring security. It has an acoustic sensor that you place near any smoke detector, smart or dumb, and then when it hears the smoke detector go off it will send a cellular message through the ring security system. It works well, but you would have to get the ring security system. It’s one of the least expensive of the UL listed professionally monitored systems, but it is more than just a single sensor.
Kidde does sell a standalone acoustic sensor of this type in its Lynx model line, but it plugs in and uses Internet notifications, so while it’s less expensive than a ring setup, you are also getting less protection from it, since it has to have active Internet and mains power or you won’t get any notification.
So it really comes down to how reliable you want these notifications to be. To meet UL standards, the system has to have its own backup battery and it has to have a cellular module. That way if fire takes out the power or the Internet in the building, you can still get a notification.
But if you just want something which is better than nothing, then the Echo-based choice or the kidde are worth considering.
One other important caution: The acoustic patterns used for residential smoke alarms are different in different regions. So you will probably have to buy an acoustic sensor designed for the country where you live. You won’t be able to use a US pattern sensor in Europe or vice versa because it won’t correctly detect your smoke detector.
DIY unmonitored equipment like that recommended in this article are not usually UL listed and not eligible for home insurance discounts. A simple DIY standalone smoke like these is better than nothing, but you get what you pay for. Getting an alert to a phone, and a call from a human, and dispatching the fire department without you having to do anything is part of what you pay for monitoring.