Buying a smart smoke detector is a bit stupid

Adding Wi-Fi doesn’t work always turn out to be as clever as it sounds. A smart smoke detector turns out to be dumber than I thought, even with Wi-Fi added.

Smart smoke detectors will let you know if a fire breaks out when you’re away from home, but other than that they don’t offer any additional benefits over a ‘dumb’ model. And there’s a problem with these devices: Most smart smoke detectors exclude one of two sensors to alert you of a fire. Every smart model I tested had only a photoelectric sensor, which detects smoldering fires, while ionization sensors that detect fast-burning fires were left behind. Ionization sensors are more likely to trigger nuisance alarms (while you’re cooking, for example), but it’s still a sensor you should have somewhere in your home, especially as modern building materials have reduces your time to escape a house fire.

This is not to say that smart smoke detectors are useless, since what matters most is having a working smoke detector. A photoelectric-only smoke detector is still a good smoke detector and will detect smoldering electrical fires in your walls as well as similar style smoke. Still, you’ll want to make sure there are one or two ionization sensors in your home, more than needing to add a Wi-Fi model. There are also dual-sensor smoke detectors, but no smart models with both sensors yet. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re considering getting a smart smoke detector for your home.

Should a smoke detector be smart?

You already know what a smoke detector is: a device placed on the ceiling (or sometimes high on a wall) to alert you if it detects smoke in a house or building. Most buildings, whether residential or commercial, are equipped with modern smoke detectors suitable for current codes. In recent years, it’s another way to become “smart”, or at least to become Wi-Fi compatible. It’s not smart like a smart thermostat would be, since you can’t exert significant control over it over Wi-Fi. You’ll simply receive alerts on your smartphone of choice when smoke is detected, so you’ll know if a fire occurs while you’re away from home, in addition to the regular alarm sounding.

Is this necessary? No, but it’s a nice feature to be alerted, wherever you are, if smoke is detected. But this isn’t required to operate these appliances, and it won’t help you deal with the rate at which fires spread in newer homes.

“While new smart features like Wi-Fi alerts and app connectivity can be convenient, they are not essential to security,” says Steve Clemente, president and COO of Mister Sparkyan electrical services company. “A well-placed, properly powered detector will do much more to protect your home than additional features like air quality monitoring. One exception to consider is a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector, which adds an extra layer of protection.”

How do smoke detectors work?

Smoke detectors have built-in sensors to detect smoke in your home. Two main sensors are included: photoelectric and ionization. “Photoelectric models are better at detecting slow, smoldering fires, such as those in upholstery or wiring, while ionization models respond more quickly to fast, blazing fires,” explains Clemente.

He says neither is universally better and rather the two styles are complementary. THE The National Fire Protection Association recommends having both types of smoke detectors in your homeor a smoke detector that has both sensors built-in (these are usually called dual-sensor smoke detectors). The NFPA doesn’t have specific codes on what type of sensor you should install in your home, but a spokesperson recommended placing photoelectric smoke detectors near kitchens and bathrooms because they are less likely to be triggered by everyday use in those rooms (things like steam and cooking smoke are more likely to trigger an ionization alarm).

However, all of the smart models I tested only included photoelectric sensors. As I continued my research, most smart smoke detectors seem to include only photoelectric sensors, leaving out ionization. This is probably due to the sensitivity of the ionization alarms. That’s a problem for me after speaking to Nicole Sanders, manager of public education at the UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute, who warned me that new data shows you may only have three minutes to escape a house fire.

“We chose a photoelectric detection approach because it provides the best real-world balance between detecting real fires and minimizing false alarms, which is essential in everyday home environments,” said a Place spokesperson. “Ionization-based alarms have always been more prone to false alarms from common sources like the kitchen, which can cause people to silence or completely disable their alarms. Our goal was to create a system that people can trust and live with every day.”

Clemente also said he would choose the photoelectric if he couldn’t have both sensors. “I would recommend wired, dual-sensor devices,” says Clemente. “If I could only choose one… I would choose photoelectric. »

But if you fill your home with only smart smoke detectors, you won’t have any ionization sensors. For this reason alone, I would recommend having at least one “dumb” smoke detector that has either a dual sensor or ionization. You can install a smart smoke detector earphone like this one from Ring Or the one from SimpliSafe mentioned below next to find the intelligent aspect.

Placement on intelligence

What’s more important than powering your smoke detector with Wi-Fi is having one in the first place and making sure it’s in the right place. Every expert I spoke with reiterated the same thing: the location of a smoke detector is one of the most important factors in keeping you safe.

“One of the most common mistakes homeowners make is installing detectors too close to cooking areas,” says Andy Bozzo, battalion chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. “Cooking inevitably produces smoke which can set off smoke detectors, [which] in turn, this can annoy and desensitize occupants to the sound of the alarm.

Sanders recommends installing smoke detectors at least 10 feet from cooking appliances. You should also place smoke detectors on the ceiling or high up on the wall, although a wall-mounted smoke detector should be a foot from the ceiling. You also don’t want your smoke detectors placed near windows, doors, or ducts that can create drafts and interfere with the ability to capture smoke as quickly as necessary.

How long do you have to escape?

Whether or not you choose a Wi-Fi enabled smoke detector, or opt for a photoelectric ionization sensor (or splurge on a dual sensor), it’s simply important that you have a working smoke detector in your home. Every minute counts in escaping house fires, especially as the time required to escape becomes shorter and shorter.

“Our research shows that decades ago, you had 17 minutes to escape a house fire,” says Sanders. “Due to changes in the way we build our homes and the use of synthetic materials, this time frame today could be three minutes or less from the time the fire starts.”

NFPA confirms experts told them the same statistic. Whether or not you choose a smart smoke detector, make sure you have regularly tested and code-compliant smoke detectors in your home.

Smart smoke detectors we love

Want to add a smart smoke detector to your home? I tested the ones below and found that they work well for what they are.

If you liked the look of the Nest Protectthe next closest thing you can get is now done by First Alert. Google discontinued the Nest Protect last year and is now partnering with First Alert for its smoke detectors. The SC5 was designed to work with the Nest Protect’s mounting bracket, so existing users won’t need to mount anything new, and the overall design is a callback to the original device. It’s easy to install and use, and it has both a hardwired and battery option and will also detect carbon monoxide. It’s UL 217 9th edition and UL 2034 compliant. It’s (obviously) designed for Nest and Google Home users, so if you’re more of an Amazon user (or better yet, a Ring user), try the smart smoke detector below instead.

Kidde is another fire safety brand that has partnered with a smart home ecosystem to create a smart smoke detector. Designed for from Amazon Ring ecosystem, this is a great option if you are already a Ring user and want to use the Ring app for your notifications, but you can also use it with the Kidde app. It’s easy to install, has battery and wiring options, and has a built-in carbon monoxide detector. It uses a photoelectric sensor and meets several codes, including UL 217, UL 2034, NFPA 72, NFPA 101 (single- and two-family dwellings), Federal Housing Authority (FHA), and Housing and Urban Development.

If you’re looking for something a little more unique, Place is a new addition to smart smoke detectors. Automotive supplier Gentex entered the field of fire safety last year with its range of unique smoke detectors designed for individual parts of the home and equipped with additional features. The Any Space Unit base includes a motion sensor, temperature sensor and night light, but there is also the Kitchen unit ($250) this adds to the detection of methane VOCs, while the Kindergarten unit ($350) adds a camera, two-way intercom, white noise generator and air quality monitor. There is even the Garage unit ($300), which is not a smoke detector but a heat detector with a security camera. This is a single suite of solutions, and all are wired only. The Any Space meets the UL217 code and uses a photoelectric sensor to detect smoke.

How I tested smart smoke detectors

After installing these smoke detectors on my ceiling, I tested the alarm on each one with the standard test button method, either on the device or in the app. I also tried triggering the device by generating smoke to see how sensitive the smoke detectors were, but blew it several times. candles and setting fire to a handful of paper gave me no results. This isn’t surprising given that the smart smoke detectors I tested all had photoelectric sensors, which aren’t as sensitive to blazing fires (like the paper fire I started, before quickly extinguishing) or minimal smoke from candles. For my next update I will be testing with aerosol smoke to better replicate the level of smoke you would see in a house fire.

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