What the heck is a ‘smart” smoke detector, anyway?
Smoke detectors haven’t changed all that much over the decades- they sense smoke and start shrieking. Often, they THINK they sense smoke when it’s your shower. Or their battery decides at 1 a.m. that you need to know it isn’t feeling well.
Not very smart, right?
A smart smoke detector knows WHERE the fire is and communicates that to the other smart smoke detectors in the house. This means that, rather than you hearing the alarm, bolting out of bed, and scrambling around your house trying to find the fire, the detector in your room goes off saying “There is a fire in the kitchen”.
Smart smoke detectors often come with a cell phone app that you can use to test your system and stop false alarms when you burn your toast.
There are a number of smart smoke detectors on the market and wonderful as they are, they aren’t cheap.
If you recently invested in new smoke detectors but didn’t get “smart” ones, there are smart batteries (like the Roost) that can convert dumb smoke detectors into smart ones using your WiFi and cell phones.
Smart smoke detectors tell you where the fire is, and give you the chance to make a smart exit!
Recommended Reading:
How to Prepare Your Bedroom for Emergencies, tuck.com (evidence-based sleep health information)
Questions to Ask When Shopping for a Smoke Detector, tuck.com (evidence-based sleep health information)
How Closed Bedroom Doors Slow Down Fires, tuck.com (evidence-based sleep health information)
