Smart smoke alarms are designed to sound the alarm when they detect smoke, as a conventional smoke alarm would. But the unique selling point of a smart smoke alarm is the ability to send alerts to your phone when there’s a fire. Smoke detectors are simple devices by design, but are available with features to integrate into your smart home or improve the functionality of the device. One of the most common features you’ll find is interconnectivity. According to Rodriguez-Zaba, “Interconnectivity is a really important safety feature that allows the detectors to be connected to each other and sound an alarm simultaneously in the event of a fire.” This means that even if smoke is detected in one area of your home, an alarm will sound on every detector installed in the house—helping to ensure that everyone in the home hears the alarm. This hardwired combination detector requires more advanced installation than a battery-operated version. However, it has a 10-year lifespan, and set-up is simple once the hardware is mounted—just use your smart device to scan a QR code on the device to get the process started. Ionisation alarms ionise the air between two electrodes. These are positively and negatively charged, creating a small current inside the chamber. Batteries used to be the weakness of most household smoke alarms, requiring replacement every year or so and usually running out of charge, causing the low battery alarm to ring, in the middle of the night. As with carbon monoxide alarms, the trend is now towards alarms with a built-in, 10-year lithium battery, designed to work for the alarm’s effective lifespan. In Scotland, these are now a legal requirement. In England and Wales, however, you can still buy and use alarms with a replaceable 9V battery, and these often work out cheaper. We’d recommend paying extra for the convenience and peace of mind, but the choice is yours. Is there anything else worth looking out for?

Heat (thermal) alarms detect heat (hot air) instead of smoke. The alarm is triggered when the temperature within the sensor chamber reaches over 58 degrees Celsius – generally when a fire is well established. If you are worried by any aspect of fire safety for any of these groups, please do talk to them and arrange a fire safety visit on their behalf. Free Home Fire Safety VisitAny fire detection system, be it a smoke alarm, heat alarm or combination alarm, MUST be installed on the ceiling. Meanwhile, a system of colour-coded indicators on the central ring gives you visual alerts and updates, and even a subtle night light if you pass it in the dark. It’s more expensive than other smoke alarms, but if you’re invested in making your home smarter, this is the alarm to buy. You can put them in kitchens and garages because they’re not prone to false alarms from cooking or exhaust fumes. But they are slower to respond than smoke alarms. On a lighter note, Google’s data also revealed that the day when smoke alarms are most likely to sound in the UK is pancake day. Is the Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm suitable for homes in Scotland now that the law has changed?

If you own a Nest smoke and CO alarm, you will be able to continue to use it but it will need to be in addition to interlinked smoke and heat alarms.The Kidde Firex Battery-Operated Smoke Detector doesn’t need professional installation and installs easily, according to reviewers. You can easily test the alarm function or silence a false alarm using buttons on the face of the smoke detector. However, to access the rear battery compartment, you’ll have to remove the detector from the wall or ceiling. There’s also no voice alarm for this unit, but the 85-decibel horn and a flashing LED light commands attention in the event that the detector is set off. If you are spending additional money on a smoke and heat detector combination alarm, then we recommend spending a little more on linked detectors.

Battery-powered detectors are wireless and can be placed anywhere. They typically run on replaceable batteries (usually 9-volt or AA) or sealed lithium batteries that last 10 years. Smoke detectors use a sensor to recognize fire particles in the air, triggering the alarm system within the unit. There are two types of sensors: photoelectric and ionization. “Ionization detectors are more responsive to fast-burning fires, while photoelectric detectors are more responsive to smoldering fires,” says Diana Rodriguez-Zaba. “I recommend having both types of detectors in your home or a combination detector that uses both technologies.” A smoke and heat combination detector is called a smoke and heat detector. These sensors combine the functionality of a smoke detector and a heat detector. A combination smoke and heat detector will activate and trigger an alarm upon sensing either smoke or an unusually high temperature. The more time you have to react to a fire in your home, the better chance you and your family have of getting out safely. Go Linked Like any battery-powered smoke detector, you should replace the batteries every 6 months (and sooner if the low battery alert sounds). While a front-facing battery compartment would make it easier to change out the batteries, the rear battery door wasn’t overly challenging to access. We like the fact that the battery compartment won’t close unless the batteries are correctly installed, providing a safeguard against improper battery placement and a unit that won’t power up.

The best smoke alarms you can buy in 2023

In addition, First Alert uses a patented design that provides 360 degrees of access to the sensors inside the unit, enhancing the responsiveness of the device to smoke. If you’re concerned about false alarms, don’t be. The unit features a test/hush button that silences the 85-decibel alarm. Battery-operated smoke detectors have a compartment for a battery that serves as the power source for the device. Battery type and quantity vary by device, but two AA batteries or one 9V battery are the most common options. However, some devices require even more batteries, like the popular Google Nest Protect. It needs six AA batteries to perform its long list of features. Plan to change the batteries in your smoke detector every six months unless the unit has a long-lasting lithium-ion battery. These battery-operated smoke detectors may not need a battery swap for the entire 10-year life of the unit.