How common are wireless smoke alarms in both the US and UK?

[Heatblizzard]

Just curious as I have seen them pop up when looking how smokes work and are wired so it intrigued me to further investigate. What are your thoughts on them? Pros and cons? Where would you most likely find them in use? New homes? Old homes? Apartments?.etc

Wireless alarms usually have a special symbol on them so I wonder how they send data especially to each other? Could they also work as stand alone? With mains you can just remove (not that you should) the 'red' wire but the alarms still function as normal meaning they will quite loudly alarm in a fire regardless if they communicate to each other or not.

[↑↑↓↓←→←→BASelect]

The one upstairs in my hallway is hard wired into the electrical system with a battery backup. The one downstairs just runs on battery. I never did like the ones that is connected to the internet. Always afraid someone that is bored decides to hack it and set the alarm off for laughs.

[Heatblizzard]

Escrito originalmente por Morkonan:

Escrito originalmente por Heatblizzard:

... What are your thoughts on them? Pros and cons? Where would you most likely find them in use? New homes? Old homes? Apartments?.etc

Wireless alarms usually have a special symbol on them so I wonder how they send data especially to each other? Could they also work as stand alone? With mains you can just remove (not that you should) the 'red' wire but the alarms still function as normal meaning they will quite loudly alarm in a fire regardless if they communicate to each other or not.

I don't really know how you're using the term "wireless."

Case 1 - As part of a central security system - They are the most common install type in the US these days. All transmit on the panel's assigned frequency and they are polled by the panel every xx_time segments to check their status. They will normally have battery-supplied power and will report a warning status to the panel and start a "blinking" indicator light to alert the user. Some will "chirp" as well. This will not work as a standalone smoke detector, typically.

Case 2 - Self-Contained Alarm in a box" - They're just a self-contained unit that is not hardwired and relies on a battery. They'll blink/chirp, but have no transmitter.

Hardlined Smoke Deterctors - They're common in mutli-family dwellings, like apartment complexes, and may have battery backup and may or may not submit a signal to some central monitoring point. They can also be included in a hardline install for home use, too. They are also common in Industrial settings, but those detectors can't usually be confused with commercial grade ones.


Your questions concerning disabling smoke alarms is suspicious and alarming.... Rest assured, if you're suspected of arson, your post history is going to be subpoenaed even if you delete this thread.

Which is why I emphasize it as something that SHOULD NOT be done. But still people need to know what the wires do. The red communicates the "black' wire powers it and white is earth. Always consult the manual that came with your alarm or look up the alarm number under it and find the manual online.


In any case the problems of tampering with a smoke alarm is when you disable it ALL TOGETHER where it doesn't make a sound when it is required to. That makes it rather useless to the resident(s) and defeats it's purpose and that's where the law goes after as people actually do that starting by taking out the batteries or up to the point of breaking it.

They risk legal action there but less so if it's their own home vs an apartment/campus. I

If the smoke alarm sounds and does it's job then from a law standpoint you won't be in legal waters but when it comes to selling/renting your home to a new tenant then you have a bunch of legal hurdles if they aren't up to local standards whatever they may be that goes beyond a 'working fire alarm' as the NFPA defines, Actually happened to us once when selling but they were rather cool with it and let us change it with no issues.

but has nothing to do with the actual functionality of the said alarm but rather how it's placed/connected.etc to the laws of your area which can sometimes be rather confusing.

The UK generally has simplified laws where if the UK behaved like the US then each county would have it's own sub set of rules that may or may not be best for you because of some dumb incident somewhere that killed someone. Usually electrical or someone forgetting to put out their cigar if they smoked but neither are as common as it once was for newer construction anyways as crappy as modern materials are.

[Morkonan]

Escrito originalmente por Heatblizzard:

How common are wireless smoke alarms in both the US and UK?

Very common.

Most home-alarm systems are totally wireless these days, as well. (Up to the terminal, then it's got dual power, hardline phone and or dual alarm with cell or radio.) It dramatically lowers install costs.

Since wireless is so easy to install, the impact of on safety in general is greater. More homes have them as a result.

Apartment complexes can have either, too.

...Wireless alarms usually have a special symbol on them so I wonder how they send data especially to each other? Could they also work as stand alone? With mains you can just remove (not that you should) the 'red' wire but the alarms still function as normal meaning they will quite loudly alarm in a fire regardless if they communicate to each other or not.

Smoke-alarms don't communicate with each other. If anything, they'll be polled by a central security system and if they fail a poll, the system itself will send out an alert.

PS: Thank you for leaving this potentially incriminating evidence on the internet to live forever. Rest assured, if you're ever connected to a suspicious alarm or fire incident, it will be found. Archive.** thanks you for your service.

[Underprivileged White Male]

Beats me, never used one. Figure if this place burns down I'm ♥♥♥♥♥♥ anyway, so Jesus take the wheel.

[Heatblizzard]

Escrito originalmente por Underprivileged White Male:

Beats me, never used one. Figure if this place burns down I'm ♥♥♥♥♥♥ anyway, so Jesus take the wheel.

Are you living in an older building before even the most basic requirements were made?

Either way you need at least the minimum according to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Act) to be legal. and also from an insurance standpoint.so you won't get into trouble later. such is a foreign nation it's still a safe idea to do so and the new 9 volt lithium batteries last many years. There's a test on YT showing the best 9 volt batteries last a little over 3 years before needing swap. To me that's very good.

You may only need to swap batteries like 3 times before it's time to replace the entire alarm. Batteries are really good now.

Sadly so many disable their alarms and find out the hard way when they have a close call and it makes it into the news and the fix is so simple. It's a big DUH moment.

It's also coming into recent attention there's the 'wrong kind' of smoke alarm too that won't active during certain fires till it's too late which the certain type is outright banned in certain areas. That defeats the purpose of an early warning life safety device if it won't alert.😢

'Rate of Rise' Heat Detectors are best recommended for kitchens only reducing completely false alarms as it detects the rate of heat from a fire instead of outright smoke which triggers false alarm. In Scotland it's a requirement for example even for existing buildings to have one linked to other detectors.

Heat alarms should've been a requirement for cooking areas from the get-go.

[Heatblizzard]

Did you know more and more areas laws are adapting to allowing removal of manual pull stations IF the building is fully sprinkled and given a certificate of approval? I'm like WTF? Isn't a manual pull station a redundancy for backup to spot and report a fire early? 😕

More and more places have eliminated pulls all to but the 1 required for testing/polling purposes for the ACP (Alarm Control Panel) and this is usually locked from the public.

[Moogal™]

Escrito originalmente por Xautos:

wireless alarms are quite common in the UK, they are usually circular or square in shape with parts inside a plastic case, some have lights, some don't, some are basic, some have more options... but they are all connected to a battery that lasts a very long time. none of them are connected to anything else except the ceiling or wall.

They can also be wirelessly connected so that one will also trigger another one.

[Heatblizzard]

Escrito originalmente por Moogal™:

Escrito originalmente por Xautos:

wireless alarms are quite common in the UK, they are usually circular or square in shape with parts inside a plastic case, some have lights, some don't, some are basic, some have more options... but they are all connected to a battery that lasts a very long time. none of them are connected to anything else except the ceiling or wall.

They can also be wirelessly connected so that one will also trigger another one.

Isn't it that way right out of the box? And wouldn't there be a risk of other signals interfering and what about latency issues? Somehow this feels like trouble to me the more complex you make it the more likely it is to break it as there is more things you cannot see that can go wrong.