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What's the difference between standard smoke detectors vs. monitored fire alarms in Bellingham?

August 08, 2022
smoke alarm detector on the ceiling

In the Bellingham smoke detector vs. monitored fire alarm debate, there’s only one champion. Smoke detectors are an important line of defense in protecting your place from fire, but they have a few concerning shortcomings. Alternatively, monitored fire alarms offer more means to detect a potentially dangerous situation and can notify help when the unthinkable happens. Pairing your fire alarms to a comprehensive smart home also results in many extra advantages that your common smoke detectors could only dream about.

The shortcomings of standard smoke alarms in [[targetlocaion]]

Fire safety is a crucial consideration, and smoke detectors play a vital part in keeping your family safe. However, smoke detectors have various limitations. For example, they can only react to smoke, not high temps. When there is a fire in your home, you might not be alerted unless the smoke ascends to the smoke detector. Although there are further significant signs of fire -- including a sharp heat increase -- if you don’t have smoke, you will fail to get a warning from your smoke detector.

In addition, smoke detectors only beep when they encounter enough smoke. If a fire creeps along slowly at first, you may not be warned until it's too late. Some smoke detectors employ dual-sensor technology, which means they will detect smoke from both a blazing inferno and something less intense. Whenever they do go off, it falls to the resident to call emergency services after exiting the premises.

Monitored fire alarms provide more value than ordinary smoke detectors

Although they have a similar appearance to standard smoke detectors, monitored fire alarms can do much more. If linked to a complete home security system, they are able to:

  • Identify fire with multi-sensor technology: Comparable to a standard smoke detector, your monitored component has the ability to engage from an active or passive fire. It will resonate an easily audible warning whenever it recognizes a hazardous situation.
  • Identify fire due to a sudden temperature increase: A monitored fire alarm will even trigger if it discerns an abnormal increase in heat. Many times, heat arrives prior to smoke. Having additional ways to identify a fire equates to additional ways to protect your loved ones.
  • Warns professional monitoring specialists: Fires will occur when you are at your house or not. No matter of the situation, your fire alarms will alert your monitoring team, who can quickly place a call to emergency services. When seconds count, it's comforting to have the knowledge that a trained professional is constantly keeping a watch of your home.
  • Connects to home automation: Even though the primary task of a fire alarm is to detect dangerous situations and notify monitoring agents, it may also join forces with other automated components. For instance, a tripped alarm might induce your system to engage the exhaust fan to slow the flames or turn on smart light bulbs so you may locate the quickest path out of the property.

Your monitored fire alarms are an important aspect of a comprehensive smart home

The best way to get the most from your fire alarms is to pair them with a Vivint home security system. Contact a Vivint security agent today and customize the perfect smart home for your needs. Place a call to (360) 968-8970 or complete the following form to begin.