Costco has Z-Wave Smoke alarms on sale

[ronv42]

Found this today 3 pack 79.99. Good deal for 3 devices for both smoke and carbon monoxide. Anyone have these running with Hubitat?

https://www.costco.com/first-alert-z-wave-smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-alarm%2C-3-pack.product.100487243.html

[eppower]

It's listed in the compatible devices list... I'm going to order some and try them out.

[ronv42]

Yep saw that they were on the list, Only issue is that they are non-linking and not line powered.

[rsjaffe]

There's more about them in this discussion:

First Alert Zcombo Generation 2

Hello, looking for some assistance. I just purchased 3 of the zcombo Generation 2 zwave plus. I was able to get them to pair, however, I think the driver needs to be updated. When the device paired it came in as device not generic zwave smoke like the generation 1 does. I was able to change the device to the zwave driver and it seems to work. However, I am getting an unknown alert in the logs, so I think the driver needs to be updated to accommodate the gen2. Anybody else have this issue?

[eppower]

@bcopeland says the driver for these is in the upcoming 2.2.4 release. Ordered 3 packs... I'm perfectly happy to wait for the HE software before installing.

[genelevi63]

I've returned a Gen-1 version of this one a while ago - mainly because it didn't really do anything... other than sending an alert (I don't need a Z-wave for that), what does it do? I couldn't even test or reset it or silence it using Z-Wave... is this detector actually using z-wave for anything other than sending an alert that it's on?

[danabw]

2.2.4 started beta, so it's a little closer...

[kahn-hubitat]

are they zwave plus?

[StephenH]

It does not look like they are z-wave plus. It looks like they are just z-wave. I also looked on the FirstAlert web site for the ZCOMBO and it only lists z-wave. I don't see what the difference (if any) is between these and the one I have had for over six years (manufactured February, 2014).

Edit: After reading the other topic, I did find that Costco is shipping the Z-Wave Plus model. I stand corrected.

[dadarkgtprince]

outside of being repeaters, what else do they offer in terms of smart home fun?

[StephenH]

The ability to get an alert if you are away and something happens. Other than that, I don't see much use beyond that of a non-connected smoke/CO alarm. I do use Lithium batteries in mine. They are still going strong.

[EdMcW]

There is a new plus version of this unit. I’ve been trying to figure out if these packs are the new model or not. I suspect they are, because Costco recently went out of stock on these 3-packs for a couple months, and I’ve seen one person say they got plus models from Costco. No good way to know for sure, though.

[EdMcW]

You could create hub-side automation with these to turn smart speakers into annunciators, and use sirens to create a poor man’s interlink. They’re also supported by Ring, so if you have a Ring Alarm, the monitoring service will dispatch the fire department if they go off.

[rsjaffe]

@EdMcW

I’ve been trying to figure out if these packs are the new model or not. I suspect they are, because Costco recently went out of stock on these 3-packs for a couple months, and I’ve seen one person say they got plus models from Costco. No good way to know for sure, though.

I ordered from Costco a few weeks ago and got the plus versions.

[EdMcW]

Thanks for the confirmation!

[ghanson59]

Thanks for the notice, @ronv42. We've been doing some remodeling and needed new smoke detectors. Great timing, w00t!

[marktheknife]

@genelevi63

it didn't really do anything... other than sending an alert (I don't need a Z-wave for that), what does it do?

If a z-wave enabled smoke detector alarms, then the hub can do any number of other actions in response.

For example, turn on exit pathway lighting, flash some outdoor lights red so your neighbors know something is wrong, play text-to-speech announcements on one or more speakers, turn off your HVAC fan so smoke doesn’t spread around the house as quickly (or if it was a CO alarm maybe shut off possible sources of incomplete combustion that create CO), whatever you want really. And of course you can receive a notification when you’re not home.

How would you do those things if the smoke detector wasn’t z-wave (or zigbee/wifi/your wireless IoT protocol of choice) enabled?

[marktheknife]

@dadarkgtprince

outside of being repeaters, what else do they offer in terms of smart home fun?

These are battery powered devices, so they won’t repeat.

[dadarkgtprince]

cool, thanks for that. i won't lie, i've been considering getting smoke/co2 detectors, but i have a pretty solid mesh, and i don't use ring security, so this thread helped me decide to pass on them

[genelevi63]

@marktheknife

@genelevi63

it didn't really do anything... other than sending an alert (I don't need a Z-wave for that), what does it do?

If a z-wave enabled smoke detector alarms, then the hub can do any number of other actions in response.

For example, turn on exit pathway lighting, flash some outdoor lights red so your neighbors know something is wrong, play text-to-speech announcements on one or more speakers, turn off your HVAC fan so smoke doesn’t spread around the house as quickly (or if it was a CO alarm maybe shut off possible sources of incomplete combustion that create CO), whatever you want really. And of course you can receive a notification when you’re not home.

How would you do those things if the smoke detector wasn’t z-wave (or zigbee/wifi/your wireless IoT protocol of choice) enabled?

I personally use Halo Smoke/CO2 smart detector (discontinued, unfortunately) in my house that can do all of the above but even if I didn't, this would do all those things as well.
Ecolink Zwave Plus Wireless Audio Detector

In my vacation home, I do have a zCombo still. I'm just tired of running around the house looking for a long stick or a step-stool to climb up and shut the thing up every time my "dinner is ready" signal goes off. A smart Smoke detector should be able to do a simple thing like reset and test without having to climb. That's why I returned it and got a Halo.