Like the title says... I really need this to complete a project.
I've scanned the forums and it seems most working smoke detectors are z-wave. unfortunately for this project I have already went all Zigbee and the repeaters are all zigbees.. If i go with z-wave smoke detectors then that would be i'd have to deploy z-wave repeaters just for the smoke detectors..
it's 2022, and I hope there's a proper zigbee smoke detector support by now.
I believe tuya has a zigbee smoke detector. Check on aliexpress
Honestly I am not sure I trust a smart device company with smoke detection. So many devices cut corners it makes me nervous. On top of that I am fairly certain you will not find a smoke/Carbon Monoxide combo unit. If you live in a climate with a furnace you NEED to have Carbon Monoxide detection. If you look around it's not common to find people who die in house fires, sadly that can't be said about Carbon Monoxide. Please take Carbon Monoxide seriously, it can mess you up quick and you will never know it.
All that being said I know I've seen a zigbee device that listens for standard detectors and can notify you. I can't remember where though. Also, Alexa can listen for alarms. So that's another option.
Edited to change Carbon Dioxide to Carbon Monoxide. Thanks @aaiyar for correcting such a stupid mistake.
I'm really hoping a real Halo equivalent will be available by the time mine go EOL. I heart my Halos.
No you don't. You need to have CO (carbon monoxide) detectors. Humans detect CO2 (carbon dioxide) very easily, even when we're asleep. But we don't detect carbon monoxide even when we're awake.
Hemoglobin binds carbon monoxide about 200-times better than oxygen. So even low levels of CO will saturate hemoglobin.
Which device, here is a screenshot I found on expo.tuya.com but I don't know if that's the only model they manufacture.
Note that it says it has RoHS and CE certifications, which is directly relevant to this well-founded concern:
This is why in North America, all reputable manufacturers of smoke and CO detectors have UL certifications (@aaiyar is right BTW, carbon monoxide is the combustion product we're interested in, not carbon dioxide). The Tuya smoke detector in the screenshot above apparently is not UL certified. I wouldn't be surprised if other models they make are not UL certified as well.
That means anyone who values the life and health of themselves or their loved ones should never, ever, ever consider using that device. Or their clients, since OP is doing a pro install, which would also add in liability concerns in the event of a fire.
Note that the UL certification applies only to the physical device, its ability to detect smoke and sound an alarm so building occupants are notified of a smoke condition. It has nothing to do with any additional "smart" capabilities, that's why no one should actually rely on Zigbee or Z-wave for life safety notifications.
Thanks for the correction. I am not sure why I mixed those up this morning but yes Carbon Monoxide is the killer. I need to correct my post to reflect that as I think it is just too important to have such a bad piece of safety information. I apologize if it makes your post a bit confusing but better safe than sorry. I do not want others to confuse the 2 because I'm an idiot.
Unfortunately, people still die in house fires when the structure doesn't have functioning smoke detectors, which is sometimes related to dead batteries and why wired w/ battery backup is required for new construction in most jurisdictions, and fire departments recommend changing batteries at least once a year (e.g. when daylight savings time starts or ends).
It's the Ecolink Firefighter, which comes in both Zigbee and Z-wave versions.
For some reason, most people have been unable to get the Zigbee version to work properly (including myself and @mike.maxwell), even though the Z-wave version works just fine. No idea what's up with that, especially since a handful of users have reported using the zigbee version without issue. Maybe a difference in device firmware versions?
In general, I find this solution to be the best though, since it allows for the most flexibility to add-on a wireless/remote notification capability to a regular, dumb smoke or CO detector by a reputable manufacturer and certified by UL to do precisely what it's supposed to do: warn humans (or trained service dogs) inside a building to get out ASAP and call the fire department.
BTW it's acceptable to have separate smoke and CO detectors; combined devices are more convenient and can save you some money depending on how many devices you need. But it's still possible to safely use smoke-only detectors.
Speaking of Carbon Monoxide does anybody know of a decent handheld unit? It doesn't have to be smart, though it would be nice to log, so Bluetooth to my phone would be ok. My work truck has issues and it's a constant fight to get the company to fix it properly. Currently I am using a home based unit on battery but I think those use time into its calculation Carbon Monoxide x Time. All I can find are no name questionable brands.
Thanks for remembering who made it. I spend far too much time looking at ZigBee devices online (I think I have a shopping problem), can never remember where and what,lol.
I for one have just ordered the new Frient smoke detectors. Zigbee smart home products - sensors and alarms, smart plugs and more
These at least appear to be certified by a German safety testing lab analogous to UL in the US. So for someone in the EU, that’s presumably a good option.
I would still strongly suggest anyone in the US stick with a UL certified smoke and/or CO detector. If there’s a fire in your home, the fire marshal and your homeowners insurance company will probably want to know why there wasn’t, even if Frient’s device is technically just as good.
Since Frient seems to be expanding their footprint in the US, maybe they will seek UL certification for their fire safety devices.
Thank you all for the feedbacks and the reminders about the compliance and safety aspects.
Would like ya'll to know that I actually test all smoke detectors I deploy (we do professional FDAS solutions for small and large installs - and we do maintenance as well) - and I test them w/ proper smoke detector testers (not just pressing the test button hehe)
I've tried a lot of wireless smoke detectors, even the 433mhz ones and pretty much all of em worked alright but I do agree about the other aspects such as the wireless and smart home part.
I have done my job educating the client about it and even recommended that we separate the FDAS system from his home automation but he insists (due to budget issues among other reasons) and he even challenged me if I can make it work, to which I did commit to it. I did prescribe regular testing to make sure everything is functioning well. With our professional FDAS systems that uses professional wireless sensors, the panel has FAULT NOTIFIERS which pretty much works like a wired detector in a professional install. This is one of the things I was hoping HE can provide (detect if a smoke detector has dropped off and then fire an alert) - so I have to look into this later. FOR NOW, i really need to get a smoke detector working w/ HE.
My original backup plan is to use the usual 433mhz wireless detectors and 433mhz that we have been using for many years - and connect the DC terminals for the siren (on the back of the panel) to a power monitored device that's compatible with HE and then base my trigger of that. But I'm avoiding any added complexity and failure points to the system.
So I guess my 1st backup plan is to use Z-wave smoke detectors which seems to be natively supported by HE.
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