The purpose of home security is to keep you and your family safe. And while people usually associate home security and safety with security cameras and burglar alarms that keep intruders away, it is so much more than that. Burglars are not the only potential threat your family can face. There are also potential dangers inside of your own home, like the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning or a house fire.
The sound of a smoke alarm is enough to stop anyone dead in their tracks. Between the cost of potential damage to your home, the price of the belongings that are destroyed, and the emotional toll that comes from losing so many sentimental valuables, the irrecoverable damage caused by a fire is astronomical. The damage that can come from the loss of life due to a fire or fatal carbon monoxide poisoning is even worse.
Losing a loved one is many people’s worst nightmare, but fortunately there is a simple way to prevent these avoidable tragedies. Installing a smoke and carbon monoxide detector is the solution and now that technology has allowed us to create a smart home having the best fire and CO alarm has never been easier.
As a renter or homeowner, you want to be notified immediately of fire or carbon monoxide danger in your home without receiving too many false alarms along the way. And while traditional smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have had a place in houses around the world for decades, wouldn’t you want something even better if it were available? Well, there is something better, and we want to make sure you know about it.
The smart smoke and carbon monoxide detector is the safest way to protect your home against the danger of a fire. Smoke and CO detection is an often overlooked area of home security, but they are just as important as security cameras and home safes. Thanks to smart smoke detectors, it has never been easier to keep your family, your home, and your belongings safe from the dangers of a fire or a carbon monoxide leak.
Home security appliances—including smoke and CO detectors—are getting smarter and more complex every day. If you haven’t heard about smart smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and combo detectors and the groundbreaking benefits that they have to offer, then this article is for you. If you have heard about smart detectors and are eager to learn more about how they are a step above traditional smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, then this article is also for you.
If you look up the word “smart” in the dictionary, the primary definition you will find will use some of the following (or similar) words: intelligent, clever, sharp, bright. Our devices are smarter today than ever before. A smart smoke alarm is so much more than the run of the mill smoke alarm installed in your home. A smart smoke alarm can connect to your phone, they have faster reaction times, and they work both harder and smarter to keep you safe.
In order to better understand smart smoke detectors, it is beneficial to understand how they work. There are two different types of smoke detectors: ionization smoke alarms or photoelectric smoke sensor. These are the same basic technologies that power traditional smoke detectors, so you may already be familiar with how they work. Let’s take a look at each one to see how they help keep you safe.
Ionization Sensor Smoke Detectors
Ionization smoke detectors are the most common type of smoke detector. These detectors use diodes to pass an electrical current from one point to another. Smoke particles in the air interrupt that electrical current and subsequently trigger the detector’s alarm. This type of detector responds more promptly to fast-burning fires than photoelectric detectors respond. This style is effective at detecting smoke, but it can also be set off from steam or other contaminants like dust. The ionization detector can be wireless or a hardwired alarm and provide an effective way to protect any room.
Photoelectric Sensor Smoke Detectors
Photoelectric smoke detectors are less common than ionization detectors, but they are still frequently used in homes around the country. These detectors use light sensors rather than diodes to detect smoke particles. When smoke particles break the light beam that a light sensor is monitoring, the detector knows that it is time to sound the warning alarm.
The photoelectric smoke alarm is both a tested and proven device but everyone has experienced the nuisance alarm they create when the battery is low. When you install a smart smoke detector, you enable yourself to know when the battery should be changed and this smart battery system will ensure that you never have a detector that isn’t functioning.
Answer: Carbon monoxide detectors use sensors to monitor the amount of toxic gas in the air.
Carbon monoxide detectors can use different types of technology to identify noxious gas in the air inside of your home. Just like you can buy different styles of detectors, you can buy detectors with different sensors. Here are some of the most widely used sensors.
Electrochemical Sensor
The Cove carbon monoxide and smoke detector is an electrochemical sensor. An electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor uses the chemical properties of carbon monoxide to determine the concentration of the gas in the air. Essentially, multiple electrodes inside of the device are submerged in a chemical liquid or gel. These electrodes measure chemical reactions between the air that seeps into the device through a porous membrane and the inside of the device. The chemical reaction creates an electrical output that is directly proportional to the amount of carbon monoxide in the air next to the sensor.
Electrochemical sensors are considered the highest quality type of sensor available. They are the best at detecting carbon monoxide levels in the air, making them the best at keeping your home safe. They also have a long lifespan.
Metal Oxide Semiconductor Sensor
Carbon monoxide alarms that use metal oxide semiconductor sensors utilize circuitry to detect gas in the air. When carbon monoxide comes in contact with the circuits inside of the device, the device’s electrical resistance is lowered. This process triggers the alarm that lets you know there is too much lethal gas in your home’s air. These sensors usually come in plug-in form.
Biomimetic Sensor
Using color-changing liquids that change color as they absorb carbon monoxide, this sensor mimics the response of hemoglobin in human blood to carbon monoxide. When the liquid inside of this device comes in contact with carbon monoxide, it changes color. A separate sensor monitors the color change of the liquid and sets off the alarm when the color change is drastic enough. Then, after the alarm has gone off, a biomimetic sensor can be rest by spending time in an environment that is free of carbon monoxide. After it has reset, it is ready to be used once again.
Optochemical Sensor
This sensor uses color to signify the amount of carbon monoxide in the air, much like the biomimetic sensor. A pad inside of the device will change color as it detects the gas in the air. Unlike the other sensors, though, optochemical sensors cannot tell how much carbon monoxide is in the air. Although you should always immediately evacuate an area with raised levels of carbon monoxide in the air, knowing the saturation level of the air allows you to know how deadly it is to take it into your body. All carbon monoxide alarms are designed to sound the alarm before levels get high enough to cause you any harm, but you can never be too safe.