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Are there differences between standard smoke detectors vs. monitored fire alarms in Asheville?

August 08, 2022
smoke alarm detector on the ceiling

In the Asheville smoke detector vs. monitored fire alarm argument, it's obvious that a monitored fire alarm is the better choice"> for your house. Smoke detectors are an important first step in guarding your residence from a dangerous blaze, but they have some notable limitations. Conversely, monitored fire alarms offer more ways to discover a potentially dangerous situation and may reach out to help when disaster strikes. Connecting your fire alarms to a comprehensive smart home also results in many extra benefits that your regular smoke detectors can only wish for.

Your regular smoke alarms in Asheville may be falling short

Protecting your home from fire is important, and smoke detectors play a vital role in safeguarding your family. Despite that fact, smoke detectors have various drawbacks. For example, they can only react to smoke, not high temps. In the event there is a fire in your residence, you might not be warned until the smoke ascends to the smoke detector. Although there are further significant signals of fire -- such as a sharp heat increase -- if there’s a lack of smoke, there is no triggered smoke detector.

In addition, smoke detectors only sound the alarm if they encounter enough smoke. If a fire starts small, you may not be cautioned until the situation is out of hand. Various smoke detectors use dual sensors, which means they will detect smoke from both a raging fire and something less intense. If they do go off, it’s required of the resident to notify the fire department after they safely leave the premises.

Monitored fire alarms do much more than regular smoke detectors

Even though they look like standard smoke detectors, monitored fire alarms can do much more. If connected to a total home security installation, they will:

  • Detect fire with multi-sensor technology: Comparable to a standard smoke detector, the monitored device can engage from an intense fire or one that has just started smoking. It will emit a high-volume beeping if it senses danger.
  • Identify fire due to a abrupt temperature increase: Your monitored fire alarm may even go off if it notices an uncommon fluctuation in temperature. Many times, heat is noticed prior to smoke. More ways to identify a fire leads to extra ways to protect your loved ones.
  • Alerts professional monitoring specialists: Fires can happen when you are on site or somewhere else. Regardless, your fire alarms will warn your monitoring team, who can swiftly place a call to emergency services. When seconds count, it's great to realize that a trained professional is consistently looking out for your house.
  • Connects to home automation: Even though the primary job of a fire alarm is to detect fire and request monitoring agents, it may also join forces with other automated equipment. For instance, a triggered alarm might make your system engage the exhaust fan to slow the fire or turn on smart light bulbs so you can locate the quickest way out of the property.

Your monitored fire alarms are a key element of a comprehensive smart home

The easiest method to maximize the functionality of your fire alarms is to integrate them with a Vivint home security system. Consult with a Vivint expert today and discover the ideal smart home for your needs. Call (828) 571-7175 or complete the following form to begin.