1 Smoke Alarm Triggers the Other- Yes or No

Devices & Integrations
1

I have one First Alert 2-in-1 Z-Wave Smoke Detector & Carbon Monoxide Alarm. I’m looking at another. I have a Smartthings v.1 hub if that matters.

I don’t always have my phone on me and my question is simple. If one alarm, say downstairs, is triggered in the middle of the night, can it trigger a similar smoke alarm upstairs?

I’ve found the question but not a simple answer, online. I called First Alert and the guy said “yes,” with the hub, but I didn’t get the warm fuzzies that he really knew.

Can it be set in the ST app, does it require IFTTT or does it connect the alarms automatically?

The more complicated the path is, the greater the chance it won’t work. I have two Kidde wireless detectors now that connect to each other, but they are beyond their 10 year life expectancy and require replacement.

I leave my phone downstairs at night but generally have an iPad near my bed. I know the First Alert can be set to trigger a strobe alarm and turn on lights, but if there is a fire problem I’d like the urgency of a smoke alarm going off, not a flashing light or dinging iPad and I’d like it to be in my vicinity so I can hear it, not on another floor.

2

Unless you have a newer model than mine (something I haven’t heard of…) the First Alert Z-Wave does not support any incoming commands (including inter-connectivity between them).

The units cannot be used as a general purpose alarm.

First Alert has a different model series of interconnected smoke/co detectors, but they are not Z-Wave, ZigBee, nor WiFi compatible.

Your only option with the Z-Wave model is to add some Z-Wave sirens to your SmartThings system.

1 Like
3

Thank you for the prompt and easy to understand reply. That makes sense. I do have a separate strobe/alarm but sometimes Smartthings isn’t so smart, so I’ve not left it connected.

Perhaps if it can be triggered by a First Alert, I will connect it.

4

Yup… I believe that is a fundamental feature in Smart Home Monitor, though other SmartApps and/or CoRE can do the trick easily too.