Unable to pair First Alert Smoke Alarm with Smarthings Hub

Devices & Integrations
1

I followed directions posted on this site on how to pair the hub with First Alert Smoke Alarm, but no matter what I did, it didn’t pair. I ma using Android app. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

2

You have to be very persistent… Force Z-Wave exclude several times, and get the include timing just right.

It took me a while but didn’t do anything special but excludes and retry add.

We can Skype if you want sometime,maybe.

1 Like
3

Thanks. Do I need to exclude it, even though the detectors has never been paired? What is the correct exclude procedure?

4

It never hurts to exclude many times. The SmartThings IDE Hub event log will confirm excludes but don’t rely on it.

I’ll dig up instructions later, but the ones included with unit work if followed carefully and repeatedly and remove batteries for a while between attempts.

5

Thank you very much for your help. I hope many other folks will benefit from it.

1 Like
6

My pleasure. Perhaps post the exact model number you have, in case it has slightly different instructions or something.

7

First Alert Model No. SA500

8

@Boatsman that model is not the zwave one that works with ST. You have the OneLink version. You want this one:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_505521-347-ZCOMBO_0__?productId=4780109

1 Like
9

Yeah… That’s what I feared when I thought of checking the Model number. :crying_cat_face:

It’s a shame that First Alert doesn’t combine One Link with Z-Wave in a new model.

10

So the answer it will not work? What First Alert model do I need to get then? Should I go with a Nest instead? Not sure if ST supports Nest.

11

Won’t work with ST as I mentioned above, and check out the link in that post for the one that works.

1 Like
12

This model is fine (also sold on Amazon). However, if you have multiple units, they do notcoordinate between each other and you can’t activate the alarm via Z-Wave.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_505521-347-ZCOMBO_0__?productId=4780109

SmartThings will capture the alarm state…Unless your Internet is down.

1 Like
13

As you recommended, I purchased smoke detectors from Lowe’s. It took less then 15 min to mount and configure all of them.
Thank you very much for your help!

1 Like
14

I’m new to Smatthings. I have a V2 hub and just paired my first device, a First Alert ZCOMBO alarm (smoke & CO2). I can see the smoke alarm, but I’m not sure about the CO2 alarm. It appears to me that the CO2 has been picked up as a leak detector. In the app, in Smart Home Monitoring, then Security I’m seeing “Smoke” and “Leaks”, with both shown as OK. How should the CO2 part of the device appear in the app? If the “leak” in indeed the CO2 alarm, can I rename Leak to CO2?

15

The “Smoke” covers both smoke and CO2 for that unit… it’s just bundled into that category (smoke & leak) - the unit alarms for either. If you ever get a moisture sensor it would show up there as well (and would be your leak detector)

16

John S, Thanks for your quick reply. I’ll be adding a leak / moisture device in the future. I’ve been monitoring this group for about a year, first considering buying a V1 and then waiting for V2 to be issued. The members of this group appear to be very open and helpful. Again, thanks for your comments.