Chirp…chirp…chirp, goes the smoke alarm. Ugh, it’s time to change the battery, again, there is no ladder and hitting it with a broom doesn’t help, well that’s what I try anyway.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration close to 50 percent of residential fires start from cooking, 12.9 percent from heating and 6.1 percent from electrical malfunction. At CES 2016 the smart smoke alarm was a stand out for home automation products that have a longer battery life and help alert families to potential dangers of fire, carbon monoxide leaks and weather alerts.
HALO Smart Labs created their smart alarm HALO, a fire and CO2 detection device. The device houses six different sensors to distinguish between threats to the home. A voice alert tells anyone in the home there is something wrong and simultaneously sends alerts to a smartphone. The ring of light around the device changes colors based on the threat, with red for fire and carbon monoxide; it can also be used as a night light. In the HALO+ version, released at CES 2016, it has a weather radio and delivers spoken, visual and mobile alerts for all severe weather such as tornados, hurricanes, floods, even haboobs. As for the battery, it lasts 10 years according to the company.
A new product can turn your fire and carbon monoxide alarms into a smart device by simply changing the 9V battery. Roost Smart Battery is a 9V battery with a sensor chip attached, with an expected life span of five years.
Whenever the alarm goes off, the Roost will send notifications via text or email or call you. The company announced at CES Pepcom 2016 that the Roost now integrates with other smart home devices upon a Roost alarm trigger, such as smart locks to allow firefighters easy access, smart cameras or smart lighting. The device costs $34.99 for a one-pack and $64.99 for two and available for purchase at Home Depot and on getroost.com and Amazon.com.
Read all our coverage at CES 2016 at AZ Tech Beat
Read about more home automation gadgets here.
