What's the difference between standard smoke detectors vs. monitored fire alarms in Madison?

In the Madison smoke detector vs. monitored fire alarm discussion, one component rises above the other. Smoke detectors are an essential consideration in protecting your residence from emergency situations, but they have a few concerning limitations. Alternatively, monitored fire alarms offer more means to identify a potentially dangerous situation and can notify a monitoring team when disaster strikes. Pairing your fire alarms to a comprehensive smart home also delivers additional benefits that your common smoke detectors would only hope for.

Your traditional smoke alarms in Madison might be falling short

Fire safety is a chief concern for homeowners, and smoke detectors play a vital part in shielding your family. However, smoke detectors have some drawbacks. To illustrate, they can only react to smoke, not heat. When there is an emergency in your home, you might not be alerted until the smoke rises to the smoke detector. Even though there are additional significant indications of fire -- such as a marked heat increase -- if you don’t have smoke, you will fail to get a triggered smoke detector.

In addition, smoke detectors only sound the alarm when they find enough smoke. When a fire starts small, you might not be alerted until the flames are out of control. Some smoke detectors utilize dual-sensor technology, which means they will recognize smoke from both a raging fire and smoldering remnants. If they start beeping, it’s required of the resident to notify first responders after exiting the residence.

Monitored fire alarms do much more than regular smoke detectors

Even though they look like traditional smoke detectors, monitored fire alarms offer more benefits. If integrated to a comprehensive home security system, they are able to:

• Detect fire with different sensor types: Similar to a traditional smoke detector, your monitored device will trigger from a roaring blaze or smoldering embers. It will emit a high-volume warning if it senses a hazardous situation.

• Detect fire with a rapid rise in heat: A monitored fire alarm may also trigger if it discerns an unusual increase in heat. Typically, heat comes prior to smoke. Having additional methods to identify a fire equates to extra means to protect your loved ones.

• Alerts trained monitoring representatives: Fires can take place when you are home or away. Regardless, your fire alarms will warn your monitoring agents, who will swiftly call first responders. When seconds count, it's great to know that someone is always keeping a watch of your house.

• Integrates with home automation: While the main purpose of a fire alarm is to detect dangerous situations and call for help, it will also join forces with other automated equipment. For instance, a tripped alarm might induce your system to engage the exhaust fan to slow the flames or initiate the lights so you can locate the quickest path out of the house.

Your monitored fire alarms are an important aspect of a comprehensive smart home

The easiest method to optimize your fire alarms is to integrate them with a Vivint home security system. Contact a Vivint specialist today and customize the most suitable smart home for your needs. Place a call to (608) 470-6808 or send in the following form to get started.