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

In the Fresno smoke detector vs. monitored fire alarm debate, one alarm rises over the rest. Smoke detectors are an important consideration in protecting your house from fire, but they have a few concerning limitations. Conversely, monitored fire alarms offer more means to identify a fire and are able to notify your support team when disaster strikes. Linking your fire alarms to a security system also brings out additional advantages that your regular smoke detectors would only hope for.

Your ordinary smoke alarms in Fresno might be inadequate

Fire safety is a crucial consideration, and smoke detectors play a critical part in keeping your family safe. Despite that fact, smoke detectors have some limitations. To illustrate, they can only react to smoke, not extreme temperatures. If there is a blaze starting in your house, you might not be warned unless the smoke reaches the smoke detector. Although there are some other significant signals of fire -- such as a sudden increase in warmth -- if you don’t have smoke, you won’t have a warning from your smoke detector.

Additionally, smoke detectors only beep when they encounter an adequate amount of smoke. If a fire begins slowly, you may not be alerted until the situation is out of hand. Some smoke detectors use dual sensors, which means they will recognize smoke from both a raging fire and smoldering remnants. Whenever they start beeping, it’s required of the occupant to contact the fire department after they safely leave the property.

Monitored fire alarms provide more value than regular smoke detectors

Even though they look like traditional smoke detectors, monitored fire alarms can do much more. When linked to a total home security installation, they can:

• Identify fire with different sensor types: Like a traditional smoke detector, the monitored component can activate from an intense fire or one that has just started smoking. It will sound a high-decibel warning if it senses a hazardous situation.

• Detect fire due to a sudden rise in heat: A monitored fire alarm can even activate if it discerns an uncommon increase in heat. Typically, heat is noticed before smoke. More methods to identify a fire leads to extra ways to keep your family safe.

• Warns professional monitoring agents: Fires can occur whether you are at your house or not. Either way, your fire alarms will notify your monitoring agents, who are able to swiftly contact first responders. When every tick of the clock is critical, it's nice to realize that a trained professional is constantly looking out for your house.

• Connects to home automation: While the primary task of a fire alarm is to recognize dangerous situations and notify monitoring agents, it will also integrate with other automated devices. For example, a activated alarm might induce your system to engage the exhaust fan to impede the spread of fire or initiate lighting so you may locate the best way out of the house.

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

The best method to maximize the functionality of your fire alarms is to integrate them with a Vivint home security system. Contact a Vivint expert today and customize the most suitable smart home for your needs. Call (559) 354-6624 or submit the form below to get started.