Hello dear forum members,
By now, at least where we live, it is mandatory to install smoke detectors. And after a house actually burned down in the neighborhood recently, this topic has become very relevant... meaning I don’t want to keep putting it off. You never know what might happen...
I received an offer for several interconnected detectors, meaning when one goes off, all the others sound as well. That obviously makes sense, because I’m not sure you would hear a smoke detector through closed doors of the kids’ bedrooms or from the attic if you are on the ground floor. And if something happens during the night, it’s definitely better if the alarm goes off right away in the bedroom.
Unfortunately, this is not cheap, and at the end of the budget there is still so much construction left to do...
For about a quarter of the price, you could first install smoke detectors without this interconnection. That would surely be better than nothing, but with reduced functionality. In the medium term, I would really prefer the interconnected solution – so it seems pointless to spend money now on the smaller option that would then be replaced in 1-2 years... better to bite the bullet and do it right from the start.
It would be great to have an upgradeable solution—in other words, get the detectors initially and add the interconnection later when the financial situation improves.
What are your thoughts on this? What would you go for? Does anyone know of such an upgradeable solution?
By now, at least where we live, it is mandatory to install smoke detectors. And after a house actually burned down in the neighborhood recently, this topic has become very relevant... meaning I don’t want to keep putting it off. You never know what might happen...
I received an offer for several interconnected detectors, meaning when one goes off, all the others sound as well. That obviously makes sense, because I’m not sure you would hear a smoke detector through closed doors of the kids’ bedrooms or from the attic if you are on the ground floor. And if something happens during the night, it’s definitely better if the alarm goes off right away in the bedroom.
Unfortunately, this is not cheap, and at the end of the budget there is still so much construction left to do...
For about a quarter of the price, you could first install smoke detectors without this interconnection. That would surely be better than nothing, but with reduced functionality. In the medium term, I would really prefer the interconnected solution – so it seems pointless to spend money now on the smaller option that would then be replaced in 1-2 years... better to bite the bullet and do it right from the start.
It would be great to have an upgradeable solution—in other words, get the detectors initially and add the interconnection later when the financial situation improves.
What are your thoughts on this? What would you go for? Does anyone know of such an upgradeable solution?
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borderpuschl24 Sep 2019 08:28Sure, but it’s not possible for everyone.
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Michlhausbauaa24 Sep 2019 08:34In a new build, I would definitely integrate it like this.
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borderpuschl24 Sep 2019 08:44Everyone has to decide for themselves what and how much they want to integrate. I just wanted to show that even a very simple component can be used with a bit more experience and additional functions.
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Steffen8024 Sep 2019 09:32For everyone interested... a clean KNX solution: we installed 9 Gira Dual Q units including KNX modules. So, all are connected. From a software perspective, I set it up as follows: when any detector triggers an alarm, all others also trigger alarms. However, the garage detector only triggers the alarm in the central hallway (not in the bedroom, children’s room, etc.). The reason is that I expect occasional false alarms in the garage since I sometimes work there with associated strain. The garage is, however, fire- and smoke-proof separated from the house. In case of a fire alarm, all the shutters on the ground floor open immediately, and all lights throughout the house turn on. My wife and I receive an SMS notification on our phones. All detectors monitor themselves and report low batteries, sensor errors, etc., on the BUS and the visualization system. I am still considering whether the garage detector should open the garage door directly when someone is home. So far, I haven’t experienced any false alarms.
Regards, Steffen
Regards, Steffen
apokolok schrieb:
That’s quite a solution, @Steffen80.
Give us a rough estimate of how much you spent on it.
In my opinion, a lot of overhead for little real added value, but that’s typical for KNX anyway. A KNX module for a Gira smoke detector costs around 40-50€ (45-55 USD).
I did it like Steffen, but a bit more "lightweight." I networked the smoke detectors with wired connections and gave one smoke detector the KNX module. This way, there is information on the bus when smoke is detected or if there are faults, and I can trigger alarms. But only for the entire loop of detectors, not individually per smoke detector.
As mentioned, the cost for the module is about 50€ (55 USD). The rest is “already there.”
Of course, this also turns on the lights (at full brightness, instead of the usual dimmed setting) and raises the blinds.
Additionally, a motorized skylight closes automatically if it’s open, in the guest WC.