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?
S
Steffen8024 Sep 2019 11:13apokolok schrieb:
That’s a great solution, @Steffen80.
Tell us roughly 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.Little added value... ah! You can judge that because you’ve already lived in a smart home for 25 years, right? In my opinion, my above-mentioned application of the smoke and heat detector alone is a huge added value, as it can save the lives of my children and family in an emergency. It is definitely helpful if the fire department can enter the house quickly and we can leave the house quickly. So if that’s not added value...
N
nordanney24 Sep 2019 11:29Hello everyone, Altai is looking for a cost-effective solution since there is still so much house left with very little money.
Please don’t start with KNX now, as it exceeds the budget for most home builders and its potential would not be utilized at all there.
Please don’t start with KNX now, as it exceeds the budget for most home builders and its potential would not be utilized at all there.
Steffen80 schrieb:
little added value...aha! You can judge that because you have been living in a smart home for 25 years, right? In my opinion, my above-mentioned use of the smoke detector system already provides significant added value since it can save the lives of my children and family in case of emergency. It certainly helps when the fire department can get into the house quickly and we can get out fast. So if that’s not added value...You took that more critically than I intended. I don’t think KNX is bad, but the cost-benefit ratio doesn’t really seem attractive to me. My house is old and simple; I have a few gadgets over Wi-Fi, but nothing complicated. By little added value, I meant that the main function of a smoke detector is to detect smoke, which a device for $10 does just as well. I mean, what do you practically do with an SMS alert from the smoke detector? Call the fire department? Check it out first? Sure, if you have security shutters in front of every window at night, it’s great if they automatically open in a fire. I just don’t have that; my shutters are manual and mostly stay up—I’m not a big fan of them. So even I and my children will be saved, I hope at least.There are simple smoke detectors with wireless connectivity available for under 30 euros each, sometimes even around 20 euros (mine were nearly 50% off at the time). These are quite basic and don’t allow for many extra features. You typically have a main detector—possibly installed above the bed—that always triggers an alarm, while the other detectors act as secondary units (which may also trigger depending on the system).
They do their job; no one in the house will miss the alarm. But if you’re not at home, what can you do with just an SMS notification? You probably need a system like the one @Steffen80 has. I guess Steffen can check the room temperature to confirm whether there is an actual fire.
Many manuals recommend replacing the detectors after a maximum of 10 years. After that, you can still choose to switch to a different system.
They do their job; no one in the house will miss the alarm. But if you’re not at home, what can you do with just an SMS notification? You probably need a system like the one @Steffen80 has. I guess Steffen can check the room temperature to confirm whether there is an actual fire.
Many manuals recommend replacing the detectors after a maximum of 10 years. After that, you can still choose to switch to a different system.
[QUOTE="nordanney, post: 347915, member: 14669"]
Hello everyone, Altai is looking for a cost-effective option since there’s still a lot of house left with very little money.
Well, it’s not quite that dramatic. The house is finished, but invoices keep arriving (currently, for example, from the chimney sweep for commissioning the heating system). And of course, when you’re balancing on a tight budget, it seems like everyone suddenly wants their money NOW (like the land registry fee). Then there are other issues, like my new tenant backing out and the agreed transfer amount not coming through... and suddenly you’re already thinking about where to spend what money.
The offer for seven wireless interconnected detectors is 750€ (about $815). If I go for the “cheap” ones instead, I apparently stay under 200€ (about $215). Over 10 years that’s negligible, but right now... The offer comes from an official fire protection company that my site manager has good contacts with. To be honest, I haven’t done any further research myself. Maybe I’ll ask them for an updated offer with a retrofit solution; that would be a good compromise.
Or do you think the prices are outrageous? The cost includes a technician to commission the system.
By the way, at work, when the office door is closed, I hear the alarm very muffled. In my rental apartment, I once triggered the detectors, and it caused quite a scene on the street with people considering calling the fire department... that was very loud indeed.
And to answer @Zaba12’s initial question: the investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing. It was more of a former neighbor... when the father of my kids called me at eleven at night asking me to pick up the children because there was a fire next door and the fire department couldn’t get it under control... my heart really sank.
I had jokingly said at times “we’ll do it once the smoke clears” (my way of postponing things that might not need to be done IMMEDIATELY)... but that sounds a bit grim right now.
Hello everyone, Altai is looking for a cost-effective option since there’s still a lot of house left with very little money.
Well, it’s not quite that dramatic. The house is finished, but invoices keep arriving (currently, for example, from the chimney sweep for commissioning the heating system). And of course, when you’re balancing on a tight budget, it seems like everyone suddenly wants their money NOW (like the land registry fee). Then there are other issues, like my new tenant backing out and the agreed transfer amount not coming through... and suddenly you’re already thinking about where to spend what money.
The offer for seven wireless interconnected detectors is 750€ (about $815). If I go for the “cheap” ones instead, I apparently stay under 200€ (about $215). Over 10 years that’s negligible, but right now... The offer comes from an official fire protection company that my site manager has good contacts with. To be honest, I haven’t done any further research myself. Maybe I’ll ask them for an updated offer with a retrofit solution; that would be a good compromise.
Or do you think the prices are outrageous? The cost includes a technician to commission the system.
By the way, at work, when the office door is closed, I hear the alarm very muffled. In my rental apartment, I once triggered the detectors, and it caused quite a scene on the street with people considering calling the fire department... that was very loud indeed.
And to answer @Zaba12’s initial question: the investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing. It was more of a former neighbor... when the father of my kids called me at eleven at night asking me to pick up the children because there was a fire next door and the fire department couldn’t get it under control... my heart really sank.
I had jokingly said at times “we’ll do it once the smoke clears” (my way of postponing things that might not need to be done IMMEDIATELY)... but that sounds a bit grim right now.
