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aswierz's profile

Wednesday, January 24th, 2024 5:55 PM

Heat detector

Why doesn't Simplisafe have a heat detector for those areas where a smoke detector would false alarm?  I've tried talking to Simplisafe about such a device and it's always like talking to a brick wall.  As a retired engineer I know that I could gut one of their detectors and add a heat sensitive varistor or some other detector that could trigger alarm.  What puzzles me is why can't they do it or refuse to do it?  I've had the fire department tell me to remove the smoke detector in the garage last summer when a paving crew triggered it with hot top fumes.  I've had the smoke detector go off in my workshop while sawing wood, and I definitely would love to add a sensor in the kitchen that was insensitive to smoke.

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

1 year ago

Hi @aswierz ,

You're definitely right. Because our existing Smoke Detector and, combo Smoke & CO Detector, are both photoelectic (meaning that they trigger when particles pass by a beam), it is possible for them to be triggered by non-smoke particles like dust or even steam. While the combo Smoke & CO Detector does have smarter tech that can better differentiate actual smoke, we still don't recommend installing it too close to kitchen cooktops, or dusty environments like garages and basements.

We do have a post in our Product Requests section already for a heat detector type Smoke Detector. Please chime in on that thread to bring this to our devs' attention!

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55 Messages

Thanks Davey, but I've put in several requests over time to no avail.  Many customers have requested a heat detector as well, but yoru development team just hasn't listened to our pleas.  Many have been warned by local fire departments not to install smoke detectors in places like the garage.  I've experienced false alarms doing just that but I have little choice.  I've been reading recently that another company E-sense has heat detectors and I've had a Bosch system in the past that had them as well.  Simplisafe just doesn't appear to care about our requests.  I'll go one step further and say that if SS keeps ignoring us and another company out there begins to compete with you it'll be sayonara SS hello new company that is responsive to our needs.  

1 Message

26 days ago

I already have the heat detectors and soldered the leads across the test switch of a SS smoke detector. It really does not work as I want it as that is not treated as a true "alarm".

I would be happy if SS just provided a generic adapter which detected a change to a NO/NC switch. That would work for lots of devices.

55 Messages

Simplisafe could do a similar modification to its smoke detector, but just won't do it for whatever reason.  My suspicion is that these devices were designed in China and they can't get them because of the trade issues Trump has stirred up over there.  I don't believe that they have a development team here in the states.  If they did, this mod would be a no brainer and would be a "hot" selling item.  They could hire a co-op student to the job if they had a team here and claimed they were overwhelmed by whatever.  It would be that simple.  l will tell you that there are many like me who have expressed the need this device and won't hesitate to drop them if another company comes along with one and becomes a viable competitor.  I'm sick of begging them for it and don't believe they're responding to fulfill our needs.  I also think that the system is well designed and certainly affordable.  However, with that said I just don't understand their reticence toward this device. 

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