Are there differences between standard smoke detectors vs. monitored fire alarms in Rockford?

In the Rockford smoke detector vs. monitored fire alarm debate, there’s easily only one champion. Smoke detectors are an important line of defense in protecting your house from emergency situations, but they have a few concerning limitations. Conversely, monitored fire alarms provide more means to discover a potentially dangerous situation and can notify help in the event of a disaster. Connecting your fire alarms to a security system also brings out additional perks that your regular smoke detectors could only hope for.

Your regular smoke alarms in Rockford may be inadequate

Protecting your home from fire is important, and smoke detectors play a vital part in keeping your family safe. However, smoke detectors have their drawbacks. To illustrate, they can only react to smoke, not heat. In the event there is a blaze starting in your house, you would not be alerted until the smoke ascends to the smoke detector. While there are some other telltale signals of fire -- including a sudden heat increase -- if there’s a lack of smoke, you won’t have a sounding of your smoke detector.

Additionally, smoke detectors only sound the alarm if they detect enough smoke. In the event a fire begins slowly, you may not be cautioned until it's too late. Various smoke detectors utilize more than one sensor, meaning they will detect smoke from both a raging fire and smoldering remnants. Whenever they start beeping, it falls to the homeowner to call first responders after safely leaving the premises.

Monitored fire alarms do much more than ordinary smoke detectors

While they look about the same as traditional smoke detectors, monitored fire alarms have added advantages. When linked to a complete home security system, they can:

• Detect fire with dual-sensor smoke detection: Like a traditional smoke detector, the monitored component will activate from a roaring blaze or smoldering embers. It will sound a high-decibel warning when it perceives a hazardous situation.

• Identify fire due to a sudden temperature increase: Your monitored fire alarm may also activate if it notices an uncommon increase in heat. Many times, heat is noticed in advance of smoke. Added means to detect a fire leads to additional means to protect your loved ones.

• Alerts professional monitoring representatives: Fires will occur when you are on site or somewhere else. No matter of the situation, your fire alarms will alert your monitoring team, who are able to quickly contact first responders. When every moment matters, it's great to realize that a trained professional is consistently looking out for your house.

• Pairs with home automation: Although the chief purpose of a fire alarm is to identify fire and request monitoring agents, it may also connect to other automated equipment. For instance, a triggered alarm might induce your system to turn on the exhaust fan to slow the flames or trigger lighting so you may see the safest path out of the property.

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

The best way to maximize the functionality of your fire alarms is to integrate them with a Vivint home security system. Contact a Vivint security agent today and find the ideal smart home for your needs. Place a call to (815) 362-1830 or complete the following form to get started.