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by mschuster91 3937 days ago
> I've never understood the desire to add smart technology to the smoke alarm.

Because very few things suck more than coming home from work and your house is burnt down because the smoke alarm wasn't heard by anyone and by the time the fire crews arrive it's too late. Happened to a friend of mine, house was beyond repair even though fire crews arrived 10min after a passing driver noticed the blaze.
1 comments
jfim 3937 days ago
A smoke detector is there to alert the occupants of the building so that they get out. If it was an actual alarm system that is connected to a dispatcher, the firefighters would've been notified.
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webXL 3937 days ago
Yeah, as originally designed perhaps, but what if you could add a bit of tech to make sure your pets are safe? Or you're not coming home only to inhale carbon monoxide? I don't think $99 is a ridiculous expense for such peace of mind, even if it's not proven to be full proof just yet.
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JupiterMoon 3936 days ago
My CO alarm sounds pretty loudly. You notice it the moment you open the door again smart it does not need to be.

How would you get your pet out in time if your CO alarm or smoke alarm went off when you were at work?

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webXL 3936 days ago
Perhaps coming home hours earlier from work and/or calling a neighbor would increase their odds of survival.

I find it odd that people are questioning the value of this life and death information while there are plenty of frivolous IOT devices.

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JupiterMoon 3935 days ago
Because CO kills surprisingly quickly -- unless your commute is in the order of a couple of minutes you'd be too late. Also you don't send a person into a house with a CO leak so asking you neighbour to retrieve your cat would be placing them in danger.

My point is that the smoke alarm and the CO alarm should be exactly what they are simple alarms that allow occupants to escape in an emergency. Adding IOT capabilities doesn't add to the alarm functionality in sensible ways. However, it does risk introducing vulnerabilities. I don't want my smoke alarm to start sending spam emails (this really happened with a smart fridge a couple of years ago).

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webXL 3935 days ago
You're being awfully pedantic. Have the neighbor shut your gas off. Have your landlord alert the neighbors. What if you just left for work? I can find a bunch of scenarios where the information can be useful, whereas you seem determined to argue that only the occupants (who might just be kids burning toast) should have this information.
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