There are zwave, and maybe Zigbee, devices that can connect to the signal line in order to capture an alarm.
Yes I know this. I’m just trying to get around buying another device which will hopefully someday be useless if a First Alert integration becomes available.
You can try this integration: https://github.com/aidenmitchell/ha-resideo-firstalert
The author doesn’t specifically say it will work with the SC5 (lists First Alert Safe & Sound Smart Smoke/CO Alarm) but indicates that other Resideo alarms probably will work; the SC5 uses the Resideo App.
I have 3 hardwired Nest Protect detectors that still have several years of life left. I recently purchased and installed an additional First Alert battery only SC5 to provide coverage in the main bedroom to meet recent suggestions to have detectors in each bedroom. So far the SC5 has interconnected properly with the 3 Nests as has been reported by others.
I installed aidenmitchell integration following their instructions using HACS and used the recommended login with my Resideo account credentials and it automatically found the SC5. It was called SMCO600NV in HA Device info (which is the SKU for the SC5). The various sensors seemed to indicate appropriate statuses. I used the Resideo App on my phone to put the SC5 in test mode (which also put the 3 interconnected Nest Protect detectors into test). The HA device page changed the test mode into running about 30 seconds later indicating (to me at least) that this device handler will probably work. After the test completed on the SC5, the status changed back to not running. I then tried the companion test using the Nest phone App to put one of the Nest Protect detectors into test (which caused testing of all of the 3 Nest devices plus also putting the SC5 into test). However this time the HA device page didn’t change the status of the test mode; it stayed not running (not sure why).
I think this integration will work for the SC5. I intend to purchase an aerosol can of test ‘smoke’ to definitively test things out to ensure it all works with a real fire. I’ll try to report further once I’m able to do the next level testing.
@windsurfer99 - thanks for the info.
Checking the reviews on HomeDepot’s website, it appears these devices are very prone to false alarms:
Just a quick summary of comments:
“Garbage”, “Terrible”, “power indicator light is BRIGHT… lights up your room at night.”, “First Alert software looks like its from the 90’s”, “Integration with Google Home is very buggy”, “Had 5 false alarms in two days!”
I was quite happy with my Nest Protects but it looks like the SC5s won’t fill their shoes very well if these comments are true. Curious to hear your experience with them.
I also saw the numerous bad reviews. On Amazon, somewhat similar but there were also over 50% 4 and 5 stars. So I’m guessing they have a quality issue with their production. I decided to take a chance and bought one. So far, mine is working correctly.
So as followup testing of the aidenmitchell integration using the ‘test smoke’ aerosol, a bit disappointed.
I used an aerosol can of ‘test smoke’ on the SC5 (following the can’s direction) which triggered the SC5 alarm (plus the Nest Protects that are interconnected). So that is the good news. Unfortunately the HA integration didn’t indicate that there was an alarm; it did indicate that the SC5 connected at the time of the alarm, and then disconnected a few minutes later. Tried several times. Also used the ‘test smoke’ on one of the Nest Protects; this set off the Nest Protect as well as the interconnected SC5. Same result in the integration (no alarm and only a connected status change). I’ve left the settings of 60 seconds polling as the default in the integration. After doing several iterations of my ‘smoke test’, I noticed that the Resideo, Nest, and Google Home Apps did not consistently trigger a notification on my phone of the smoke alarm (even though all of the alarms did sound). I’m not sure if this is due to the fact that the alarm reset itself pretty quickly (typically within a minute) since I was only spraying a small amount of ‘smoke’ (about 1 second) into the detectors. I registered the issue on the GitHub of the integration; maybe it can be fixed.
@windsurfer99 - I recall seeing a documentary on how modern (US) homes tend to burn faster and more violently due to new materials used in homes and furnishings. If I recall correctly, the average time one has to get out to safety is 3 minutes!
While numbers vary slightly, there are many sources stating the same. One of these: Two minutes may be all you have to escape a home fire — the nation’s most frequent disaster
Therefore, even though the primary alarm (the audible one) is what mostly matters, it is indeed concerning that the apps and integration did not trigger right away.
I have not implemented this yet, but I am planning on having the following things happen in the event of a fire alarm:
Of the above, the one thing that worries me is whether an automation malfunction might cause my perimeter entry points to open at night, or while I am away, introducing a security risk. Another consideration is whether I want all of this to happen when I burn brownies in the oven… 