Smoke/CO for Elk M1 - To Replace OneLink and Insteon Smoke Bridge

[KHouse]

I posted this on the Smarthome Forum under Insteon products, but also wanted to cross post it here for some Elk specific advice.

Current setup:

ISY 994i
Many Insteon Switches + Smoke Bridge/OneLink Detectors
Elk M1 w/wireless Honeywell sensors
*My Elk can, but does not currently talk to the ISY. That is, I have the Elk contact me if any alarm goes off, but I don't have it controlling anything Insteon via the ISY. The home automation and the home alarm are basically separate the way I use them.


I've got several Smoke/CO OneLink detectors hooked up via the smoke bridge. The ISY sends me texts / phone call when any of the alarms go off, as well as turns on all of the lights in the home (Insteon light switches). When my wife cooks, all of the lights turn on just before the smoke alarm goes off. Safe, and quite entertaining and she knows the alarm is coming and nothing she can do at that point.

I've got another bedroom which will be used now (newborn baby coming soon!) so wanted to add a new OneLink smoke/CO detector in that room (right now that room just has a simple "dumb" smoke detector).

However, I've found that First Alert changed the OneLink detectors, and only the "older" ones will work with the Smoke Bridge (the ones I currently have).

My existing detectors were purchased in 2014, so nearing the end of their life. Rather than add an older product to match the "old" products I already have and have the system not work in a few years (what a bummer this is!), I'm thinking of changing-up my smoke/CO detecting system.

Is there a new/better alternative that I can hookup via the M1, and have the ISY (or the Elk) send me these same notifications? I'm OK with switching all detectors in the house to a "better" system.

Essentially I want it to do the same thing the current system does (call/text/turn on all of the lights), but I don't want an outdated system, and it would be better anyway to have it hooked up to the M1 so that the alarm company also gets notification of this. My home is about 30 years old, no hardwired alarms, so we use battery operated detectors.

Any help is appreciated!

[KHouse]

Just to update this for others in the future.

 

The old design First Alert OneLink alarms are round.  The new design OneLink alarms are square.

The old (round) designs work with the ISY.  The new (square) designs do NOT work with the ISY.

The old design and new design detectors are not compatible to each other.

The old (round) designs are now sold under the First Alert name, shipping in BRK labeled boxes.  The round designs also no longer say OneLink on them.  They just say "wireless" on them, but they still have the old OneLink technology in them and can connect to those round detectors that say OneLink on them.

The new (square) designs say OneLink on them, BUT, they are NOT compatible with the old (round) designed OneLink detectors.

For some dumb reason it looks like First Alert kept the OneLink name for their new style detectors and changed the detectors technology and shape to be square....and licensed out the old OneLink technology, without the name, along with the old design to BRK.  So the BRK detectors are the same as the old First Alert OneLink detectors, though they no longer say OneLink on them.

[dbuss]

Just to update this for others in the future.
 
The old design First Alert OneLink alarms are round.  The new design OneLink alarms are square.
The old (round) designs work with the ISY.  The new (square) designs do NOT work with the ISY.
The old design and new design detectors are not compatible to each other.
The old (round) designs are now sold under the First Alert name, shipping in BRK labeled boxes.  The round designs also no longer say OneLink on them.  They just say "wireless" on them, but they still have the old OneLink technology in them and can connect to those round detectors that say OneLink on them.
The new (square) designs say OneLink on them, BUT, they are NOT compatible with the old (round) designed OneLink detectors.
For some dumb reason it looks like First Alert kept the OneLink name for their new style detectors and changed the detectors technology and shape to be square....and licensed out the old OneLink technology, without the name, along with the old design to BRK.  So the BRK detectors are the same as the old First Alert OneLink detectors, though they no longer say OneLink on them.

Good information. Thank you. Just an FYI First Alert and BRK are both owned by Newell Brands.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[Teken]

5 hours ago, KHouse said:

Just to update this for others in the future.

 

The old design First Alert OneLink alarms are round.  The new design OneLink alarms are square.

The old (round) designs work with the ISY.  The new (square) designs do NOT work with the ISY.

The old design and new design detectors are not compatible to each other.

The old (round) designs are now sold under the First Alert name, shipping in BRK labeled boxes.  The round designs also no longer say OneLink on them.  They just say "wireless" on them, but they still have the old OneLink technology in them and can connect to those round detectors that say OneLink on them.

The new (square) designs say OneLink on them, BUT, they are NOT compatible with the old (round) designed OneLink detectors.

For some dumb reason it looks like First Alert kept the OneLink name for their new style detectors and changed the detectors technology and shape to be square....and licensed out the old OneLink technology, without the name, along with the old design to BRK.  So the BRK detectors are the same as the old First Alert OneLink detectors, though they no longer say OneLink on them.

Technical Clarification: First Alert has simply used the *One Link* branding to encompass all *Home Automation & Security* devices in their product line up. The latest *Square* unit you speak of uses WiFi and does not use the 900 mHz frequency as the older *One Link* smoke & CO detectors. Also, the combination detectors that *Speak* are not sold in Canada because some aszz hat thought Canadians are too stupid to understand perfect English. 

Technical Support has no freaking clue about their products and why some products have longer service life vs others. More specifically they (First Alert) will tell you there is no such thing as a CO detector that has a service life longer than 7 years. Well, First Alert does in deed make such a beast that offer 10 years of CO detecting! What does that have to do with anything one would ask?!?!?

Well . . .

The combination smoke & CO talking units *Now* have a (7) year operational life instead of (5). 

Five years is a blink and to replace a piece of hardware that costs anywhere from $45 ~ 89.00 every five years is insane! Seven years is not too shabby but ten years is more in line with fire code which they make but decided to screw the consumer and insert a (7) year ticking time bomb. Meaning once you insert a battery into the unit a timer goes off and can't be stopped and once it gets to the magic number of 5/7 it will beep indicating a *Malfunction*.

Not a expired beep, expired voice, but a malfunction beep!!! 

 

[Bumbershoot]

On 4/10/2018 at 11:51 PM, KHouse said:

Is there a new/better alternative that I can hookup via the M1, and have the ISY (or the Elk) send me these same notifications? I'm OK with switching all detectors in the house to a "better" system.
 

You don't state whether your smoke detectors are hardwired / interconnected, but if they are, then you might be in luck.  See this post, and it looks like the smoke detector is still available on Amazon.  Sorry, but I don't know about battery powered detectors, as I don't use them.