Smoke & CO Detectors

SimpliSafe's Smoke Detectors use photoelectric sensors, meaning they detect smoke through the distortion of a light beam inside the detector. Photoelectric smoke detectors will detect smoke faster than other detector types but can occasionally result in a false alarm. False alarms often occur when the device detects other particles in the air. Common false alarms are typically due to excess steam from a bathroom or kitchen, dust build up inside the sensor, or (rarely) a tiny bug finding its way inside. 

You can prevent false alarms by cleaning the device once a month:

1. Make sure to remove the battery before cleaning

2. Open the cover and vacuum the dust off the sensing chamber at least once a month

3. Replace the battery after cleaning

4. Test the smoke detector to make sure the battery is working correctly

Vacuuming the device monthly should prevent dust or debris build-up, and is an especially good idea after you have experienced a false alarm. Also, make sure to install the smoke detectors away from anything that will produce steam. If you are having multiple false alarms and the tips described in this article didn't help, give our customer service line a call for assistance!

Additional Facts about our Smoke Detectors:

• Wireless and battery powered with a CR123 battery 

• The test button is also the Silence button for a false alarm

• Battery lasts 3-5 years

• If a detector is tripped, only that detector and the base station will sound the alarm. Other smoke detectors will not alarm unless they also detect smoke

• They are UL-268 certified

Overview

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener monitors third-party smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home by listening for their alarms. When three smoke or CO alarm sequences are heard, it will trigger the alarm for your SimpliSafe® system, and, if you are subscribed to a professional monitoring plan, our monitoring center will be notified.

Need to purchase an Alarm Listener? You can find it available for purchase on our website.

Before Getting Started

Before installing your Alam Listener, you will need to install your Base Station and any third-party smoke or CO detectors you want to monitor. 

If your detectors are interconnected, you will only need to install one Alarm Listener in your home; but if you have battery-powered detectors, you will need one Alarm Listener for every detector you wish to monitor. 

The best way to tell if your detectors are interconnected or not is by pressing the test button on one of the devices. If all of your detectors sound after one test button is pressed, that means that they are interconnected and you will only need one Alarm Listener in your home. If only one detector sounds, that means that they are not interconnected, and you will need one Alarm Listener for every detector in your home.

When finding a location for your third-party detector(s), please keep in mind that the Alarm Listener must be mounted within 4 inches of it—this is to ensure the Alarm Listener receives an alarm signal from the detector you intended to monitor. If the Alarm Listener is mounted further away, it will not pick up on your detector's alarm signal.

What’s in the box:

• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener with its mounting bracket

• 2 screws

• 2 wall anchors (required when installing on drywall)

• A 4-inch ruler 

You will also need:

• The SimpliSafe® Mobile App

• A standard Phillips head screwdriver

• A drill with a 1/4 inch drill bit when installing on drywall, or a drill with a 1/16 inch drill bit when installing on wood or plaster

• A ladder or step stool

Watch the video below for a hands-on experience from our team of experts for the installation process

Test Mode is a great way to test the connection between your Base Station and Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener, and to test if your Alarm Listener can hear your third-party smoke and/or CO detector’s alarms. We recommend periodically placing your system into Test Mode to ensure that your Alarm Listeners are still communicating with the Base Station without any errors. 

Placing your system into Test Mode

1. Disarm your system into Off Mode

2. Press the Menu button on your Keypad

3. Enter your Master PIN

4. Scroll until Test Mode is highlighted

5. Use the right arrow key to enter Test Mode

You’ll know you are in Test Mode when you see a circle on the Keypad appear with the text, “Test each device by pressing its button”. 

Note: If you are subscribed to a professional monitoring plan, you will receive a robo call from our monitoring center asking you to confirm you placed your system into Test Mode. If you do not answer, no worries! A voicemail will be left to alert you to the system test, and it will not result in a request for dispatch.

Testing the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener

Testing the Alarm Listener’s connection with the Base Station

First, make sure that you have put your system into Test Mode by following the steps above. Then, press and hold the Test Button on the front of the Alarm Listener for 5 seconds. 

You will then see a solid red LED on the front face of the Alarm Listener, near the test button. The Base Station will also announce “Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener,” and a “Test Signal Received” event will appear on your Timeline in the SimpliSafe® Mobile App. Both messages are confirmation of a successful connection between the Base Station and Alarm Listener.

Testing the Alarm Listener is hearing your third-party smoke and/or CO detectors

Confirm there is a solid red LED on the front face of the Alarm Listener, near the test button, and ensure your system is in Test Mode. If you do not see a red LED on the Alarm Listener, press its Test Button for 5 seconds.

Next, initiate a test alarm on your detector. If you are not sure how to initiate a test alarm on your detector, please refer to its manual. After the test alarm is initiated, the Base Station will announce “Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener,” and a “Test Signal Received” event will appear on your Timeline in the SimpliSafe® Mobile App. Both messages are confirmation of a successful connection between the Alarm Listener and third-party detectors.

Once you have finished testing your Alarm Listener, press the left arrow key on the Keypad’s screen to exit Test Mode.

Troubleshooting the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener

If you are having trouble testing your Alarm Listener, first make sure that the LED on the front face of the Alarm Listener is solid Red. If it is not, press and hold the Test Button for 5 seconds. 

Next, you’ll want to confirm that the Alarm Listener’s battery is functioning properly. The Alarm Listener takes one CR123A lithium 3 volt battery and has a life expectancy of up to 3 years, depending on placement and usage. 

If the Alarm Listener is in Test Mode and has a functioning battery, but did not respond to your third-party smoke or CO detector’s test alarm, you will want to make sure that your detectors are UL-compliant and audibly alarm. The Alarm Listener works by listening for audible alarm sounds and will not work with detectors that do not audibly alarm. To check if your third-party detectors are UL-compliant, look at the detector itself. The compliance code for smoke detectors is UL 217, and the compliance code for CO detectors is UL 2034.

Finally, you’ll want to ensure that the Base Station is centrally located within your home, and free from any neighboring wireless devices. We recommend having the Base Station elevated at least 3 feet off the ground on a non-dense surface, like glass or wood. We also recommend avoiding placing the Base Station within a cabinet or enclosed space, as this can weaken its connection with other devices.

Before installing the SimpliSafe® Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener, it's important to confirm that your third-party smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors audibly alarm. The Alarm Listener works by listening for audible alarm sounds and will not work with detectors that do not audibly alarm. It's also important to know if your detectors are interconnected or battery-powered.

If your third-party detectors are interconnected, you will only need one Alarm Listener for your home. However, if your third-party detectors are battery-powered, you will need one Alarm Listener for every detector you wish to monitor.

To tell if your third-party detectors are interconnected or battery-powered, press the test button on one of your detectors. If all of your detectors make a sound, that indicates that they are interconnected. In that case, you will only need one Listener for your home.

On the other hand, if you press the test button on a detector and only that detector sounds, that means that your detectors are battery-powered and you will need one Listener for every detector in your home.

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• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener Installation Guide

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• Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener

​Overview

The Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector alerts you at the first sign of smoke or CO within your home. You should place this device near sleeping areas, ensuring that there is one on every floor within your home. If wall mounting your Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector, ensure that it is no more than 12 inches from the ceiling.

To avoid false alarms, we recommend installing the Smoke & CO Detector at least 10 feet away from any furnace, stove, or fireplace. Additionally, we recommend avoiding placing it in a garage or in any bathroom with a shower, as dust, debris, and steam have the potential to trigger false alarms.

We also recommend cleaning your Smoke & CO Detector once a month, to avoid false alarms from dust and debris build-up. 

In accordance with National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) guidance, SimpliSafe® recommends replacing your Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector within five (5) years of the manufacture date (found on the label on the back of your device).

Need to purchase a Smoke & CO Detector? You can find it available for purchase on our website.

Before Getting Started

Before setting up your Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector, you will need to install your Gen 3 Base Station.

What’s in the Box

• Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector

• Mounting plate

• Screws and drywall anchors

You will also need a Phillips Head screwdriver and a ¼” drill bit to complete the installation.

Watch the video below for a hands-on experience from our team of experts for the installation process

Troubleshooting

• Tampering Detected Error

• Preventing False Alarms From the Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector

• What is the Constant Yellow Light on the Smoke and/or CO Detector?

User Manual

• Smoke/CO Detector Owner's Manual

Related Articles

• How Does the Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector Respond During an Alarm

• What is the "Early Alert" Warning for the Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector?

​​​SimpliSafe’s® Professional Monitoring protects your home or business across many types of alarms. Depending on your monitoring plan and alarm type, when an alarm is triggered, you’ll be notified through App Push Notifications or Alarm Text Messages. You’ll also be able to interact with our in-app Alarm Screen to cancel alarms or request help from emergency responders. 

Alarm types are divided into four categories:

• Burglary (Entry, Motion, Glassbreak, Panic Button, Duress)

• SimpliSafe® Active Guard Outdoor Protection Alarms (Pro, Pro Plus plans only)

• Life Safety (Fire and Carbon Monoxide)

• Environmental (Water and Temperature Alerts)

If the system is disarmed within a few moments of the initial alarm signal, this will be considered a false alarm by our monitoring center. That means you will not receive a phone call, as we assume you are safe, and emergency services will not be requested to your location. 

Alarm Texts

Beyond disarming at the keypad, you also have the option to cancel the alarm or request dispatch of emergency services by Alarm Text. If you respond to the text with a C during the grace period, you won’t receive a call from our monitoring center. 

You can also disarm your system via Alarm Texts after burglary alarms by replying back with “Disarm now” to the disarm text prompt. This is not case sensitive, so replying back with “disarm now” will also work. Disarming your system via Alarm Texts is a great way to ensure that subsequent alarms don’t occur while you work to get back to your home or business.

Alarm Texts for life safety events are only to alert you of the hazard, and cannot be used to cancel the alarm or request dispatch.

SimpliSafe® Mobile App

If you have alarm Push Notifications turned on, you will get a notification during an alarm that will take you to our Alarm Screen feature in the SimpliSafe® app where you can cancel your alarm (depending on the alarm type) or request help with the touch of a button. 

If the alarm is not cancelled by any of the above methods within the grace period, the Primary Contacts will receive a call from our monitoring center. During this call you will be required to provide your Safe Word to the agent you speak with to cancel the alarm. 

Please note: providing the wrong Safe Word, or no Safe Word, will result in a request for dispatch. You won’t be told you got it wrong to protect anyone who may be under duress. Additionally, missing the phone calls to your Primary Contacts will also result in a request for emergency services to the location that your system is registered to. 

Carbon Monoxide Alarms Exception

Due to the potentially life threatening nature of carbon monoxide events, you are unable to cancel these alarms through any method and emergency services will be requested to your location.

Critical Alerts and Do Not Disturb Settings

Once saved to your phone, you’ll also want to allow us access to bypass Do Not Disturb and Silent Profiles. This allows for Critical Alarm Notifications to get through to you, regardless of your phone’s volume or profile status.

You can navigate each section below to learn more about how our products respond during these key alarm moments.

Related Articles

• ​Understanding and Preventing False Alarms​

• ​What Happens During an Alarm?​

• ​What to do After a Real or False Alarm Event

The Carbon Monoxide Detector has several light states that reflect the status of the device and its detection of CO within your home. This guide will highlight the various indicators and their meanings.