How to Tell if Your Third-Party Smoke and/or CO Detectors are Interconnected or Battery-Powered
Before installing the SimpliSafe® Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Listener (opens in new tab), 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.