Growing application of smart smoke detectors

Smart smoke detectors are programmable detectors that are connected to Wi-Fi. The high connectivity features of smart smoke detectors facilitate easy monitoring of battery status, receiving alerts of smoke detection, and controlling the operations through mobile devises from discrete locations.

Various smart detectors also are equipped with the capability of monitoring the overall air quality of the house, which also supports their growing application, especially in smart homes. However, the price remains a major challenge for its growth. During the forecast period, prices are expected to decrease with the development of technology and increasing market competition. 

Integration of smoke detectors with building systems

The smoke detector industry is setting basic standards for dependability of smoke detection systems with other building systems. Hence, smoke detectors are being increasingly integrated with residential building systems. The integration of smoke detectors with building systems results in many economic and operational benefits.

Decreased energy usage, reduced cost of overall systems, and enhanced communication during emergency situations are some of the benefits that augment the demand for smoke detectors in the US. Various safeguard measures are being set to prevent any human error which may cause the disconnection of smoke detectors. Systems are being developed to prioritize smoke detection systems in case of heavy protocol traffic in the building systems. Several vendors like Honeywell are providing customized integration based solutions for safety systems. Honeywell’s EBI integrates life safety solutions with other building management systems that facilitate the user to not only maintain more cost-effective control over increasingly complex facilities but also respond faster and more effectively to emergencies.

The growing application of CCTV as video image smoke detectors is another advantage of integration of building systems. There are two main advantages of using CCTV as smoke detectors, which are:

They are approved by authorities to function as smoke detectors which eliminate the need to install traditional smoke detectors in addition to CCTVs. These systems can be practically installed in spaces with high-ceiling or vehicle tunnels where the traditional smoke detectors may not work properly.

The improving standards for integrated systems like National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 4 will play a major role in ensuring the proper functionality as well as increasing applications of such systems. The NFPA 4 standard is an upgradation to older NFPA standards and is aimed at facilitating innovation and to increase growth opportunities for smoke/fire detectors dealers/integrators. It will also ensure the safety of intelligent buildings or integrated buildings.

Advances in technology

Technological advancements in smoke detectors technology is one of the major trends in the market. Some prominent technological advancements include, individual smoke detector sensitivity adjustment, maintenance-needed indication, and drift compensation. Technology advancements are mainly directed toward reducing nuisance alarms and increasing the rate of detection of actual fire.

The development of such smart detectors is being expanded for use in residential buildings with the growing awareness of benefits from these systems among the contractors as well as manufacturers. Technavio researchers estimate that the use of such smart, addressable detectors accounts for approximately 35% of all residential buildings in the US.

One of the major areas of technology advancements that is expected to significantly impact the adoption of smoke detectors is the advanced signal analysis via software. The technology involves the conversion of sensor signals to mathematical formulas, which are then compared to sophisticated algorithms in order to differentiate between harmless smoke and emergency fire. The technology is anticipated to reduce the amount of nuisance alarms, a major reason for intentional deactivation of smoke detectors by house owners in the US.

The growing efficiency and effectiveness mainly due to competency of the manufacturers, contractors, inspection officers in the smoke detection business will further lead to their greater adoption in the forecast period. Effective and high-quality training programs organized by associations such as the Automatic Fire Alarm Association and the National Fire Protection Association add to the effectiveness of these advanced systems.