DocAndersen
Home security systems are interesting. Today, my daughter and her husband decided to cook a family dinner for the rest of us. The decision was to make beef Wellington. During the initial cooking process, there was enough smoke to set off the smoke alarm. That meant that the security company started calling. But I screwed up and did not add their number to any of our safe caller lists. What did that mean? Well, the security company called my home phone line. But the SPAM call filter kicked in and knocked the call off the line. That is what a SPAM filter is supposed to do. IT monitors calls, and when the number isn’t listed as a safe caller, don’t let the call through.
The SPAM filter also grabbed the call (it is the same SPAM filter) on my cell phone, so, sadly, I had to go out of the front door and notify the fire truck that we did not have a fire. My daughter and her husband were motilities and I stood out and had to explain to the fire department why we didn’t have a fire. I suspect when we consider the situation later, it will be one that brings all of us together. It is also a great platform for a technology/personal safety column. So, without further adieu, let us wander towards that information. What does security monitoring mean? There are two distinct types of monitoring, and both are very important to consider.
However,r if you have a connected smoke detector in your house, it is connected to something. There are the Google Net projects, that monitor for Carbon dioxide and Carbon Monoxide as well as smoke. They are connected to the home network and can notify the fire department automatically if there is no response to eh fire alarm. The same is true for connected smoke detectors. The good news is, I can tell you that ADT’s works. Our alarm went off today, and the fire department was at our front door about 4 minutes later. Good to know they respond fast, sad that it happened to us this morning. I am sure there is something I can do to reduce the sensitivity of that sensor.
Lesson learned, make sure emergency systems are in your safe caller list!
-
Question of
ever have the fire department roll up on your house?
-
Yes
-
No
-
-
Question of
do you have smart smoke detectors?
-
Yes
-
No
-
-
Question of
Based on the story today, are my detectors really smart?
-
Yes
-
No
-
I have never experienced something like that and I have not a smoke detector.
it was a bit embarrassing, overall, but one of those you won’t forget the next time things.
Well… technology could smart as they could be… This could be a funny experience but there is/are lesson(s) to be learned from this.
having an automated smoke detector – good.
not paying attention to spam filters for phones, – bad!
No, we don’t have smoke detectors at home. Funny story and that is technology for you, the lapse on your part led to the fire department landing up at your door.
it was a sad testament to my thinking through a change!
never again!
It happens to the best of us.. I am sure all of us have been stuck with such lapses on our parts with technology. I am always lagging behind with technology and caught on the wrong footing.
yes but sadly I am a technologist and shouldn’t have those issues.
We do not have smart detectors, but the phone does have a spam thingy, that won’t let calls through that aren’t on the list, and it’s a land line.
I have rolled up to the house after work and had a firetruck at the house. Kid at home, well not really a kid. He was 17. He and a friend of his were playing with some antique handcuffs. Well, like smart guys they decided to put one on each of their arms. Tying them together. The key they had broke off in the lock. They called the fire department and for some reason they could not get them off. They ended up taking the kids with them to the department to get them off. One hour later a fireman dropped them off on his way home from work. Only time I have seen a firetruck at the house.
omg you are killing me, that is hilarious. I bet that was the last time they ever did something like that!
I have no such fire detectors. I haven’t heard any of the neighbors there. We live in a block of 5 floors with 6 apartments per floor.
i would get a smoke and carbon monoxide detector, it may save your life!
they are really important. Many places you have to have them by law!
Q: EVER HAVE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ROLL UP ON YOUR HOUSE?
Yes (1 votes) – 10%
No (9 votes) – 90%
Q: DO YOU HAVE SMART SMOKE DETECTORS?
Yes (5 votes) – 50%
No (5 votes) – 50%
Q: BASED ON THE STORY TODAY, ARE MY DETECTORS REALLY SMART?
Yes (6 votes) – 67%
No (3 votes) – 33%
Glad they do respond so quickly in case there is really something wrong. My apartment is so small I only need on smoke alarm between the rooms Here it is so quiet you can hear a pin drop so the sound of an alarm would certainly bring you to attention. I can tell by there faces that photos are not meant for them.
They do not like having their picture taken now. When they were little they did!
Smoke detectors are so critical, glad they ware in the common areas!
I agree, we need some more modifications in these so-called smart fire detectors which are not as smart as they claim.
sad but true, I should have checked my new phone spam filter and added the number and this would have been prevented.
There’s always this challenge with smart devices being too smart sometimes.
honestly, the error was wholly mine. I downloaded and installed a new integrated spam filter for the landline and cellphones.
i didn’t think about what numbers might not get through.
It was a small “unpleasant” situation. We are required by law to have smoke detectors.
so are we, the monitoring piece is the extra bit. and they changed their number and I didn’t know!
It is good to know that they respond fast. But false alarms are not good every time.
yes, we have to pay a fee for that false alarm. Oh well. I fixed the issue on my side!
Where I stay, we don’t have it but I agree they are helpful in emergency situations. Quiet goo to see the firefighters responded in time
yes and I felt stupid having to tell them it was nothing!
It is quiet embarassing when they arrive and find it’s nothing. Good you have dealt with it.
i felt bad for an hour or so. Glad they responded quickly, mad at myself for not realizing installing a new spam filter meant a risk!
I can imagine how it feels.
it was pretty frustrating.
oh well, I fixed the problem going forward.
Yes, we have a smoke detector at home.
they are available, until they aren’t~
Smoke detectors are now mandatory for us … when a chimney sweep inspects this and if you do not have it logged in and need to install it … I didn’t understand it well …. did the firefighters come in or have they checked on the phone before if there was an alarm real
no, because they were dispatched by our monitoring company.
That was good so they wouldn’t walk for free
What worries me most is that the Fire Brigade could turn up to a call like this and be delayed from getting to a real fire where lives are at stake. It would not surprise me to learn that this has actually happened somewhere.
yes sir, that has happened many times, we have to pay a fee for the call. WHich is completely fair.
Something that happened at our house alerted the fire department about a year ago. Everything ended up alright!
well I am glad everything turned out all right! it was embarrassing to have to go out and tell them it was a false alarm.
That could have been so much worse. Love the expressions in the photo.
it could have been a lot worse! the twins don’t like their picture taken often!
Funny how guys are, they usually do not like the camera. Except for The Dude!
the dude knows the Dude has a presence that is bigger than he is!