Aico vs FireAngel with app notifications

chriso · Jan 20, 2023

Hi

I'm having a full house rewire. I want to have mains smoke alarms, heat alarms, carbon alarm next to boiler, internet connectivity to notify an app via gateway and a wall controller to test/silence.

Based on this I've priced up a FireAngel system (just on components) at £500. I've done a like for like on the spreadsheet looking at Aico and it comes out at £900.

The electricians that have come out have all recommended Aico. The thing is each alarm requires a separate rf module, which adds £330 to the price. It's a shame they aren't built in, even if the alarm was slightly more expensive.

Anyone has experience of both?

If I went with wired Aico, using the RF module is required to communicate with Ei1000G SmartLINK Gateway, which means no communication wire between them. I can't see which app you would get alerts on, there are different aico apps on the store by different developers.

p.s I like Google Nest but they've shot themselves in the foot not doing a heat alarm

Thanks

westward10 · Jan 20, 2023

I'm not involved with this sort of thing but from what I have seen on this forum there will almost certainly be a unanimous choice for Aico.

brianmoooore · Jan 20, 2023

westward10 said:
I'm not involved with this sort of thing but from what I have seen on this forum there will almost certainly be a unanimous choice for Aico.

I'll steal the above and post it as my own. Absolutely no contest. Toys versus professional equipment.

pc1966 · Jan 20, 2023

Google Nest is not approved in Scotland for interlinked alarms due to the dependency on a 3rd party server.

All the feedback I have heard of gives Aico the top slot for something that actually works and meets the 10 year expectation. My own (very limited) experience was FireAngel sealed units failing with low battery after 2-3 years.

chriso · Jan 20, 2023

pc1966 said:
Google Nest is not approved in Scotland for interlinked alarms due to the dependency on a 3rd party server.

"Please note that the Nest Protect System will not meet the standard. This is because they do not meet the requirements for a heat alarm under the relevant British Standard. British Standard (BS 5839-6:2019) states that only heat alarms should be installed in kitchens."

Fire and smoke alarms: the law

Every home in Scotland must have interlinked fire and smoke alarms. Find out what you need to keep your home safe and compliant.

www.gov.scot

So the issue is no heat alarm, not the way they communicate between them.

chriso · Jan 20, 2023

Main things I'm wondering with Aico, aside from the extra £400, is notifications in an app when you are away from home. Anyone experience of that?

chriso said:
"Please note that the Nest Protect System will not meet the standard. This is because they do not meet the requirements for a heat alarm under the relevant British Standard. British Standard (BS 5839-6:2019) states that only heat alarms should be installed in kitchens."

Fire and smoke alarms: the law

Every home in Scotland must have interlinked fire and smoke alarms. Find out what you need to keep your home safe and compliant.

www.gov.scot

So the issue is no heat alarm, not the way they communicate between them.

Ah I see, they do use wifi between them, not RF, double whammy Google

Nest Fire System And Scottish Legislation, Why You Should Avoid It

Smoke alarms are mandatory in all private premises in Scotland and the rest of the UK, and modern technology developments are bringing to the market new smart

fireguardplus.co.uk

pc1966 · Jan 20, 2023

chriso said:
So the issue is no heat alarm, not the way they communicate between them.

More than that and covered here:

Nest Fire System And Scottish Legislation, Why You Should Avoid It

Smoke alarms are mandatory in all private premises in Scotland and the rest of the UK, and modern technology developments are bringing to the market new smart

fireguardplus.co.uk

Nest Fire Alarms Are Wi-Fi Interlinked
Nest Fire Alarms Do Not Have Tamper-proof batteries
Nest Fire Alarms Do Not Detect Heat
Nest Fire Alarms Detect Smoke When It's Not Required

The WiFi linking is very important: if you have an electrical fault that starts a fire and takes out the supply to your router, etc, you have lest the interlinked benefit, etc.

MJPD29 · Jan 20, 2023

Do not use fireangel. You may as well throw your money away, absolutley terrible products

littlespark · Jan 21, 2023

Unanimous.

Out of curiosity, £900 just for aico materials? How many detectors is that?
Granted, I don’t know how much the hub thing is.

You say “each alarm requires an rf module”
Do they? If they’re hard wired?
Is this so the app knows which detector has gone off?

cliffed · Jan 21, 2023

MJPD29 said:
Do not use fireangel. You may as well throw your money away, absolutley terrible products

Totally agree having problems with 12 detectors all RF linked main/ battery… they keep alarming whenever… also the pairing set up …so fiddly when all have been installed

cliffed · Jan 21, 2023

littlespark said:
Unanimous.

Out of curiosity, £900 just for aico materials? How many detectors is that?
Granted, I don’t know how much the hub thing is.

You say “each alarm requires an rf module”
Do they? If they’re hard wired?
Is this so the app knows which detector has gone off?

Always try & hard wire… it’s so easy not too, but pain if they play up

pc1966 · Jan 21, 2023

cliffed said:
Always try & hard wire… it’s so easy not too, but pain if they play up

If you are rewiring anyway then probably cheaper on top.

But for retrofitting without easey cable routing then the Aico ones at least seem to work well and the "remote control" module to test/silence is such a God send when it comes to folks setting them off due to dumb things (smoky candles in living room, etc) without getting A&E involved due to falling off ladders trying to silence ones on a 10' or 12' high ceiling.

chriso · Jan 21, 2023

littlespark said:
Unanimous.

Out of curiosity, £900 just for aico materials? How many detectors is that?
Granted, I don’t know how much the hub thing is.

You say “each alarm requires an rf module”
Do they? If they’re hard wired?
Is this so the app knows which detector has gone off?

3 heat alarms, 2 smoke alarms, 1 carbon alarm.

Yes, if you want to communicate with the gateway and outside world, each one needs a rf module installed, which is £55. Its not clear if they have an app or just sms/email notifications.

Screenshot attached.

Midwest · Jan 21, 2023

I swopped my smoke alarms to Aico recently, and was going to have rf module, so I could use the app. Perhaps a landlord might benefit from the use of the app, but not sure what a homeowner would gain?

Another vote for the remote control, which you can get as a hard wired one.

Dobes_88 · Jan 21, 2023

I've previously installed Aico detectors and integrated them with a Texecom intruder alarm system via a relay base (Ei128R) for notifications through the Texecom app, an option to look into if you're just after notifications whether they've activated or not.

Aico vs FireAngel with app notifications

chriso

westward10

brianmoooore

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pc1966

chriso

Fire and smoke alarms: the law

chriso

Fire and smoke alarms: the law

Nest Fire System And Scottish Legislation, Why You Should Avoid It

pc1966

Nest Fire System And Scottish Legislation, Why You Should Avoid It

MJPD29

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littlespark

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cliffed

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cliffed

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pc1966

chriso

Attachments

Midwest

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Dobes_88

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