KiddeHardwired Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector, Battery Backup, Interconnectable, LED Warning Light Indicators

When I think of smoke/co sensors, Kidde is usually the brand that pops into mind. I've had this brand of detectors in multiple homes over the years and have never had many issues - up until now I guess. I purchased this to replace another of the exact same model that was about 8 years old. It wouldn't stop "chirping" even after unplugging and replacing batteries. They're supposed to be good up to 10 years so I guess it did pretty well. This replacement was easy to swap in and worked right away with no problem. I also like that these use AA batteries instead of 9V (mostly because I never seem to just have those on hand so I have to go out and get them or place another order).

Arrived early! Also if needed an additional wiring harness was included at no additional cost. Installation was quick and easy!!

My old combination fire/CO unit from Kidde refused to self test. Apparently, it had reached the end of its 8 year service life, but simply stopped working without playing the warning beeps mentioned in the manual!!!! The house was likely left without carbon monoxide detection for a few years. Kidde recalled the old unit for this defect. They only offered a 50% discount from their own store, which came out to more than the Amazon price, so I just bought it here.So far so good. It integrated with 8 other fire-only detectors in the house perfectly. Only a fire alarm from the unit will trigger the other fire detectors in the house. Carbon monoxide detection only triggers this unit, but would also trigger other wired dual-sensor units in the house, if I had installed them.I bought a Kidde relay module that actuates a wireless button tied into my Hubitat home automation system. When a fire alarm sounds anywhere in the house, I have it programmed to notify my IPhone, switch on all house lights, and announce the fire on my Echo devices. Works great! The relay module also permits adding a wired commercial “pull station” (like in schools or commercial buildings) to manually sound the fire alarm in all units in the house. The relay only responds to fire alarms, but a version is sold that responds to carbon monoxide alarms too, using the same single-wire wired interface.

PRO: Easy to install in place of an old unit. The hardest part was unscrewing the caps on the old wiring harness and screwing the caps on the new one.PRO: No false alarms in the month and a half that they have now been installed.PRO: Has battery backup so it will work when the electricity goes out.PRO: Uses AA batteries instead of 9 volts. (I always have AA on hand.)PRO: The batteries can be changed without taking the unit off the ceiling.PRO: All four units I installed talk to each other through the house wiring. I press the test button on one and they all go off.PRO: Compatible with the older Kidde KN-COSM-IB model. I had one of those installed when my basement was refinished. I did not have to replace it when I got these.CON: Does not use rechargeable batteries. It would be nice if the unit kept the batteries charged so that you didn't have to replace them.CON: Doesn't speak the location of the fire. Some other units I viewed are programmable. You can enter the location of the unit so you can have them say where the fire is. This unit does not have that feature. Instead the unit that detected the problem flashes a red light so you have to go around and check them all.CON: Not internet enabled.

Arrived earlier than expected and the simple adapter made it so incredibly easy to install!

I bought this product to upgrade my 11 year old Kidde smoke detectors throughout my house.Pros:+ Comes with a wiring harness receptacle compatible with my old Kidde smoke alarm (I didn't have to touch my existing wiring)+ Installation with pre-existing wiring took about 5 minutes per alarm with a Philips screw driver as the only tool+ Comes with two additional adapters to allow conversion from an incompatible harness to the one this unit uses (Edit: First Alert, BRK and FIREX are the other harnesses supported)+ The batteries are 2 AA and accessible without removing the unit from the ceiling (my old one used 9-Volt batteries)+ Comes with 2 alkaline AA batteries in the box+ The alarm tells you with a recorded voice whether the alarm is smoke or carbon monoxide and it is intelligible+ The adapter plate works well with different screw mounting scenarios+ It is white - my old alarm was more of a Navajo white+ Testing the alarm sets off all the alarms that are networked (the older ones went off too)+ The plate covers the same or a little more than my old fire alarm so there are no visible marks from the old one+ Since my house is hardwired for it, the alarm in any part of my house can set off all the alarms in the entire house giving quicker time to react (if you don't have the wiring in place this is not the product for you)+ There is a visible green LED light when the unit is powered by the 120V AC systemCons:- It costs a bit more than the version that requires removing the unit from the ceiling to replace the batteries- There are a few warning labels on the sides that are white and yellow that are hard to peel off - they are small and hard to see on ceiling though- Edit (01-25-2015): There is a product recall on this unit on Kidde's website under "For Owners -> Product Alerts" for alarms with this model number, however the date on the alarms I purchased through Amazon is 2014 Jun 25 which is not covered by the recall as of this writing - I have personally not observed any false alarms with the units I have so farWhy buy this unit over just a smoke detector? A few years ago my brother and his wife nearly died from carbon monoxide poisoning at their vacation cabin. The furnace had developed a problem without warning and as my brother and his wife went to bed she became ill. He tried to help her but was virtually paralyzed in bed and only able to reach for the phone next to him to call 911. Realizing that they were in big trouble his wife managed to crawl to the window and get it open before she became incapacitated. The paramedics arrived a bit later and they are fine now.

I recommend this company , purchased almost five years ago fire alarms are still working I am happy with them !!