I can no longer justify the expense of the CO detectors like the QS5210-840 or DSC PG9933. Their lifespan is far too short for the price tag, further their integration with the panel is abysmal as the “end of life” results in an alarm panel that reports a tamper and beeps non-stop with no method of silencing it…and this never happens when you are awake, but instead in the middle of a night where you only get to have 6 hours of sleep at most. It shouldn’t require removing a sensor from the panel to get to go back to sleep, this “feature” alone is nearly worth never buying another DSC or Qolsys sensor again.
That said, what alternative CO detectors are available at either a lower price point (>$22/year is not it) or a longer lifespan than 5-years? It seems that the panel monitored sensors are a sham subscription form when I can buy alternative CO detectors with 10 year lifespan. I have a 4 level home, so the Qolsys connected detectors are $88/year, while I can buy alternative “monitored” units for $16/year total due to much lower price and 2X the lifespan.
I am facing a similar dilemma for smoke detectors…but instead of only needing 4 of those I have 10+ to buy…so looking at $1000+ with 10-year lifespan, or $100 per year.
Of course the alternate platforms also offer combination smoke+CO detectors which drops the annualized price even more, especially when you factor in battery replacement cost.
The panel on file works with 319.5MHz and PowerG sensors. If you want wireless sensors that connect to the panel and report to the monitoring station, you would need a sensor that communicates via one of those methods. That limits you to either of the following:
Carbon Monoxide:
319.5MHz Qolsys brand IQ Carbon QS5210-840
DSC PowerG PG9933 Carbon Monoxide (5 Years from mfg date )
There are other detectors that work with 319.5MHz but none of them are in production any longer. See this chart here
There are no combo smoke/carbons that work with 319.5MHz or PowerG
There are alternatives if you are wired for smokes, such as the 319.5MHz FireFighter Audio detector but this only works for interconnected wired smokes, not carbon.
All of the listed devices have Test/Hush buttons that when pressed will silence the sounder when it goes off.
If a sensor tamper is detected, the sensor may need to be removed from the mounting plate, then re-added, to clear the tamper. This is typically a physical issue with the tamper switch and/or the sensor not being mounted on the plate correctly.
The CO detectors report a “tamper” when they reach their end-of-life and the tamper seems to remain until the device is removed from the system. Removing the sensor from the mount plate and reinstall does not help.
I have now had 2 sensor enter “end of life” at 2:30am, so last night I deleted all CO sensors removed the battery and sent them to the landfill. This morning I ordered a different brand of monitored/interconnected replacement sensors for a fraction of the price of buying new ones that work with my Qolsys panel.
I ordered from a different ecosystem that does not connect to the Qolsys panel or Alarm.com, the hardware cost is just unreasonable for these. It is far cheaper to just buy a different system for these entirely, even if I do pay for a different monitoring & auto-dispatch service I come out card ahead. I replaced all of my smoke and CO sensors for less than just buying new CO sensors to replace the end-of-life ones, and if these are dead the smokes that were purchased around the same time will follow shortly.
I will also win favor with my wife by not having to have 2 “big ugly” sensors everywhere, and gain the advantage of having CO sensors in more locations.
I understand the feedback, I wish that combo units were available and we have pushed this suggestion more than once to manufacturers. Cutting cost while maintaining reliable life safety devices would benefit everyone. I’m happy to provide your feedback to the manufacturer.
When selecting smoke detectors I recommend choosing UL certified detectors so that you know that they have been independently tested and confirmed to meet current safety standards. I believe this is an extremely important consideration.
I replaced all of my smoke and CO sensors for less than just buying new CO sensors to replace the end-of-life ones, and if these are dead the smokes that were purchased around the same time will follow shortly.
I will also win favor with my wife by not having to have 2 “big ugly” sensors everywhere, and gain the advantage of having CO sensors in more locations.
I’ve reached out to Alarm.com as well on this, hopefully we can get some momentum started regarding a compatible combination detector.