UNLOCKING THE ENCHANTED LIFE! UNLOCKING THE ENCHANTED LIFE!
Home / Tips and Guides

Tips and Guides

Smart Smoke Detector vs Traditional Smoke Detector, It's Time to Switch!

Smart Smoke Detector vs Traditional Smoke Detector, It's Time to Switch!

Fires cause over 3,700 deaths each year in the US - and detections are cut in half if no one is home. That's why we designed a smart smoke detector with your family's safety in mind. With features like an audible alert, colored LED lighting and the ability to connect with your smart devices to turn on lights and receive the news straight from your TV, our robust suite of features will ensure you never miss an alert from Linkstyle in the event of a fire.

Smoke detectors are a must-have in every home; they alert you to any unexpected fire. With the Wi-Fi Smoke Alarm, you can be notified the moment a fire is detected so you can react quickly and take the appropriate action to get everyone out safely in case of an emergency.

Unlike traditional smoke alarms that go off randomly, this smart smoke detector sends notifications when it detects smoke or other harmful gases using the latest sensor technology. By connecting the Wi-Fi smoke detector with your Alexa, Google Assistant, you can be alerted if any unwanted odors or gases are present in your home right away.

Smart smoke detectors have been around for some time now. While you might think there isn’t much to know about them besides the obvious (smoke + detector = good), there are actually lots of things that make these smart detector from Linkstyle stand out from the rest.

Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about getting one for your home.

  • It's easier to install than traditional smoke detectors. You simply remove your old detector and replace it with the smart detector. Smart smoke detectors are very easy to use, but they come with a lot of features that make them more convenient than their traditional counterparts.
  • The main advantage of a smart smoke detector is that you get an early warning if there's a fire in your home. This gives you time to call 911 or put the fire out before it gets out of hand.
  • Another advantage of these devices is that they can connect to other smart devices in your home, like lights and speakers. This means you can turn on your lights or play music from your phone using voice commands, which makes life much easier for anyone who has difficulty seeing or hearing well.
  • It's a good choice for someone looking for a little more control over their home safety, especially if you live in an older house or apartment. Detectors like this one tend to be better at detecting slow smoldering fires (like those caused by cigarettes), rather than the kind of fast-moving flames that can shoot out of a kitchen grease fire.

    There are a lot of reasons why Linkstyle Smart Smoke Detector is the best smart smoke detector on the market.

    First, it's much more convenient to have a smoke detector that can send you notifications on your phone than one that only sounds an alarm when there's smoke or fire. That way, if you're at work and your house catches on fire, you'll find out about it immediately, instead of after the fact. It also makes it easier for you to figure out whether the alarm is just malfunctioning or if there's really a problem.

    Linkstyle Smart Smoke Detector also integrates with smart devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home so that it can sound an alarm audibly if there is smoke or fire in your home. Not only does this function help alert you and your family to danger even without smart phones, but it also allows the smoke detector to interact with other smart devices in your home. For example, if it detects smoke, it could tell Alexa to unlock your doors automatically so firefighters can get into your house faster and save lives.

    But most importantly, Linkstyle Smart Smoke Detector is simply better at detecting smoke and fire than any other smoke detector on the market. This device has been tested extensively by third parties and passed every test with flying colors.

    The risk of fire is real and it's important to keep your home and family safe. Fires aren't exactly rare, with an estimated 10,000 - 12,000 fires occurring each day in the United States. Thats why we feel so strongly about providing an additional layer of protection for every home and family by offering early warning smoke alerts through our smart smoke detector.

    Guide to Smart Home Automation with Linkstyle App - The Ins and Outs of DIY Routines

    Guide to Smart Home Automation with Linkstyle App - The Ins and Outs of DIY Routines
    In a previous guide, we demonstrated how to set up a simple automation routine with the Linkstyle App, using an automatic door chime as an example. Here, we will dive deep into the interface of automation and Tap-to-Run routine setup and describe each condition and task. With this knowledge, you can unlock the full potential of your smart home devices and create DIY routines that fit your needs.

    Routine Overview

    Each DIY routine consists of a few elemets:
    • Condition: activation condition(s) used to trigger the designated task(s)
    • Task: the most important part of the routine - what you want your devices to do
    • Name: to help you identify created routines in the app
    • Style: the color and background image used to represent the routine
    • Effective Period: time constraints for when the routine is active
    Condition and Task are by far the most important parts of a DIY routine; to put it simply, DIY routines are essentially specified tasks being performed automatically when preset conditions are met. Tap-to-Run routines are fundamentally just automations that are activated by a button press instead of conditions.

    Activation Conditions

    Launch Tap to Run

    The "Launch Tap to Run" condition makes the routine a "Tap-to-Run" routine, creating a quick-access button in the app DIY and Devices sections that activates the designated tasks. Selecting this option advances directly to the "Set up task" step.
    Quick Tip: You can bundle a group of tasks to a Tap-to-Run routine and then bind the routine to a Smart Scenario Button to access it without having to open the app. For example, using a button press to turn on all of the lights in a room.

    When the alarm mode changes

    The "When the alarm mode changes" condition activates the routine based on a change in the alarm mode of a connected Security Gateway. For example, if you would like to toggle certain functions of certain devices automatically whenever you disarm your Security Gateway, then choose this condition.
    The three different alarm modes that can be set as conditions are: Away, Disarmed, and Stay. You can also enable the "For Some Time" option and set a delay timer for the condition. For example, if you would like to turn on certain devices 2 hours after your Security Gateway has been armed, use this toggle.
    When you select the "When the alarm mode changes" condition, first select the associated Security Gateway, then set the specific alarm mode that will be used to as the trigger.

    When the alarm sets off

    The "When the alarm sets off" condition is self-explanatory, it activates the routine whenever a specified alarm goes off. Because the Linkstyle Smart Security Gateway accommodates a wide variety of Zigbee alarms and sensors, you will then select the specific type of alarm to be used for this condition.

    Geo Fencing

    If you enable Geo Fencing location authorization on your mobile device, you can use physical proximity to your home as a trigger for routines. There are 2 modes associated with Geo Fencing triggers: Occupied and Empty. Occupied means your mobile device is in close proximity to the address you have set for the location, i.e. when you are home; Empty means your mobile device is not in close proximity to the preset address, i.e. when you are away.

    When weather change

    This condition uses weather data associated with your custom home address to activate the routine. The parameters that you can set for this condition are: Temperature, Humidity, Weather, Sunset/Sunrise, and Wind Speed.
    Temperature: activate the routine when the temperature of your area is greater than, equal to, or less than a specific point. This is based on online data for the area that your home is located in. For better accuracy specific to your home, consider using a Linkstyle Temperature and Humidity Sensor instead.
    Humidity: humidity levels are represented by 3 buckets: Dry(0% - 40%), Comfortable(40% - 70%), and Moist(70% > 100%). For more granular control of devices based on humidity, consider using a Linkstyle Temperature and Humidity Sensor instead.
    Weather: weather conditions are represented by 5 types: Sunny, Cloudy, Rainy, Snowy, and Hazy. Use this parameter if you have routines that you'd like to run for these specific conditions.
    Sunset/Sunrise: the app uses local weather data to determine the time of sunrise and time of sunset for each day. This is useful if you have lighting elements or smart curtains connected to the app that you would like to automate based on the presence of sun light.
    Wind Speed: activate the routine when the wind speed of your area is greater than, equal to, or less than a specific point.

    Schedule

    Schedule is also a self-explanatory condition, you can activate the routine at a specific time of day. You can also set the schedule to repeat on a weekly basis.

    When device status changes

    The "When device status changes" condition enables the system to use conditions and statuses of connected devices to control other devices. For example, you can set your entry sensor to make your security gateway to play a door bell chime whenever it detects that a door is open, as shown in our previous guide. Selecting this option will take you to a page where you then select the device whose status will act as a trigger condition. Each different device will have its own specific parameters and statuses that can be used as an activation condition for automation routines. We will provide documentation for each unique device.

    Multiple Conditions

    You can add more than 1 activation condition for each automation routine. When you have more than one condition set for a single routine, you need to choose whether all of the conditions need to be met or just any condition needs to be met to trigger device task(s). This gives you more precise control over your connected devices.

    Device Tasks

    After selecting an activation condition, the app will bring you to the task selection page, where you will tell the routine what to do when the activation condition is met.

    Alarm mode changes

    The "Alarm mode changes" task sets the security gateway's alarm status, which can be: Away(Armed), Stay(Armed), or Disarmed. Set this task if you are planning to automatically arm and/or disarm your smart home security system based on some condition.

    Defence and withdraw defence alerts

    This task simply sends a reminder to your mobile device to arm your security gateway. You can choose between the Away Arm Reminder and the Stay Arm Reminder.

    Run the device

    This is the main task category for most functional routines. From here, you choose a specific connected device and make it perform a specific function (e.g. making the security gateway play a door bell chime). Each different device will have different callable functions that can be included in DIY routines, and we will provide documentation of all such tasks for each device.

    Select Smart

    The "Select Smart" task simply interacts with another already-created routine. If you want to use one routine to activate tasks already bundled in another Tap-to-Run routine, this would be a quick way to add it. This can also be used to enable and disable a pre-existing automation routine. Selecting this task will take you to a screen where you will then select the category and specific routine to be added.

    Send Notification

    This task simply sends a notification to your mobile device. The content of the notification message will be the name of the routine. Change the name of the routine to the desired message to fit your purposes.

    Delay

    Delay is an often overlooked task that comes in handy in many situations. This task simply adds and runs a countdown timer. Once the countdown timer ends, the next task added will be activated. This is a useful task that enables time-delayed activation and could help with coordinating chained tasks.

    Multiple Tasks

    Similar to how you can add multiple conditions to a routine, you can also set multiple tasks to a routine. When activation conditions are met, the queued tasks will activate in order until all of the tasks are performed.
    Changing the Routine Name and Style
    For the most part, the routine's Name and Style are for identification purposes. Changing them logically gives you an easy way to find them on the app interface. The routine name also serves as the notification message that will be sent to your mobile device if you have that task selected.

    Effective Period

    The last option in routine setup is the Effective Period. This is simply the time interval of each day when the routine can be triggered. The Effective Period differs from the Schedule condition in that the Schedule condition activates the preset tasks at exactly the time on the schedule, while the Effective Period is an additional condition that has to be met (for example, a door bell chime playing at exactly 8am every day vs. the auto doorbell being active between 8am and 5pm).

    Wrapping it All Up

    Hopefully this guide has made it clear what DIY routines are in the Linkstyle app and gave you some ideas on how to integrate connected devices into your smart home. We will continually update our guides to include tips and suggested scenarios for Linkstyle smart home devices, subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss out.
    It's now time to experiment and discover the endless possibilities for unlocking your enchanted lifestyle! Join our Facebook group and you can share with our community your own tips and suggestions that you discover along the way.

    Intro to Smart Home Automation: How to Set Up DIY Routines on the Linkstyle App

    Intro to Smart Home Automation: How to Set Up DIY Routines on the Linkstyle App
    Unboxing your new Linkstyle devices and connecting them to your home Wi-Fi network is just the first step to unlocking your enchanted lifestyle. The true power of Linkstyle smart home products lies in their ability extend their functionality by connecting to other devices using the Linkstyle app. This guide will introduce the interface and elements of the DIY section in the Linkstyle app, so you can start creating a truly integrated smart home with Linkstyle products.

    DIY Routines

    The Linkstyle app enables 2 types of DIY routines: Tap-to-Run routines and Automation routines. A Tap-to-Run routine is a group of one or more specific tasks performed by one or more smart devices connected to app, which can be activated all at once by the push of a button. An automation routine is essentially a Tap-to-Run routine that is triggered by a preset specific condition instead of a button press. Don't worry if this seems confusing, because we are about to make it clear using an example right now.

    Getting Started

    Scenario: play a door bell chime automatically whenever a door is opened
    Devices required:
    Multi-Function Smart Security Gateway, connected to your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network,
    Door & Window Entry Sensor, connected to Security Gateway using the Linkstyle app
    Your Android or iOS device running the lastest version of the Linkstyle app
    To get started, navigate to the DIY section in the Linkstyle app, then tap the big "plus" button from either the "Tap-to-Run" tab or the "Automation" tab (they both take you to the same interface for adding routines).

    Set a Condition

    On the "Set a condition" screen, tap "When device status changes" to advance to device selection, then find and tap your Door & Window Entry Sensor to continue. In the "Select Function" screen, tap "Door and window sensor", then tap "ON". This sets whenever the Entry Sensor is in the "On" position as the trigger condition (i.e. whenever the door it is installed on is open).

    Set Up Task

    On the "Set up task" screen, tap " Run the device" to advance to device selection, then find and select your Security Gateway to continue. In the "Select Function" screen, tap "Doorbell ringtone" to bring up the chime sound options pop up. Select which chime sound you'd like to play and tap "Save". Then tap "Next" to finalize your selection. This sets the Gateway doorbell chime as the activated task of this routine.

    Save Routine

    Go ahead and save the routine to finish. Once the automation is created, you can immediately activate it. Now your Security Gateway will play a doorbell chime whenever your designated door is open! If you would like it to chime more than once each time, you can add the same task more than once by tapping the "plus" button in the "Task" section.
    Note that you can add more than one condition as the trigger condition. You can also change the name of the routine to something that's easy to understand, as well as change the style and color of how the routine will be represented in the DIY page. Furthermore, you can change the "Effective Period" of the routine if you do not want the automation to be active 24/7.
    For more advanced topics in automation and Tap-to-Run routines, please refer to our other articles. We will also continually update our guides to include tips and suggested scenarios for Linkstyle smart home devices, subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss out.
    Hopefully you have learned how to set up simple DIY automation routines, it's time to experiment and discover the the endless possibilities for unlocking your enchanted lifestyle! Join our Facebook group and you can share with our community your own tips and suggestions that you discover along the way.