Introduction: Smoke Alarm Monitor

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Hi! Today we will be making an Arduino smoke alarm monitor. This smoke alarm monitor uses a piezo element attached to a smoke alarm. Once the alarm goes off, the piezo element connected to Arduino detects the sound and sends a serial monitor alert to the computer the Arduino is connected to. I am working on a way for the computer to send a text message to a phone (Maybe through IFTTT), so please suggest anything to me. This smoke alarm monitor only requires to be attached to one smoke detector, so it is much more practical than buying 8 Nest Protects.

For this project, we will need:
1 Arduino with serial monitor function
1 Piezo Element (With or without case; they both work)
1 USB Cable
Available computer

Step 1: Set Everything Up

Pretty simple, connect the piezo element to pin A0 (red wire) and ground (black wire) on Arduino. Tape the piezo element over the smoke detector's buzzer. Fasten the Arduino to the smoke detector (DON'T BLOCK ANY VENTS!!) Once you do this, connect the USB cable to a nearby computer. You are now finished with the setup!

Step 2: Upload the Code

Here is the code. Upload it to your Arduino board.

Attachments

Step 3: Open the Serial Monitor and Test

With the Arduino plugged into the computer, open the serial monitor. Push the test button on your smoke alarm, and if you see "Alarm!" in the serial monitor, it is working fine. If you do not see alarm, tap your piezo a few times to test it. If it works, play with the placement of the piezo until it works with the alarm. If it does not work when you tap it, the piezo may be faulty, or not sensitive enough. Try using a more sensitive piezo.

Step 4: Finished / Suggestions

Now you are finished! I am currently working on a way to text a phone when the alarm goes off. I also might try to use a Raspberry Pi instead of Arduino, so it is completely wireless. I have wired smoke detectors, but if you have wireless ones, you can get a spare to leave next to the computer with the Arduino attached to it. Please suggest anything to me on how to make this better! Thanks for viewing!