Customer Reviews

Kidde 1279-9999/RF-SM-AC Hardwire Smoke Alarm with Battery Backup, Interconnectable

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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Length:: 3:31 Mins

Watch video on Kidde 1279-9999 and Kidde 0919-9999 for complete installation instructions.

Pro: Easy to install as a replacement for a wired only Kidde smoke detector.
Great to connect wire lnked systems on two separate floors of your home using two of these wired units.

Cons: uses a different base plate than other Kidde products so you must remove any other Kidde base plate - which does not make sense.
Tends to trigger other wireless units during installation process so be sure to wear ear protection while installing.
This wireless to wired unit must be on the same electrical circuit as other wired units to which it is connected so you cannot add just a link wire to extend the wired system to this unit. You must connect the power and the link wires to this unit from other Kidde wired units. That limits flexibility for placement.

Best product for old work installation. With wireless connectivity, and wired or battery option, these are easy to install and setup. I had an electrician install these in a commercial turn of the century building, that required at least one on each floor to meet new code. Units were on different circuits, and the wireless feature made the install much less involved. The manual setting of DIP switches (so units shared same frequency) was simple, unlike first alerts programming method. The entire system is flexible, allowing additional units (wired or battery) to be added anytime. Carbon monoxide sensors are available, and a "sounder" unit that actually speaks the warning is perfect for alerting small children or elderly who are slow to awaken. This is such a great safety breakthrough, that I plan on replacing my home and rental detectors as well because before, it was too difficult to interconnect them all. Amazon's price is good, and shipping was free.

I purchased three of these to bring a rental home up to county code in which it would have been nearly impossible to run a single wire for the standard interconnected alarms. The alarms are as simple to install as standard A/C smoke alarms, and the wireless interconnectivity avoids unnecessary running of new wire.

The one caveat is the instructions included with the unit are not well-written, and you might think you have to wire these the same as hardwired interconnected. That is only true if you are connecting wireless interconnected alarms to an existing hardwired interconnected system: one of the wireless has to be hardwired to the existing system.

And, of course, make sure your installation meets all the electrical code requirements of your municipality!

Soon after my wife and I purchased our first home, we discovered that the smoke detectors the previous owners installed in the upstairs bedrooms and hall were both old, and done incorrectly. I rewired everything, bringing the upstairs smoke detectors up to code.

Kidde also makes battery-powered detectors that communicate wirelessly (their battery-powered "RF" units). To expand our network of smoke detectors to the first floor, without having to cut holes in the wall, drill through the floor, and run wire, I purchased and installed an RF-SM-AC detector and installed it in the hallway upstairs. I installed a battery-powered RF unit downstairs in the family room (which is where the fire place is). We can add additional battery-powered RF units as needed and expand our detector network.

The RF-SM-AC detector upstairs works well, communicating flawlessly with both the detectors it is hardwired to upstairs, and the wireless detector downstairs. Wireless communication range seems to be adequate for our home (~1700 square feet).

Installation was straightforward; no complaints. Be aware that the battery compartment is on the rear, so you'll have to remove the unit to replace the battery. This is no big deal as far as I'm concerned.

One thing to take note of: We have one of these installed in the hallway, but each bedroom has an ac-powered smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector installed. When testing the detectors, if we test the system via the RF-SM-AC unit (or the wireless RF unit downstairs) the detectors in the bedrooms respond only with their smoke alarms, and not the CO alarms. If you want both alarms tested you need to trigger the system from a detector that has both alarms.

Inside the box is a notice that the detector shouldn't be used around fluorescent lighting, or radio transmitters. This was bad on both counts for me, because we have fluorescent lighting almost exclusively (I'm in California) and I have an Amateur Radio license. Thus far we have had no difficulties with the lighting causing false triggering of the RF detectors. I used my Amateur Radio HT (walkie-talkie) around the detector downstairs, and nothing happened. So far so good. I haven't tried my HF (shortwave) transmitter yet, so we'll see how that goes.

A final word on electrical wiring. If you're installing new detectors and need to run new wiring or make a change to the electrical system, get a permit for the job and get your work inspected. That way you'll be sure it's done right, and according to local ordinances.

My home has a lot of 120V wired Firex smoke detectors that are interconnected to my monitored house alarm. Unfortunately, the prior owners did not install a smoke detector in what I consider to be a key room. I did not want to keep the door open all the time, so this room really needed its own smoke detector. Extending the existing wired system would have been a real pain involving small attic crawlspaces. This product allowed me to create a hybrid interconnected wired and wireless system. I replaced a nearby wired smoke detector with this interconnect unit and installed a battery powered wireless smoke detector in the target room, making sure the two units had identical DIP switch settings so they'd link up. It works great, and since it interconnects with my wired system, the new room is covered by my monitored house alarm.

When doing a remodel of our house, after the electric was done I find out that I need to upgrade from one AC hardwired alarm in the hallway to communicated alarms in each bedroom and the hallway to the bedrooms. A bit of research found these wireless alarms. Installed one AC hardwired unit with wireless capability in the hallway which communicates with battery powered units in the bedrooms. Super easy install - appear to work well.

I used this detector to get full smoke detector coverage in my home. The house is only a few years old so it was wired for detectors except the bonus room which was originally unifinshed. The previous owners finished the bonus room and did not install a detector I used the wireless system and now all detectors are working in unison. The plugs for the AC detctor allowed it to plug right in place of my the houses original detector in the hallway, and I placed the battery powered detector in the bonus room. The price was a little high, but the functionality of the product made it worth it.

For an older home, this is ideal. No new wiring to run. Hard to find in "home type" stores.

This was a pretty good price on a great product. I'll be back again in 10 years when the recommended service date expires. :)