Issue installing my first smoke alarm

[MarcV]

I installed my fist smoke alarm yesterday. Things didn't work as smooth as I'm used to from Netatmo products. I could not get it configured with the app. Either there was a server issue at that time or the app must have misread the QR code at the back of the booklet, although I'm not sure if that is possible. I kept getting the message that "it was not possible to configure the device at this time" (or something similar). It appeared to me that the app could not find the smoke alarm. However, after starting the procedure over from the beginning, including reading the QR code, everything worked out fine.

I started with only one alarm because, well, these things aren't exactly cheap. It would be nice if one could buy these at a discount price at larger quantities. I would need 10 pieces in total if I want to protect all my rooms. Won't be for tomorrow though. I'm planning to buy one each month. I'm sure that putting these things in a simpler cardboard box will help lowering the price. The fancy packaging it comes in now may look nice in a shop window but other that that it has no practical value. It just makes it more expensive. And that goes for all Netatmo products!

I'm also curious to know why the batteries can't be replaced by the user. It seems a bit odd that the whole device has to be replaced after 10 years...

[Marty]

Hello MarcV,

Thanks for your honest feedback, it is always appreciated !

I'm a little bit frustrated that you faced some troubles for the first setup. Would you give me some hint to investigate please ?

What is the brand, the model and the version of the operating system of your smartphone please ?

Thank you,

[MarcV]

Hi Marty,
I used my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (SM-T810) running android v7, but I also tried with my android phone which gave the same result. Anyway, everything is working fine now. I did find a few errors in the app though. Nothing functional but sometimes messages appear in the wrong language.

[Marty]

Thank you for you feedback,

I will report that.

Have a good day !

[stanikuz]

As I understood, the non-replaceable batteries chosen because lifetime of smoke sensor is 10 years maximum. It should be replaced after this, so if batteries can provide energy for whole period of sensor’s lifetime then it is not necessary to have replaceable batteries.

[MarcV]

Yes I do understand. And over the life span of the device they are not too expensive but when after 10 years you have to replace - say - 10 smoke alarms at once, that's a lot of money...

[stanikuz]

I suppose this decision could be done for additional safety: to prevent using expired sensors that cannot provide enough level of reliability.
Let’s imagine how many things in smart devices happen for every decade. I suppose in 2029 it will be much smarter sensors, so you’ll replace it anyway on something new.