(Image Credit: Netatmo)

Fortunately, I’ve never experienced a house fire, but I’ve seen the devastating effects it can have and welcome any innovation designed to protect myself and my loved ones from going through similar. When I reviewed the excellent Netatmo Welcome back in February I highlighted its alarm detection capability, a feature which has now saved a home from being destroyed. 

Netatmo’s Welcome is designed to be an innovative security device which uses a superb facial recognition system to ensure only those who are supposed to be in your premises have access – with instant notifications sent to your phone when anything suspicious is detected along with both local and cloud-based (as of an update in June) video recording for later review. 

Although the Netatmo Welcome does not have a smoke detector built-in, the device uses its microphone to detect alarms which are going off and then alert its authorised users via push notifications. Dedicated smoke alarms which have this ability can be purchased, but they can be expensive to ensure complete home coverage. 

Regular smoke alarms are great for individual rooms as long as someone is in the building to take quick action to get a fire under control – but when people aren’t home or if a fire alarm is set off in a neighbouring property which could spread to your own then it could be too late before the blaze has spread out of control. Through detecting any nearby alarms and sending an instant notification; the feature offered by the Netatmo Welcome can save a property and even lives. 

Christophe, a father-of-three and owner of a Netatmo Welcome, was able to save his house and his dogs from a fire caused by an electronic toy. 

“Whilst my family and I were attending a basketball game a few kilometres away from home, I received a notification on my smartphone reporting that our fire alarm had been triggered”, explains Christophe, a Welcome user. “I immediately checked the video filmed by Welcome and saw that a fire had started in our living room. The firemen were instantly alerted and were able to prevent the fire from spreading. It’s thanks to Welcome’s accurate alert that our house and our two dogs were saved from the flames”, he adds. 

Since any type of alarm can be detected it can be used to get on top of any developing situation before it gets out of hand. Whether it’s a smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, gas leak detector, or a burglar alarm you may have set up in another part of the property, the feature is proving to be one of the most welcome additions to the Netatmo Welcome. 

Our full video review of the Netatmo Welcome is available below: 

Are you impressed with the Netatmo Welcome’s alarm detection feature? Share your thoughts in the comments.