Alert types

Standard tone

Most smoke and CO alarms give off a beeping noise that is piercing and persistent enough to alert homeowners to danger.

Voice

Many preteenagers slept through tone alarms but awakened to the sound of their mother's prerecorded voice, according to a 2006 study in the journal Pediatrics. Several voice-command alarms are on the market, but it is not clear whether they offer the most effective way to awaken your children in a fire. The latest revisions to the construction standard for smoke alarms limits the verbal warning to less than 2 seconds in duration. For more information, read Smoke Alarms for Kids.

Strobe

Smoke alarms with integral strobe lights are available and are the best choice for the hearing impaired. There are also strobe models designed to be added to some alarm models.