Interconnected smoke alarms, the home fire alarms Queensland now requires, also called interlinked or linked smoke alarms, are connected so that when one alarm detects smoke, every alarm in the home sounds.
A fire that starts in the garage or living room at night wakes the whole household, not only the person sleeping closest to it. From 1 January 2027, every home in Queensland needs them. This guide explains how interconnected smoke alarms connect, which types work together, and how they can link to your security alarm.
Each alarm detects smoke on its own. When one goes into alarm, it sends a signal to the others and they all sound together. That signal travels one of two ways: along a cable between the alarms, or by radio.
Hardwired interconnected smoke alarms use an extra wire run alongside the 240-volt power supply in the ceiling.
Wireless interconnected smoke alarms, sometimes called wireless smoke detectors, are paired by radio, so no cable runs between them. They talk to each other directly and do not rely on your home’s wifi.
In Queensland, interconnected smoke alarms must also be photoelectric, which means they detect smoke with a light sensor. They go in every bedroom, in the hallways that connect bedrooms to the rest of the home, and on every storey.
If your home already has 240-volt alarms, the replacements must be 240-volt too, and a licensed electrician must install them. Hardwired alarms run off mains power with a backup battery, so they keep working and stay connected in a power cut.
If your home has no hardwired alarms, wireless smoke alarms with a non-removable 10-year battery meet the rules and avoid running new cable through the ceiling. That makes them a common choice for existing houses, units and townhouses.
Many homes end up with both: the existing 240-volt alarms replaced like for like, and wireless alarms added in bedrooms or on a level with no cabling.
Our page on Queensland smoke alarm requirements sets out what every home needs from 1 January 2027.
You do not have to cable every new alarm into the ceiling. A Brooks wireless link connects your 240-volt Brooks smoke detectors to Brooks wireless smoke detectors, so they all sound together. One link covers all your 240-volt alarms, as long as they are already interconnected.
A Brooks wireless system links up to 12 Brooks devices, which covers most homes.
Generally, no. Each manufacturer’s wireless alarms use their own radio signal, so a Brooks wireless alarm will not pair with another brand. Every smoke alarm in your home needs to use the same technology to connect to the others.
That is one reason we install Brooks and Ajax only, and keep each home to one family of alarms. If you are adding to an existing system, we check which brand you have before recommending anything.
Smoke alarms in or near a kitchen can go off from cooking, and garages can set them off with dust and fumes. A heat alarm, also called a heat detector, suits these rooms because it reacts to heat rather than smoke. It can be interconnected with your smoke alarms, so if it activates, every alarm in the home sounds.
A heat alarm is an extra, not a replacement. It does not take the place of a smoke alarm the rules require. Brooks heat alarms connect to Brooks smoke alarms, wired or wireless, and Ajax makes a heat-only FireProtect 2 that joins the same Ajax hub.
Smoke alarms on their own only make noise inside the home. If nobody is there to hear them, nobody knows. Connecting them to your security alarm changes that.
An alarm panel module connects your Brooks smoke alarms to your security alarm, so your alarm system knows when a smoke alarm sounds. It is useful whether your alarm is monitored by a control room or you monitor it yourself.
We hold both an electrical licence and a security licence, so the 240-volt work, the interconnection and the link to your alarm system are handled by one team.
Let everyone in the home know you are testing.
Press and hold the test button on one alarm.
Walk through the home and check that every other alarm is sounding. Ajax alarms can take up to 20 seconds to join in.
Repeat from an alarm in a different part of the home.
If an alarm stays silent, it is either not interconnected with the others or not working. While you are there, check the manufacture date on the back of each alarm: any alarm 10 years old or more needs replacing.
The cost depends on how many alarms your home needs, whether they are 240-volt or wireless, and whether you want them connected to your security alarm. We install Brooks and Ajax smoke alarms only, chosen for their quality and reliability, and we confirm the price when we quote.
We install Brooks and Ajax only, chosen for their quality and reliability. Both offer 240-volt and wireless models, and both can connect to your security alarm system.
Not if they are 240-volt. Any work on a 240-volt alarm must be done by a licensed electrician. Battery-powered wireless alarms do not need an electrician, but they still need to be the right type, in the right places and paired correctly.
Brooks wireless alarms link up to 12 Brooks devices. Ajax alarms link through the Ajax hub, and the number depends on the hub model.
Yes. Battery-powered wireless alarms do not rely on mains power, and 240-volt alarms have a backup battery, so they keep sounding together.
Yes, as long as they are interconnected so every alarm sounds together. With Brooks alarms, a Brooks wireless link connects the two. Any existing 240-volt alarm must be replaced with a 240-volt alarm, installed by a licensed electrician.
With Brooks alarms, a wall control panel lets you test, find and silence every alarm from one switch on the wall, which is handy where alarms are hard to reach, such as high ceilings. With Ajax, every alarm reports individually in the Ajax app, so you know which one activated and why.
Only if they were built to be. Older standalone alarms have no way to talk to each other and need replacing with interconnectable models. Any alarm 10 years old or more needs replacing anyway.
Not sure whether your alarms are interconnected, or how to link them to your security alarm? We install Brooks and Ajax smoke alarms across Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, hardwired or wireless, and every hardwired installation includes a compliance certificate. Learn more about our smoke alarm installation service.
Installing and servicing security systems across South East Queensland.
Certifying 240v smoke alarm installations.
Australia’s peak security industry accreditation.
Monitored nationally with rapid response.
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A senior technician will reach out within one business day.
"*" indicates required fields
or call 07 3353 3248
Security Licence 4226262 · Electrical Licence 84729 · ASIAL Platinum.
We’ll only use your details to respond to this enquiry.
Brooks and Ajax smoke alarms, hardwired or wireless, installed by our licensed electricians and connected to your security alarm if you want them to be. Every hardwired installation includes a compliance certificate.
Call, email or submit this form and we will be in touch promptly.
If a site assessment is needed, a senior estimator walks the property with you.
A clear, fixed quotation you can act on.
We book the work in at a time that suits you.
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