REVIEW – In 2021, FEMA reported 353,500 house fires, 2840 deaths, 11,400 injuries, and $8.8 billion in loss. In the same year, there were 1,067 carbon monoxide fatalities. All were tragic, and many were preventable. With sugar on top, please protect your property, yourself, and loved ones with detectors like the Wi-Fi Connected Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector.
What is it?
X-Sense SC07-WX is a battery-operated, Wi-Fi-connected smoke and carbon monoxide detector that monitors and notifications using a smartphone app.
What’s in the box?
- SC07-WX smoke and carbon monoxide detector
- Mounting base
- User Manual
- Warranty card
- Carbon monoxide reference stickers
Hardware specs
- Model: SC07-WX
- Photoelectric smoke detection
- Electromechanical carbon monoxide detection
- One-year battery life
- Ten-year operating life
- UL 217and 20234 compliant
- Detection range:
- 70ppm for 60-240 minutes
- 150ppm for 10-50 minutes
- 400ppm for 4-15 minutes
- Operating temperature: 40 to 100°F (4.4 to 37.8°C)
- Humidity: 10 to 85% relative, non-condensing
- Alarm volume: ≥85dB at 3 meters (10 feet), 3.2 ± 0.3kHz pulsing tone
- Manual silence duration: Nine minutes
- Home Security app supports Android and iOS, Five houses per account, and 24 detectors per account.
- Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n (not compatible with 5GHz network)
- Transmission range: 170 feet (50 meters)
Design and features
In New York, section R314.3 states, “Smoke alarms are required in each sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms, and on each additional story of the dwelling, including basements and habitable attics.” Many jurisdictions have also adopted a requirement to install carbon monoxide detectors. It’s not just common sense – it’s the law. Not having them is careless and incredibly reckless. You might think I’m being harsh. Yes, I am. Many of the gadgets I’ve reviewed here are super fun, enjoyable, and valuable, but to be honest, many are novelties, extravagances, and trivial. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors fall into another category of life-saving devices. I consider them in the same category as insulin pumps, blood glucose monitors, oxygen concentrators, and other essential medical equipment. If your home, apartment, dwelling, hovel, or shack doesn’t have one, please get one NOW.
I reviewed the X-Sense SC07-W smoke detectors, and they still stand diligently on duty in my home. I appreciate their long battery life and the “if one goes off, they all go off” interconnectivity. X-sense has upped their game with their upgraded SC07-WX. The “X” adds Wi-Fi and app notifications. X-Sense generously sent me a six-pack for review. Unfortunately, I discovered they aren’t legal to use in New York. As of 2019, all smoke detectors sold in NY required 10-year non-removable batteries or a hard-wire electrical system connection. During my research, I found that this was primarily due to people removing the batteries for home electronics (remote controls, hand-held games, and such), leaving their homes and apartments unprotected. The same rules apply to California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, and Vermont, as well as the cities of Cleveland, Houston, Indianapolis, Louisville, Madison, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. Please check your local laws before buying.
They arrived in recyclable cardboard boxes.
Each X-Sense SC07-WX is about five inches in diameter. A central LCD indicates carbon monoxide levels (30 to 999 parts per million (ppm)), silence mode, Wi-Fi, test, battery status, and fault conditions. Use the solitary button for testing, pairing, and silencing.
Mounting screws and anchors are in the box. The base is about 5-3/4 inches in diameter and attaches to a wall or ceiling, and the detector rotates to secure it.
An LED under the display illuminates and flashes to indicate smoke, carbon monoxide, silence modes, battery low, and Wi-Fi connection mode.
Power comes from a CR123A battery. A plastic tab prevents discharge while being transported. As previously mentioned, a 10-year non-replaceable power source or hard-wiring would have been better for legal compliance.
The detector starts working as soon as the battery is in. Pressing the button activates monthly testing. Cover your ears because it’s deafening.
I had some trouble resetting my password from the X-Sense Home Security App. There were long delays for the e-mail confirmation code. When I received it, the app indicated it was incorrect and locked the account, telling me to “try again later” or ghosting the code entry location, forcing a request for another code. Once conquering the login hurdles, adding detectors was easy.
Click on the “+” in the upper right.
After pressing the button for five seconds, the LED bar flashes blue to begin pairing.
Select “Combination Smoke and CO Alarms.”
Choose a location and name.
The app had no trouble finding the detectors using Bluetooth.
Enter the Wi-Fi network name and password.
Tadaa!
I tested the X-Sense SC07-WX Wi-Fi Connected Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector using smoke from a candle. Sensitivity is outstanding, on par with other X-Sense units.
A red LED designates an existing alarm condition, and I received push notifications in about 20 seconds; if applicable, the LCD indicates carbon monoxide levels.
Configure the X-Sense SC07-WX Wi-Fi Connected Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector in the app.
The event history contains a log of activities.
Notifications are selectable. I’m an information addict, so I’ll leave them all on.
What I like
- Wi-Fi connected
- Push notifications keep me informed
- Multiple homes for remote monitoring and organization
What I’d change
- Change the batteries to non-replaceable 10-year cells or connections for hard wiring for compliance in every state.
- Alleviate issues with logging into the app.
Final thoughts
I love it when my house talks to me, letting me know what’s happening and being diligent when I can’t. X-Sense’s inclusion of Wi-Fi opens new possibilities for disaster management. One can place SC07-WXs where an alarm can’t be heard, like a detached shed, storage room, garage, or office. The app allows the creation of multiple homes, so with additional units, monitoring vacation properties, a loved one’s home, or even helping a vacationing friend is possible. Apart from some app connection issues, if they are legal for purchase and use in your state, they are ideal! These will be making their way to my daughter in another state. Thank you, X-Sense
Price: $33.11 for one pack, $97.11 for three on Amazon, $44.99 for one, and $129.99 on X-Sense
Where to buy: Amazon and X-Sense
Source: The sample for this review was provided by X-Sense.
