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Smart battery maker Roost partners with ADT for fire safety monitoring

Smart battery maker Roost partners with ADT for fire safety monitoring

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Roost, a startup that makes a $35 smart battery for turning your dumb smoke detector into a smart one, is partnering with security firm ADT, the two companies announced today. ADT will now provide fire safety monitoring for Roost-powered smoke and CO detectors as part of its paid home security service. That means every time your smoke detector goes off, you’ll get a notification through the Roost app, which lets you turn it off if you so choose. ADT will then call you to make sure you’re okay and, if necessary, send emergency services to your location.

The partnership is part of a new ADT initiative called ADT Canopy. The plan gives customers standard security and emergency support that syncs up with third-party mobile software to keep people in the loop when they're on the go or away from home for longer periods of time. Roost isn't disclosing what Canopy will cost right now, but a standard ADT home security plan costs around $50 a month. The service will be available for US Roost owners later on this spring when Canopy launches.

You'll now get both a Roost notification and a call from ADT

Roost finished a successful Kickstarter campaign back in November 2014 to make the tech most consumers tend to associate with Google-owned Nest compatible with your everyday smoke detector. The trick is Roost's 9-volt-compatible lithium-ion battery, which is replaceable at a cost of $15, and its tiny Wi-Fi radio. The setup lets the Roost battery fit into a standard smoke detector and then communicate with its smartphone app, where multiple different family members can connect with a single battery to control and monitor its alarms.

The Roost smart battery first began shipping in September of last year. This week, Roost launched support for web trigger service IFTTT (if this then that) at the Consumer Electronics Show, opening up its interoperability with other smart gadgets like Philips Hue lights and the Belkin WeMo Switch.