Kidde Hardwired Photoelectric Smoke Detector Alarm, AA Battery Backup, 5-inch

We needed to replace 3 smoke alarms in our home. They are the hardwired type that were installed in our home. We chose Kidde because that's the brand we were replacing. My husband replaced all 3 in under 60 minutes. Very comforting to have them up and working with a battery back up. Easy to install and reliable !!

These were easy to install and work very well. The second night they sensed very minor smoke from cooking that the old ones had been missing. It was very easy to pause the alert, knowing the source of the smoke. I would recommend these to anyone.

I purchased this detector as a replacement for an older hardwired Kidde/FireX unit. The detector itself appears well made, powered up properly, and the green AC power light came on immediately after installation. First-time installers should be aware that the wiring connector on this model may not match older Kidde/FireX alarms. In my case, the plug was different, so installation was not the simple unplug-and-plug-in process I expected. The included replacement harness required transferring three wires (black, white, and red) from the old harness to the new one using the existing plastic wire connectors already located inside the electrical cavity in the ceiling where the alarm mounts. Electricians call these connectors "wire nuts," but many homeowners may never have heard that term before. Mine were yellow and shaped somewhat like small plastic rocketships. What I wish someone had explained beforehand is what these connectors look like underneath. When you unscrew the plastic connector, the wires underneath are simply aligned side-by-side with the stripped metal ends meeting evenly at the tips. The plastic connector then screws back over the wires and secures the connection. Once I understood what was actually under the cap, the process became much less intimidating. One frustration was the lack of detailed installation videos from Kidde. After roughly a 15-minute support call, a representative was finally able to locate a video that showed what the wiring looked like underneath the plastic connectors. That visual explanation was far more helpful than the printed instructions. For buyers who prefer a true plug-and-play installation, there is an adapter available (sold separately). Kidde does not supply it with the detector, but the adapter part number is 20-2003. Depending on your existing connector, purchasing the adapter may save time and eliminate the need to replace the harness. My advice to first-time installers: • Turn off power before working on the wiring (ESSENTIAL) • Take photos before disconnecting anything. • Work on one wire coordinated code at a time • Don't panic when you see the plastic wire connectors ("wire nuts"). The wiring underneath is much simpler than it appears. • If you are a visual learner, look for a video showing what the connections actually look like underneath the caps before starting. Overall, once I understood the wiring arrangement, installation was straightforward and the detector is working properly.

I'm disappointed that I received an undesired variant of the item I intended to buy. I was able to find the desired model through Home Depot, taking advantage of a bulk purchase price as well as a 10% military discount. These two things together brought my total down to less that $10.00 difference for the actual intended item. The only detractors were Home Depot's shipping speed, and their inability to simply apply the bulk purchase pricing in store which they advertise on their website.

I replaced some of my Kidde smoke detectors with ones which have the battery installation from the outside and now I can't find them any more. With this detector, the alarm must be removed, the connector pulled out to access the battery door. That is not easy standing on a ladder of a 10 foot ceiling. Very poor design

Delivered to wrong house and i reported it and they said 3rd party delivered...regardless walmart should reimburse me or resend! HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.. way to lose customers like myself!!!

Used these to replace earlier Kidde model that started have false alarms after just two years. Bought four and one only lasted two months before it was having false alarms. Dust, insects, humidity, kitchen smoke, etc have all been ruled out it is just faulty

These things are worthless junk. Electrician installed 2 months ago (with new AA battrries); 4 inter-wired; replacing ones that were perfectly good but >10 years old. Ever since then the just has been going off with false alarms, stopping as you arrive to hush them. Clearly there is zero quality control in the production process.

Terrible. Frequent false alarms, always at night. Had trouble with alarms after replacing batteries due to a low battery indicator. Very stressful never knowing when your alarms may go off. For a product that is supposed to bring peace of mind, these have done nothing but cause trauma in my home with two small children.

Hello - In February I picked up & installed a 4pack of the Kidde 20SAR, to replace our aged out, hardwired units. One of the units is now giving us random 3-beep notification. From your literature, that implies a dirty or defective unit. I have reset it, cleaned the unit (it was clean and clear of any dust/debris), changed batteries, but it has, twice now, given the alert, in the middle of the night... with a sleeping newborn in the room. Can you please offer us a replacement unit or an additional suggestion to fix it? Thank you