🚀 Enhanced First Alert RM4 Intelligent Relay for Advanced Connectivity Review

This is extremely useful for pairing traditional AC powered home smoke detectors to an alarm panel. I used it to add a fire zone to my Interlogix NX-8E in addition to my other 2-wire and 4-wire smoke detectors. This won't work without air conditioning, but it's better than nothing and allows me to zone control regular smoke detectors in case something catches fire while I'm away.

Easy to connect and works as intended. I used it to connect my interconnected BRK/First Alert smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to SmartThings, one end of which connected to the smoke/carbon monoxide alarms and the other end to a Z-Wave door and window sensor with a Nexia RS100 was connected. I then added a custom device type in SmartThings to make the contact sensor appear as a smoke/carbon monoxide alarm. It fits well in the mounting box with a contact sensor.

This works well with my First Alert detectors (which look exactly like the BRK model). In my house there are 2 smoke detectors and 2 combined smoke and carbon monoxide detectors connected together. The relay is activated when a detector detects smoke or carbon monoxide, so it does not distinguish between the two types of alarm. I just connected the ground and breaker wires to the door/window sensor for my alarm system and now I can get alerts when smoke or carbon monoxide is detected.

Works. I integrated this into my HomeSeer system via the HomeSeer ADIO-100 analog/digital system interface using BRK-RM4 "normally open" wires (connected to the digital I/O side of the ADIO). Fits snugly in the ceiling "box" of my First Alert smoke alarms, but no big deal. My smoke alarm's "test button" also triggers the same connection, so I was able to easily test the correct alarm and subsequent alerts in HomeSeer on my phone (using the excellent PushOver plugin).

I have used this to connect my regular First Alert fire detectors to the fire zone of my VISTA20P alarm panel. Instead of a built in smoke alarm (special 4 wire smoke alarm in the security panel) I now have all 6. The relay is installed on one smoke alarm and I connect all the others to the 3rd orange wire. NC contacts are used to connect to the alarm panel. This requires AC power as the relay must be connected to 120V power lines. Therefore a loss of AC power will prevent the smoke alarm from…

I bought this to integrate my smoke alarms into my home automation system. I paired it with a Schlage RS100HC VNN SL Home door and window sensor with Nexia Home Intelligence (Z-Wave). With the normally closed contacts on RM4 (they open on alarm) I was able to integrate it properly. I now have a scene in Vera that generates a call when an alarm is raised (or checked). Note that this is NOT a good integration with a fire panel as it requires 110v to work. If you have turned off the device (and…