FireAngel FA8620BW Alarm: What It Does and How to Use It

The FireAngel FA8620BW is a battery-powered optical smoke alarm that links wirelessly to other FireAngel alarms over Bluetooth. It is sealed for life, with a battery FireAngel rates for up to 10 years under normal operating conditions, and it is designed to be fitted to a ceiling or wall in a landing, hallway, bedroom, lounge or dining room¹. When one linked alarm detects smoke, the others sound too, so a fire in the kitchen can raise the alarm in an upstairs bedroom.

If you already own one, the three things worth knowing are these. Test it monthly by pressing the central Test button². If it chirps at night, one press silences it for 8 hours, up to 10 times, and you replace the alarm the next day². And after 10 years you replace the whole unit, because the sensor and the battery reach the end of their life together¹.

If you are deciding whether to buy one, the case for it is straightforward: a sealed 10-year battery means no annual battery change, Bluetooth linking means no wiring between alarms, and the maker states it is certified to EN14604:2005 +AC:2008¹. The case against is that it is a smoke alarm only. It will not detect heat alone or carbon monoxide, and it needs compatible FireAngel alarms to form a network.

What the FA8620BW is and what it suits

The FA8620BW is an optical smoke alarm, which means it looks for smoke rather than a fast rise in heat. FireAngel lists the sensor technology as Optical UltraSenseTM¹. That matters in a hallway outside a bathroom or near a kitchen door, where steam and cooking fumes are the usual cause of false alarms.

It is a standalone alarm in the sense that it needs no mains wiring and no control panel. It runs on a 3V DC sealed battery and communicates over Bluetooth at 2.4GHz¹. FireAngel sells it as part of the FireAngel One range, and the same range includes a heat alarm, a combined smoke and heat alarm, a carbon monoxide alarm and a wireless gateway¹. If you want a whole-home system rather than one alarm, that range is the set to build from.

The physical package is modest: 118mm across and 37.5mm deep, weighing 155g give or take 5g¹. FireAngel says it is made using more than 50% recycled plastics, and the product page says recycled plastic is used in its manufacture¹. An adhesive pad is included for installation, and the alarm must be fitted on its base plate to activate³.

It suits a household that wants a sealed-battery smoke alarm with wireless linking and no electrician. It does not suit someone who wants mains power with a battery backup, or a single alarm that also covers carbon monoxide. For those, see our guides to battery or mains alarms and combined or separate alarms.

Where to fit it

FireAngel lists the landing, hallway, bedrooms, lounge and dining rooms as suitable locations, and gives ceiling or wall as the installation positions¹. The product page adds that it can be installed in houses, flats, bungalows, maisonettes, caravans and motorhomes³.

The logic behind those rooms is escape routes and sleep. A hallway or landing alarm gives the earliest warning to someone moving between rooms or asleep behind a closed door, and a bedroom alarm covers the room where people are least responsive. A lounge or dining room alarm covers the rooms where fires most often start from electrical faults or smoking.

Two practical points decide whether the alarm works as intended. The first is the environment: it operates between -10ºC and 40ºC at up to 93% relative humidity, non-condensing¹. A steamy bathroom, a freezing loft or a conservatory that bakes in summer sits outside that, and the alarm may false alarm or fail. The second is the fixing. FireAngel's pairing instructions say to install the alarm on its base plate, at which point it automatically enters Secondary mode².

For the detail of siting, including distance from walls and cookers, see where to fit smoke alarms and how many smoke alarms a house or flat needs. If you are fitting alarms in a flat, our guide to fire safety in flats covers the shared parts of the building.

Linking up to 20 alarms over Bluetooth

The FA8620BW connects up to 20 devices by Bluetooth wireless interlink¹. FireAngel's manual for the alarm describes the pairing process in two roles: one alarm acts as the primary, the others as secondaries.

To set up a network, FireAngel's instructions are:

1. Press the Test button on the first alarm five times in quick succession to put it into Primary mode. The red LED stays on and it searches for devices in Secondary mode².
2. Install the second alarm on its base plate, which puts it automatically into Secondary mode, or if it is already installed press the Test button three times in quick succession. Its red LED flashes slowly².
3. When pairing succeeds, the secondary alarm chirps once and returns to standby, and the primary alarm also chirps and stays in Primary mode².

If a device is not paired within 30 seconds it returns to standby automatically². Alarms also leave pairing mode on their own: Primary after 5 minutes, Secondary after 30 seconds. A single press of the Test button exits manually².

Range is the part that catches people out. FireAngel recommends not exceeding 35 m as the maximum distance between alarms in a network². The FA8620BW datasheet gives a maximum interlink distance of 20 m, or under 150 m in clear air¹, and the manual quotes a Bluetooth communication range of over 100 m in an open field². Those figures describe open air; walls and floors cut them down. In a normal house, keep alarms on the same floor close and accept that a network across three floors may need a repeater or a different approach.

What the beeps and flashes mean

The FA8620BW uses sound patterns and the red LED to tell you what is happening. Learn the four that matter before you need them.

The sensor fault pattern is the one to take seriously. FireAngel's manual states that with a sensor fault the alarm may not signal an alert and should be replaced immediately². A chirping alarm that you have silenced ten times is not a nuisance; it is an alarm telling you it can no longer do its job.

When you test a linked network, pressing the central test button on any paired alarm makes all connected devices sound, and after 8 seconds they flash their red LEDs twice per second for a total of 5 minutes². That five-minute flash is normal and stops on its own.

Testing it, and what to do if it will not sound

FireAngel's instruction is to test the alarm monthly by pressing the central Test button². A single press sounds a reduced volume; to hear the alarm at full volume, double press the Test button². The maker gives the alarm sound level as at least 85dB at 3m¹.

If the alarm does not sound during a test, work through these in order:

• Check the device is activated and give it a few seconds to settle after first installation².
• Double press the Test button for full volume rather than a single press².
• If the alarm was silenced in low sensitivity mode it may not test. Wait 10 minutes and try again².

If it still will not sound, or it beeps when not being tested, FireAngel's guidance is to consult the manual, because the battery may be running low or the alarm may be at the end of its life and need replacing⁵. Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's advice for a problem alarm is to contact the manufacturer, and it lists FireAngel's freephone support number as 0800 141 2561 for alarms fitted by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and still under guarantee⁶.

For how often to test and what a proper test involves, see how often to test smoke and CO alarms.

Battery life: up to 10 years, then replace the whole alarm

The FA8620BW has a sealed for life battery rated for up to 10 years of protection, and FireAngel's manual states 10 years under normal operating conditions, sealed for life and non-replaceable¹. The sensor life is the same: replace the unit after 10 years of operation¹. The alarm gives a clear reminder to replace it after 10 years, and that reminder can be silenced¹.

This is the single most important thing to understand about a sealed-battery alarm. You do not change the battery; you change the alarm. The 10-year figure is a rating under normal conditions, not a guarantee, and a cold or damp location can shorten it. Write the installation date on the alarm or in your phone so the replacement date is not a guess.

When the battery runs low, the alarm chirps and the red LED flashes once every 40 seconds, and FireAngel says to replace the alarm within 30 days². At night, one press of the Test button silences the chirp for 8 hours, with the red LED continuing to flash once every 40 seconds, and you replace the alarm the next day². You can use that silence a maximum of 10 times, and it will not work if the alarm is signalling a fault or end of life². FireAngel's datasheet for a related model describes the same feature as silencing a low battery chirp for 8 hours, usable up to 10 times⁷.

Children, sleeping and the limits of any alarm

An alarm that sounds is not the same as a household that wakes. FireAngel's manual warns that experience has shown children may not be woken by smoke alarm tones, that children should never be left alone in a house, that families should have a rehearsed fire escape plan, and that you should call the fire and rescue service without delay no matter how small the fire². Essex's fire safety guidance makes the same point: some children may not be woken by smoke alarms⁸.

The practical response is a plan, not a louder alarm. Rehearse what each person does when the alarm sounds, including who checks on children and anyone who needs help to get out. Our guide to making a fire escape plan walks through it, and what to do if a fire starts in your house covers the moment itself.

Linking heat and carbon monoxide alarms

The FA8620BW is a smoke alarm, so it belongs in circulation spaces and bedrooms, not in a kitchen where cooking smoke would set it off. For a kitchen, a heat alarm is the right device, and FireAngel's FA8720BW heat alarm is part of the same wireless range¹. Our guide to the FireAngel FA8720BW heat alarm covers it, and heat alarm or smoke alarm explains which goes where.

For carbon monoxide, FireAngel lists the FS1326-T battery CO alarm as compatible with the FireAngel One range, alongside the FS2126-T multi-sensor smoke alarm and the FS1226-T heat alarm⁹. Linking a CO alarm into the same network means a carbon monoxide release in a boiler room raises the alarm in the bedrooms. Our guide to carbon monoxide alarms covers what they detect and where they go, and what to do if your CO alarm sounds covers the response.

FireAngel also sells a wireless gateway, the FP1000W2 Pro Connected Smart Gateway, which connects its alarms to a wider system⁹. If you are building a network across a large house, that is the route FireAngel offers; the FA8620BW on its own is limited to 20 devices over Bluetooth¹.

Warranty, support and disposal

FireAngel warrants the FA8620BW to the original purchaser for 5 years from the date of purchase, with replacement at FireAngel's discretion free of charge². The datasheet states the same 5-year warranty¹. The product page notes that warranty periods across the range are usually between 3 and 5 years, so check the packaging and manual for your unit, and keep the receipt because the warranty is not valid without proof of purchase³. A replacement alarm carries the remainder of the original warranty period, and the warranty is not transferable².

For support, FireAngel's UK technical support can be reached at technicalsupport@fireangeltech.com or on 0330 094 5830, and large text and other formats of the manual are available on request². FireAngel says its customer support specialists are based in the UK and can help with product advice, installation queries and troubleshooting by phone, email or live chat¹⁰.

At the end of its life, do not put the alarm in household waste. FireAngel says to dispose of it through the waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) recycling scheme, not to open it, not to burn it, and to check with your local authority, retailer or technical support because regional variations apply². Our guide to when to replace a smoke, heat or CO alarm covers the timing, and smoke alarms: types and how to choose one covers the wider choice.