---
title: "What Is Hardwired smoke alarm? Electrical Glossary"
description: "A hardwired smoke alarm is powered by the home's electrical system and has a backup battery that keeps it working during an outage."
url: https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/glossary/hardwired-smoke-alarm
publisher: Daniel Electric
phone: +1-817-481-8606
quote: https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/contact
---

Safety devices

# Hardwired smoke alarm

A hardwired smoke alarm is powered by the home's electrical system and has a backup battery that keeps it working during an outage.

The U.S. Fire Administration says alarms that get power from your home's electrical system, called hardwired alarms, usually have a backup battery that needs replacing once a year. NFPA describes the same setup: primary power from the home's electrical system and a secondary battery backup.

Hardwired alarms are often [interconnected](https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/glossary/interconnected-alarms). NFPA advises replacing a hardwired alarm with one of the same manufacturer if the home has hardwire connections. Ceiling wiring is work for a licensed electrician. See [smoke and CO detector installation](https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/smoke-and-co-detector-installation) and [smoke alarm](https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/glossary/smoke-alarm).

[Daniel Electric can helpSmoke and CO detector installation](https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/smoke-and-co-detector-installation)

## Related terms

-   [Smoke alarm](https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/glossary/smoke-alarm)
-   [Interconnected alarms](https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/glossary/interconnected-alarms)
-   [Carbon monoxide detector](https://danielelectric.multisites.ai/glossary/carbon-monoxide-detector)

## Sources

1.  [U.S. Fire Administration: Smoke Alarms](https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/home-fires/prepare-for-fire/smoke-alarms/)
2.  [NFPA: Smoke Alarm Types](https://www.nfpa.org/news-blogs-and-articles/blogs/2023/03/06/what-kind-of-smoke-alarm-smoke-detector-should-i-buy)

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