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Smoke detection is finally going digital-first

Aspirating smoke detection (ASD) has long been the gold standard for early warning fire detection. Until now, neither ASD systems nor other major fire detection technologies, such as linear heat detection, have dared to go fully digital.

At the start of 2026, however, Swiss ASD pioneer Securiton launched a new device family, the SecuriSmoke ASD 2000, which is digital-first. Gone are the buttons and complex displays of old: this is a futuristic-looking graphite-coloured box controlled from an app.

While the ASD 2000 certainly looks like it belongs in 2026, in other industries, the more innovative and design-conscious companies have been looking that way for at least a decade. Even cars have been coming with an app and on-board touchscreen interface since at least the turn of the 2020s. So why have fire detection manufacturers and developers been so slow to embrace the app? The answer is security.

An unprecedented security drive

With the launch of the SecuriSmoke ASD 2000, fire safety installers now have access to a generational leap forward in ASD technology. It blends digital innovation, Swiss engineering, enhanced sensitivity, and practical, installer-friendly design. In fact, because they were designing a new device from scratch, it actually features many major performance and power upgrades compared to its predecessor, the SecuriSmoke 535. The key mission for the team of more than 60 engineers who designed and built the ASD 2000 was centred on the user journey, which meant easy, seamless, and intuitive commissioning via an app on their phone.

This brief, focused not on hardware, but on a seamless user journey, required a mobile app as the primary interface, alongside an intuitive design that reduces complexity and saves time throughout the design, installation, and commissioning process.

The fire safety industry had long been resistant to such a move, even as it became obvious that major efficiency gains in the installation and commissioning process were within reach. Fire detection is life-critical; it is highly regulated and it is generally business-critical too. Around half of businesses that suffer a major blaze never recover. Others, such as data centres, power networks or financial firms, will suffer high costs and reputational damage should their services be suspended due to a blaze or even a false alarm.

No surprise, then, that they do not wish for the devices protecting them to be hacked. Securiton, part of the security-focused Swiss Securitas Group, therefore devoted considerable effort to building a secure interface. The result uses multilevel encryption and authentication to ensure only the company’s authorised partners can control a device. The security architecture followed the strictest industry protocols, and the result also offers significant advantages to the old ‘dongles’, which were used to identify authorised users up to now.

With the app system, levels of clearance and permissions can be set – or taken away – almost instantly. All the actions of a given user are clearly recorded, whereas previously, the shortage of physical dongles often led service engineers to share hardware and accounts.

Therefore, the first SecuriSmoke product where commissioning, configuration, diagnostics, and operation are all managed through a mobile application is arguably its most secure yet.

For installers, this means fewer tools, straightforward implementation, and dramatically simplified workflows. The app provides real-time feedback, guided steps, and secure digital licensing, making configuration, not only efficient, but verifiably reliable.

For operators, the app extends day-to-day convenience. Status checks, diagnostics, performance monitoring, and system events are accessible immediately and securely, supporting faster decisions and proactive maintenance. It is hard to see the industry going back.

Some industries still resistant

Why, then, is Securiton not only still selling its popular ASD 535 models, but it is even planning to offer a wired, desktop option for its ASD 2000? Many high security installations, such as data centres, prisons and some government buildings, do not allow outside personnel to bring their phones in. Some do not even allow it for employees, and many of these facilities, which are prime high-value sites for a premium aspirating smoke detection system, are also ‘no-WiFi’ zones.

That may change with time, as ever more secure encryption and digital security is developed. For now, though, it still makes sense for Securiton to offer an analogue version of its new device, as the performance upgrades in building the new platform were considerable. Every key performance indicator, from sensitivity and airflow monitoring to fan power and system scale, has been upgraded.

With support for up to four independent channels and two detection chambers, the ASD 2000 dramatically expands installation flexibility. The system can monitor complex environments, large zones, or multicompartment spaces from a single device.

The detection chamber itself has undergone a redesign from scratch, doubling the maximum sensitivity to 0,001% obs/m. At the same time, the maximum obscuration at which it can operate is also raised by 50%, to 30 obs/m. Combined with a 1000 pa aspiration engine, this means the ASD 2000 can operate larger and more intricate pipe networks, with the device situated up to 150 m from the furthest hole. This gives designers and installers more flexibility than ever and allows for ASD installations that are efficient and tailored to modern end-customer needs.

The system limits of the ASD are suitably impressive: up to 62 sampling holes are possible from a single device, while still meeting the highest Class A EN 54 standard for Very Early Warning Fire Detection. The figures for Class B and C level detection are 160 and 240, respectively.

For data centres – where early detection and redundancy are vital – multichannel capability enables precise monitoring of hot aisles, cold aisles, underfloor voids, and overhead spaces using just one detector.

With its digital-first ecosystem, performance upgrades, installer-friendly design, and unmatched engineering pedigree, it stands as the most advanced ASD solution Securiton has ever delivered. It does not stop there. One of the advantages of a digital-led product is that Securiton’s development team is still busy, with tranches of new features and user upgrades planned over the next 18 months and beyond.

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