The smoke alarm Mum might miss. ELLO doesn't.
Why a smoke alarm isn't enough for ageing parents
A standard smoke alarm beeps in an empty house. It assumes someone is home, alert, and listening. For an ageing parent living alone, that's not always true.Mum may be sleeping deeply. Dad may be in the next room with the TV on. Their hearing may not catch the higher-pitched beep the way it used to.
They may have learned to tune the alarm out because it goes off every time the rice cooker steams over.Then there's the worst case: the alarm goes off when nobody's home to hear it at all.
A smoke alarm only works if someone's there to hear it.
How ELLO's smoke detection works
ELLO doesn't replace your home's smoke alarm, it adds a second layer.
When ELLO notices smoke, the camera sends a calm alert to everyone you've added. Your phone lights up. Your sister's phone lights up. Mum's helper gets the alert. Within seconds, someone, somewhere, knows.
Even if Mum is asleep. Even if Dad can't hear the beep. Even if everyone is at work.
The smoke alarm makes the noise. ELLO makes sure someone is listening.
Frequently asked questions about smoke detection
Sometimes, especially during heavy stir-frying, grilling, or when the oil gets too hot. We're honest about this: the AI isn't perfect at telling kitchen smoke from dangerous smoke. When a false alert happens, you'll see a short video clip in the app within seconds, so you can dismiss it quickly. You can also adjust kitchen-area sensitivity in the app, or mute alerts during typical cooking hours. The first month is when most families fine-tune the settings.
No. ELLO doesn't contact SCDF, the police, or any emergency service on its own. We don't think that decision should be made by an algorithm. ELLO tells you what's happening, fast, so you can call Mum, drive over, or call SCDF directly. The decision stays with the family.
Yes. ELLO works alongside your home's smoke alarm, it doesn't replace it. Every home should still have a standard smoke detector. Most HDB flats and condos already require one. ELLO adds the second layer, making sure someone outside the home also knows.
Two ways. First, Vision One's AI is trained to recognise visible smoke, wisps coming from a pot, smoke rising from electrical sockets, smoke filling a room. Second, ELLO listens for the sound of your existing smoke alarm. When the alarm beeps, ELLO catches that too and alerts everyone. Either way, you'll know in seconds, not whenever someone happens to come home.
The alert is sent to everyone you've added at the same time. If one phone is on do-not-disturb, the others probably aren't. If everyone is asleep, the alert still arrives, most families set smoke alerts as a critical alert that bypasses silent mode. You can also add a backup contact (a neighbour, a relative) who gets the alert if nobody acknowledges it within a few minutes.