Although often used interchangeably, these two devices serve distinct technical roles. A smoke alarm is a self-contained unit featuring its own built-in audible siren, which can sometimes be linked to other units in a home. Conversely, a smoke detector is simply a sensor that identifies smoke and sends a signal to a centralized fire alarm control panel to trigger an alert.
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The information for this answer was found on our Carbon Monoxide & Smoke Detector Laws answers.