AlertMe Prototype: Designing IoT Fire Detection from Scratch
An inside look at the hardware, sensors, and communication architecture behind our connected fire detection concept.
AlertMe began as a question: can connected technology detect fire incidents earlier in communities where traditional fire detection infrastructure is limited or absent? The prototype we have built is our first concrete answer to that question.
The core of the AlertMe system is a network of IoT sensors designed to detect early signs of fire, temperature anomalies, smoke, and air quality changes. Each sensor node is built to be inexpensive and deployable in residential and commercial buildings that lack built-in fire detection systems. The sensors communicate wirelessly, forming a mesh network that can cover a building or a cluster of structures.
When a sensor detects a potential fire event, the system does two things simultaneously: it alerts building occupants through a connected alarm and notification system, and it sends an automated alert to emergency responders with location data. The dual-alert architecture is critical, occupants need to know to evacuate, and responders need to know where to go.
The communication layer was one of the hardest engineering challenges. In environments with unreliable internet connectivity, the system needs fallback communication paths. We designed the network to use local mesh communication between sensors as a primary path, with cellular connectivity as a backhaul for sending alerts beyond the immediate building. This means even if internet service is down, the local alert system continues to function.
The current prototype is in the testing phase. We are validating sensor accuracy, measuring false positive rates, and testing the communication architecture under different network conditions. Early results are promising, the sensors respond to fire signatures within seconds, and the mesh network maintains connectivity even when individual nodes are removed.
Building hardware from scratch in Liberia presents unique challenges. Component sourcing, testing equipment, and manufacturing infrastructure are all more difficult to access than they would be in a traditional hardware hub. But the constraint has forced us to be resourceful - designing with available components, building our own testing rigs, and iterating rapidly on physical prototypes.
AlertMe is still a prototype. There is significant work ahead before it is ready for deployment, further sensor calibration, field testing in real buildings, regulatory considerations, and scaling the communication architecture. But the prototype proves that connected fire detection can be built locally, designed for the environments that need it most, and engineered to work under the constraints that define real-world deployment.