Three Quell alarms compared
| Q5000 | Q2300LL | P3010B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Wireless interconnect, photoelectric | 240-volt wired interconnect, photoelectric | Bedroom alarm with a voice alert, photoelectric |
| Battery | Sealed, non-replaceable, rated for at least 10 years | 9-volt lithium backup | Sealed 10-year lithium |
| Links to | Up to 32 Q5000 alarms by radio, 100 m in direct line of sight | Up to 23 other Quell alarms by wire (Q2300, Q2300LL, Q2300W and Q1300) | Doesn't interconnect |
| Standard Quell lists | AS 3786:2014, and listed with ActivFire | AS 3786:2023 | AS 3786:2023 |
| Warranty | 10 years | 10-year limited | 10-year limited |
| Fitting | Quell calls it a DIY option, for wall or ceiling | A licensed electrician | No mains wiring |
Wireless, wired or stand-alone: which suits your home
Wireless interconnect suits a home with battery alarms now, or one where there's no easy path for cable. Quell's wireless alarms talk to each other by radio, with no Wi-Fi or wiring between them.
Wired interconnect suits a home that already has 240-volt alarms. Quell says these must be installed by a licensed electrician, and in Queensland and the ACT a hardwired alarm has to be replaced with another hardwired one.
Room-specific battery alarms come in Quell's Worry-Free (P3010) and Long Life (Q10Y) ranges, including a bedroom model with a voice alert and a hallway model with an escape light. The P3010B bedroom model doesn't interconnect, so it won't meet a rule that needs linked alarms, like Queensland's. Check any room model for linking before you buy.
End-of-life chirps
The P3010B has a talking voice alarm, test and hush buttons, and chirps twice every 30 seconds when it reaches end of life. With a sealed battery there's nothing to change, so that chirp means the whole alarm gets replaced.
What to check before buying Quell
- Whether the model interconnects, and with which Quell models.
- For wireless, that the 100 m figure is direct line of sight, so test the link in your actual rooms.
- If you want wireless and wired Quell alarms in one home, ask whether they'll link before you buy. We haven't confirmed that they do.
- AS 3786 on the label of whichever model you choose.
What you can do, and what's licensed work
You can
- Mount Q5000 wireless alarms on a wall or ceiling, which Quell sells as a DIY option.
- Use the test and hush buttons.
- Replace a sealed room alarm when it reaches end of life.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Installing or replacing a 240-volt Q2300LL or any other wired interconnect model.
- Running interconnect cable between wired alarms.
- Taking down any alarm that's wired into the house.
What we'd do
If your alarms are battery-powered now, the Q5000 is the straightforward Quell choice: sealed, photoelectric, linked by radio, and something you can put up yourself. If they're hardwired, ask a licensed electrician about the Q2300LL family so the replacements stay wired and linked. We'd keep stand-alone room models for extra spots, not as the alarms the rules depend on.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.