High sensitivity smoke detection is typically deployed in a data center to notify authorized personnel early of a potential situation. They can then investigate and take appropriate measures (i.e., shut down an overheated server) to limit smoke exposure to other IT equipment and minimize downtime. Air sampling smoke detection (ASSD) systems are ideal for providing very early warning smoke detection. Other alternatives, such as high sensitivity spot detectors, can also provide early notification of smoke while being compliant with the latest standards for fire detection requirements in data centers. Regardless of which detection technology is chosen, proper installation is critical.
Before getting into the best smoke detection approach for minimizing business interruption in a data center, it is important to define what the difference is between air sampling and spot smoke detectors.