semiatic

Hekatron alarm signals: beeps, chirps and lights

Hekatron, a German maker, documents the signals of its Genius smoke alarms in German; the wording here is our close translation. The current Genius Plus and Plus X flash their test button green every 48 seconds to say all is well; the older Genius H flashes a small red light at the same rhythm. Both switch off or dim their light and hold back fault beeps at night (Genius Plus 21:00–07:00, Genius H 22:00–06:00), but a real alarm always sounds.

If it is sounding a full alarm: the maker’s emergency instruction

Smoke alarm

Hekatron: warn the people you live with. Leave the room or the building at once, closing every door behind you on your way out to slow the spread of smoke and fire. Call the fire brigade (emergency number 112) only once you are safe. Fight the fire yourself only if that does not put you in danger.

From Hinweise für den Brandfall.

The Hekatron alarm on these pages senses smoke only. For a carbon monoxide alarm, follow its own maker’s instruction.

Every Hekatron signal we could source, side by side

9 signals. Tap what it means to jump to the drawing, Hekatron’s steps and the source. If your alarm’s pattern is not exactly one of these, check the manual for your model: Hekatron models do not all use the same signals.

What you seeWhat you hearWhat it means
One red flash about every secondFull alarm, loud and continuousReal alarm: Alarm: this alarm has detected smoke.
One red flash about every 8 secondsFull alarm, loud and continuousReal alarm: Alarm received over the radio link: another alarm in the network has detected smoke, and this one is passing the alarm on.
One green flash about every 48 secondsSilentNormal operation: Normal: the alarm is giving full protection.
One red flash about every 48 secondsSilentNormal operation: Normal: the Genius H is working.
Two red flashes about every 48 secondsSilentAlarm memory: Alarm memory: this alarm went off while you were away or asleep.
No light named by the makerOne chirp about every 48 secondsFault: Fault.
No light named by the makerOne chirp about every 48 secondsEnd of life: End of life: the alarm has reached the end of its maximum operating time, typically 10 years.
No light named by the makerOne chirp, no fixed intervalFault: The test failed: the alarm has a fault, or its smoke chamber is forecast to last less than 15 more months.
No light named by the makerSilentHush or silence mode: Silence mode: the alarm stays silent for 10 minutes, then returns to normal once it no longer detects smoke.

Loud alternating alarm tone, light flashing every second

Real alarm · smoke

One red flash about every second; Full alarm, loud and continuous

Alarm: this alarm has detected smoke. Hekatron’s sheet for the Genius H and Hx gives the tone as loud and alternating, about 85 dB, with the light flashing every second.

What you see
One red flash about every second
What you hear
Full alarm, loud and continuous

Do this first: Hekatron’s smoke alarm instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Follow the fire instructions at the top of this page.
  2. On radio-linked alarms, pressing the test button on any alarm silences all of them except the one that detected the smoke, so the one still sounding shows where it is.

Source:

  • Hekatron Brandschutz: Hinweise für den Brandfall — Genius H and Genius Hx (information sheet 7050500, edition 12.08.2014, in German). www.hekatron-brandschutz.de Checked 2026-10-12.
  • Hekatron Brandschutz: FAQ – Wissenswertes zum Thema Rauchwarnmelder — Genius H, Genius Hx, Genius Plus and Genius Plus X (FAQ, in German). www.hekatron-brandschutz.de Checked 2026-10-12.

Alarm tone, light flashing every 8 seconds (radio-linked alarms)

Real alarm · smoke

One red flash about every 8 seconds; Full alarm, loud and continuous

Alarm received over the radio link: another alarm in the network has detected smoke, and this one is passing the alarm on.

What you see
One red flash about every 8 seconds
What you hear
Full alarm, loud and continuous

Do this first: Hekatron’s smoke alarm instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Treat it as a real alarm and follow the fire instructions at the top of this page; the fire is probably in another room.

Source:

  • Hekatron Brandschutz: Hinweise für den Brandfall — Genius H and Genius Hx (information sheet 7050500, edition 12.08.2014, in German). www.hekatron-brandschutz.de Checked 2026-10-12.
  • Hekatron Brandschutz: FAQ – Wissenswertes zum Thema Rauchwarnmelder — Genius H, Genius Hx, Genius Plus and Genius Plus X (FAQ, in German). www.hekatron-brandschutz.de Checked 2026-10-12.

Test button flashes green every 48 seconds (Genius Plus, Plus X)

Normal operation · smoke

One green flash about every 48 seconds; Silent

Normal: the alarm is giving full protection. The light is switched off from 21:00 to 07:00.

What you see
One green flash about every 48 seconds
What you hear
Silent

If it is sounding a full alarm instead: Hekatron’s emergency instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Nothing to do.

Source:

Small red light flashes every 48 seconds (Genius H)

Normal operation · smoke

One red flash about every 48 seconds; Silent

Normal: the Genius H is working. Its light is dimmed from 22:00 to 06:00.

What you see
One red flash about every 48 seconds
What you hear
Silent

If it is sounding a full alarm instead: Hekatron’s emergency instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Nothing to do. If the Genius H stays silent when you press TEST and keeps flashing red every 48 seconds, Hekatron says its smoke chamber is forecast to last less than 15 more months; it still gives full protection; the forecast is there for the yearly maintenance check.

Source:

Two red flashes every 48 seconds, no sound

Alarm memory · smoke

Two red flashes about every 48 seconds; Silent

Alarm memory: this alarm went off while you were away or asleep. The Genius H keeps flashing until you press its button; the Genius Plus can also be read out with Hekatron’s app.

What you see
Two red flashes about every 48 seconds
What you hear
Silent

If it is sounding a full alarm instead: Hekatron’s emergency instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Press the button to acknowledge it.
  2. After a real fire, Hekatron says to have the alarm checked or replaced by your dealer or installer.

Source:

Fault tone every 48 seconds

Fault · smoke

No light named by the maker; One chirp about every 48 seconds

Fault. The fault tone can be silenced for 24 hours by pressing the test button.

What you see
No light named by the maker
What you hear
One chirp about every 48 seconds

If it is sounding a full alarm instead: Hekatron’s emergency instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Replace the smoke alarm. Silencing the tone does not fix the fault.

Source:

Flashing every 8 seconds and a beep every 48 seconds

End of life · smoke

No light named by the maker; One chirp about every 48 seconds

End of life: the alarm has reached the end of its maximum operating time, typically 10 years.

What you see
No light named by the maker
What you hear
One chirp about every 48 seconds

If it is sounding a full alarm instead: Hekatron’s emergency instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Replace the alarm. Under the German standard DIN 14676 a smoke alarm is replaced after its lifetime, or earlier in very dusty or dirty rooms.

Source:

A different, “negative” tone when you press the test button (Genius Plus, Plus X)

Fault · smoke

No light named by the maker; One chirp, no fixed interval

The test failed: the alarm has a fault, or its smoke chamber is forecast to last less than 15 more months. A working alarm answers the test with its positive test tone instead.

What you see
No light named by the maker
What you hear
One chirp, no fixed interval

If it is sounding a full alarm instead: Hekatron’s emergency instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Replace the smoke alarm. Hekatron says a Genius whose forecast is under 15 months still raises the alarm at full protection until it is replaced.

Source:

Silent for 10 minutes after you pressed the test button during an alarm

Hush or silence mode · smoke

No light named by the maker; Silent

Silence mode: the alarm stays silent for 10 minutes, then returns to normal once it no longer detects smoke. If smoke is still in the alarm, it goes off again.

What you see
No light named by the maker
What you hear
Silent

If it is sounding a full alarm instead: Hekatron’s emergency instruction, top of this page

What Hekatron says to do about this signal

  1. Use it for a false alarm from cooking fumes, steam or dust. If one alarm keeps going off like this, Hekatron suggests moving it somewhere those cannot reach it so easily.

Source:

Sources

Every line on this page comes from Hekatron’s own documents, read on the date shown. Nothing is taken from third-party code sites or other makes.

  • Hekatron Brandschutz: FAQ – Wissenswertes zum Thema Rauchwarnmelder — Genius H, Genius Hx, Genius Plus and Genius Plus X (FAQ, in German). www.hekatron-brandschutz.de Checked 2026-10-12.
  • Hekatron Brandschutz: Hinweise für den Brandfall — Genius H and Genius Hx (information sheet 7050500, edition 12.08.2014, in German). www.hekatron-brandschutz.de Checked 2026-10-12.

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