Abstract: A cost effective system for testing smoke detectors and determining and communicating the operating characteristics thereof, advantageously uses existing circuitry components in a secondary communication function. With this arrangement, a low powered RF reporting signal is transmitted from the smoke detector and can be received within several feet of the detector. Preferably the RF signal is produced by a pulsed input signal provided to an existing coil which is part of the circuitry used to produce and/or report alarm signals. A receiving arrangement is also disclosed which can be located in close proximity to a smoke detector which has been activated to report the operating characteristics thereof. These characteristics can then be analyzed to determine whether preventive maintenance is appropriate.