Pittway Corporation was a diversified holding company best known as a manufacturer and distributor of professional and consumer[5] fire and burglar alarms.

[2][nt 1] The demise of the trolley operations could likely be attributed to the rise in personal car purchases.

[2] In the 1970s, specifically in 1977[update], Pittway and General Electric were the dominant consumer smoke alarm manufacturers.

[4] In 1978, the Consumer Product Safety Commission assessed a US$100,000 fine against Pittway for selling smoke detectors which were themselves fire hazards.

[10] Proposed in December 1999 and completed in February 2000, Honeywell acquired Pittway for US$2.2 billion as a play to expand the breadth of their business in its home and building control unit.