Can I burn incense in thuribles/censers without charcoal?

I want to use incense to occasionally cleanse/protect my home. I feel uncomfortable with smudging even if with herbs other than white sage because it's still not a practice I have ties to, which is why I intend to use a thurible/censer (I heard a hand censer with bells is recommended for laymen, however I'm not sure that matters in witchcraft and I'm only culturally Orthodox). However, I'm also wary of the potentially strong smell a charcoal disk could produce. I have a spiritual friend who once tried burning incense with a charcoal disk and they said the smell is very strong, and I don't want to set off my smoke alarm or worry my neighbors. Is it possible to use something like a cone/pinecone shaped incense (without backflow) and sway it around in a thurible the same way one otherwise would with a coal disk? Or would the swaying and wind make the cone incense less effective?