It was while standing in a 130-minute line for Epcot’s Frozen Ever After ride that I got a phone call from my neighbor. From her yard she could hear our smoke alarms going off. There was no sign of smoke or fire, so I remotely triggered my smart lock to allow her to check things out. Thankfully, it was a false alarm. But this common scenario illustrates the chief, fatal flaw of standard smoke alarms: If no one is around to hear them, they may as well not make a sound at all.
Even if you’re generally not into having a smart home, we think a smart smoke alarm is the one essential appliance every home should have. While a traditional alarm depends on your being around to hear it, a smart smoke alarm will alert you when something is wrong, no matter where you are.
Most smart smoke detectors are hybrid devices that detect smoke and heat as well carbon monoxide (CO), a deadly, scentless gas produced from combustion. And because smart smoke alarms connect to your home internet, they can send you notifications via a smartphone app. An added benefit is that, in addition to smoke notifications, smart smoke alarms can send low-battery warnings long before they run out—which means you’ll never have to hear those annoying middle-of-the-night chirps again. Smart smoke alarms also allow you to silence the alarm using the app when you’ve burned dinner, rather than having to swing around a broom and hope for a lucky shot.
Wirecutter’s top pick for smart smoke alarms, the second generation Google Nest Protect, has a wireless interconnect feature. This means if one device is triggered, the other Protects you have installed will send an alert as well, which is crucial if you don’t have wired smoke alarms. And the Protect’s early warning voice alert (“Heads-up. There’s smoke in the living room. The alarm may sound. The alarm is loud.”) is night and day from the normally jarring experience of a shrieking alarm. Also, the Protect tells you precisely where the danger is, and this smoke detector regularly tests itself, so you don’t have to perform monthly testing of all the units in your house, as we are all advised to do (and which you totally do, right?).
More than just alerting you to fire, a smart smoke alarm that’s compatible with other smart devices you own (or may purchase later) can be set up to perform other life-saving tasks, like shutting down your HVAC system during a fire, turning on your cameras to record, unlocking your front doors, and turning on smart lighting to make it easier for you to get out and firefighters to get in.
After all this praise, however, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out one of the biggest flaws of these devices: Even the smartest smoke detector lives but only 10 years. That’s because by law your smart smoke alarm must stop working and be replaced. (So, definitely do not ever buy a used one off of eBay.)
Another concern is how expensive some models are, such as the Nest Protect. Smart smoke alarms are several times more expensive than even a decent 10-year detector (though they’re cheaper when bought as multiples). Although we still think smart smoke alarms are worth the cost, there are a few less expensive options. Smoke alarm listeners can hear smoke alarms going off and then send an alert to your smartphone. That capability is actually built into Google smart speakers like the Nest Mini. We think these devices are better than just a standard smoke alarm, but because they require an extra step to function, they add a potential failure point, something you don’t want in a safety device.
After the false alarm while I was waiting in line at Disney World, I learned my lesson: I now have three Nest Protects installed throughout my home.
It’s Smart-Home Week at Wirecutter! Read more about all the ways your home can become more intelligent.
