Smoke and CO (Carbon Monoxide) detectors are undoubtedly one of the most important safety devices for protecting your home and office from a fire hazard or CO leak. In the year 2013 alone, there were more than 3,500 residential fire deaths in the US and more than 40% of these homes where the resulted in death didn’t have smoke detectors. The presence of smoke detectors might have played a major role in these homes and could have saved the lives of many. Fully functional CO detectors too are not very commonly found in homes. As per a 2014 report, only 15% of homes in US have CO detectors. While many might not know but CO too is a deadly, invisible gas which is one of the leading causes of the airborne poisoning in US. And the stats are similar all over the world. While governments in many of the countries have made it mandatory to install smoke and CO detectors in homes and office, incorrect installation, expired sensors, and no maintenance are some of the reasons that disable the detectors to provide the promised protection.
If you are looking for a smoke and CO detector, fortunately, the technologies have advanced dramatically and these modern detectors are nothing close to what they used to be in the past. For instance, the most popular Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm – 2nd Gen. Many of you might have already heard about how Nest transformed the thermostat landscape with their Nest Learning Thermostat and with the Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector, the company wants to repeat the feat in the smoke detector landscape. Read this review to know why this advanced smoke and CO detector is gaining a reputation for being the best wireless smoke detectors.
Features
- Wi-Fi Connectivity – The Nest Protect is Wi-Fi-enabled, allowing it to remotely report the status through a web browser or its mobile application. The web interface as well as the mobile applications are beautifully designed and are extremely easy to use. Moreover, when you install the app and connect it to your Nest Protect, you’ll also get notifications on your mobile if smoke or CO is detected by the detector and can also silence the alarm right from your phone.
- It Talks! – Yes, the Nest Protect 2nd Gen talks. When you press the central button of the detector, it’ll speak its status. And if you press the button twice, it will run a manual test to check if everything is alright and every step is again vocalized. Also, if smoke or CO is detected, the detector will also tell you about the type of hazard and its location. Moreover, the detector will also speak when the battery is low and before going off to allow you to stop it along with the spoken confirmations.
- Split-Spectrum Sensor – Every second counts in case of an emergency. Thus, the Nest Protect features lights of two different wavelengths to accurately detect slow and fast burning fires to warn you about the same.
- Motion Detecting Lights – The wireless networked smoke detector also has a single ring of light around the center button which allows you to know the current status of the detector. Blue light means that the detector is updating itself, red light indicates smoke or CO detected, yellow means technical glitch and green means all is well. Moreover, it also has motion detection feature which detects your movement at night and provides you with a soft light to help you find the light switch. The motion detector also does another important job. While you can silence the alarm by pushing the center button or through the mobile app, you can also activate its motion detection feature to hush the alarm by simply waving your hand in front of the detector.
- Interconnectivity – If you install Nest Protects in different parts of your home, they will all communicate with each other. So, for instance, if the Nest Protect in your kitchen detects smoke or CO and you are in the bedroom, it’ll inform the same to the Nest Protect of your bedroom which in turn will inform you about the same. Moreover, if you already have Nest Learning Thermostat in your home, both the devices will work hand-in-hand. For instance, if Protect detects CO leak, it will inform the same to the Nest Learning Thermostat and as a safety measure, the thermostat will turn off the furnace or boiler which are very common sources of CO leaks.
Benefits
- Easy Installation – This wired version of the Nest Protect can be easily installed in minutes. Nest has redesigned the backplate of the detector and has made it much better as compared to Gen 1 Nest Protect. Moreover, once it is installed you can quickly pair it up with your iOS and Android devices. And when you connect the detector to your Wi-Fi network, every Nest product in your home will be automatically connected to each other.
- Easy Mute – It is very common to run the shower too hot or forget the bread in the toaster. The next thing you know is the smoke detector shrieking and then you try to wave a towel around the detector for moving the smoke. But you don’t have to do this with the Nest Protect. It features motion detector and by simply waving your arms in front of it for a few times will mute the alarm.
- Voice Notifications – Standard smoke and CO detectors only come with two modes- silent and active. But these best WiFi smoke detectors from Nest are different. Nest Protect not just provides you with voice-based notifications during the incident, but before and even afterwards. As a result, you are able to avoid the incident and also get to know if things are safe again after the incident.
- Color Rings – Even without the voice-based notifications, you can easily know the status of Nest Protect simply by having a look at the ring color. It is very important to check the functioning of the smoke detectors, its batteries, sensors, etc. to ensure that the detector will function efficiently in case of an emergency. Nest Protect does this automatically and exhibits a green light if everything is alright. Similarly, in case of an emergency the light will be red, technical problems are indicated by yellow and blue means that the detector is updating itself.
- Style – While all the safety and security devices for home and office use have turned to be a lot more beautiful now, why should wireless smoke detectors be left behind? Nest Protect is not just miles ahead in terms of functionality as compared to the traditional smoke and CO detectors, but is also way better in its appearance. Its sunflower pattern with a circular button in the center surrounded by a light ring, it is sure to add up to the appearance of any room.
- Battery Backup – The wired Nest Protect also comes with backup battery to make sure that the detector does its job even in case of a power failure. The 3 x lithium batteries have average life of 10 hours and are easy to find.
Specifications
- Brand- Nest
- Model Number- S3003LWES
- Weight- 1 pound
- Dimension- 5.3 x 1.5 x 5.3 inches
- Style- Wired
- Batteries- 3 x Lithium Metal (Included)
- Average Life of Battery- 10 hours
- Warranty- 2-years limited warranty
- Smoke and CO detection
- Wi-Fi-enabled
- Voice notifications
- Remote alerts through web interface and mobile application
- Can be silenced from mobile, by waving hands in front of the detector and by pressing the center button
- Split-spectrum sensor to detect slow and fast burning fires
- Color ring to indicate status
- Interconnectivity
- CO sensor has a lifespan of 10 years
- Easy installation
- Motion detection
- Ambient light sensor
- Aesthetically appealing
- Most popular smart smoke detector
- 2-years limited warranty
- Expensive
- Some wireless smoke detector reviews also suggest that Nest Protect gives too many false signals
Other Competitors
While many other brands, like Leeo, Kidde, etc. have come up with their own versions of remote wireless smoke detectors, most of them have taken inspiration from Nest Protect. However, Nest
Protect 2nd Gen still has a number of features, like muting the alarm with the wave of the hand, interconnectivity, etc. which make it a far better choice than many others. According to many wireless smoke detectors reviews, this one stands out for sure.
Why You Should Buy Nest Protect 2nd Gen?
As mentioned above, the 2nd Gen Nest Protect is the original smoke detector, and many of its competitors are just highly inspired versions of it. So, don’t you think it only makes sense to buy the original product rather than a product that is inspired by the original one? Your home and office certainly deserve enhanced safety, and it is your duty only to invest in the best smoke detector and not something that is only a rip-off of another high-quality product.
Conclusion
From all the different options available in the market, our vote for the best wireless interconnected smoke detectors certainly goes to Nest Protect 2nd Gen. While there is no denying the fact that this smoke and CO detector is expensive as compared to others, it comes from a world-renowned brand and has features that can enhance the safety of your home and your loved ones. Moreover, Nest is a brand which is known to improve their products with time and the Nest Protect too, will only get better in future. Afterall, it’s the safety of your home and family members, and cost should not be the only deciding factor.
Do send us your opinions and experience with this best Wi-Fi smoke detectors from Nest with the help of the comments section available below. In case if you are looking for other amazing products, like smart security cameras, thermostats, hubs, etc. please do visit other pages of our website as we’ve collected some of the best ones currently available in the market.