Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm

A few months ago we had a Nest Smart Learning Thermostat installed by Ecoheating.Services in our new home.  Spoiler alert…We were not disappointed. We wrote a review of our experience. Then earlier this month since we were so amazed at how good the Nest Smart Learning Thermostat was we were asked if we wanted to try out the Nest Protect in our kitchen. I have to admit I had not heard of this product available from Nest before so I was intrigued. Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm is as the title suggests a smoke alarm which packs a lot more intelligence than your bog standard chirping annoying white thing on your ceiling. We’ve all been there when one chirps, but which one?! You hunt the house looking to see which one it was.

 

 

The Install

With the Nest Smart Learning Thermostat we needed an installer to visit to get us all set up. Nothing like this needed in this case. The box, which is very Apple-esque (is that a word? I use it all the time) is beautiful in itself. When you open the neatly packed box you’re presented with everything you need. We opted for the long life battery powered one which requires no electrical installation. For the wired versions we strongly recommend you get an electrician to do this. It would only be 5 mins work. You are provided with a ceiling plate fixture which you simply have to screw into the ceiling in your chosen spot. Then the Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm simply locks into place. That’s it. It unlocks just as easy for you to remove it or change the batteries.

 

 

The Setup

To be fair we set the Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm up before we locked it in place on the ceiling. We think you’re meant to do this as the wording in the instructions insinuates this. The setup was extremely quick and easy. If you’re already a Nest customer like us then you will already have the app and an account with them. So for you it is simply a case of going into the app and adding a new product. The setup is extremely simple where it will ask you to connect it to your wifi etc. If you’re not already a Nest customer and you are lucky enough to now be the proud owner of a Nest product then the only difference to you is needing to download the app and do a quick account creation in order to sign in. 5 mins work.

Once you’re new Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm is connected it will want to run a test. It is quite bizarre but reassuring to hear your smoke alarm talk. The alarm is quite loud, as it should be of course, but do make sure to keep any pets out of the area while it tests. It only takes a few seconds. When it advises you everything is in order and you’re not actually standing in a burning house then it’s good to lock your smoke alarm in place on the plate you’ve screwed into the ceiling.

 

 

The Features

The first one we’ll tell you about is one we’ve already touched on above. The smart testing. You can either test the Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm manually via the app or by pressing the Nest button in the middle of the device. Or you can set the smoke alarm to test itself at a certain time each week or month. Maybe some time when you know it won’t bother you. If theres any problems with the test you’ll be informed. The Nest Protect really is state of the art with industrial grade smoke sensors and lasts up to a decade! One of our favourite features is the polite voice, the Nest Protect thinks before it speaks, or beeps. So if it senses smoke in the kitchen it will let you know as soon as possible. So you can stop that burning toast turning into a burning toaster.

Not only is the Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm on your ceiling but its on your phone too. So anything that goes on with the smoke alarm also happens on your phone. So not only will the polite voice announce itself from the smoke alarm itself but you’ll get a notification to your phone too. Perfect if you’re not in the same room or zone of the house as the smoke alarm is situated! Or perhaps not even in the house. The Nest Protect is also so smart that it can differentiate between steam and smoke. So no problem for steamy kitchens or bathrooms!

The Family

As with all Nest devices there is a family account. So one family member acts as the main account holder and can then invite your whole family to Nest. So everyone can get the notifications on their phone so everyone can act. The Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm is also so smart that it can work with your other Nest products. For example if it detects carbon monoxide it can turn off your boiler if you own a Nest Smart Learning Thermostat as this could be the possible source. If you own one of the Nest Cam products it can show you the room where the alarm is currently sounding.

The Extras

An extra feature but one that lights the way. The Nest Protect – The Smart Smoke and CO Alarm has a built in pathway light. The ring around the Nest button on the Nest Protect glows (you can configure it in three different brightness levels) when the lights in the room are off and it detects movement. So that sneaky trip to the fridge in the middle of the night is even easier now!

 

 

Overall we really do love this Nest product and we’re really happy to have it in our home. I am genuinely more reassured that if smoke was detected in our kitchen that I would be notified promptly even if i’m not at home via the app.

And we had to include this photo. Our new kitten Lucky, who enjoyed fighting with and sitting on the Nest Protect box. Easily pleased!