One glance is all you need to see that the Nest Protect isn’t your conventional fire alarm. Besides the fact that it’s a wireless smoke detector, the Nest Protect has a surprisingly appealing design, unlike its traditional counterparts.
While it ranks high among smoke detectors with pretty useful bonus features, would it be wise to spend your money on it?
First Impression of the Nest Protect
You’ll notice right off the bat that the unit runs on batteries. This means that you can install it in old homes with electrical systems that don’t readily accommodate conventional smoke alarms. It also differentiates itself from competitors with a proprietary split-spectrum sensor. It combines the ability of both photoelectric and ionization sensors. In other words, it can detect both smoldering fires and flaming fires. It can even tell the difference between smoke and steam.
The Nest Protect also comes with a CO (carbon monoxide) detector. It’s worth noting that CO detecting capabilities are only necessary in case you use a fireplace, have fuel-burning appliances, or have an attached garage at home.
Nest Protect Features You’ll Like
It’s commonly thought that hardwired fire alarms interconnect with other, similar units better than wireless ones. Nest Protect begs to differ, as it easily interconnects with other Protect detectors within a building. In fact, the Nest Protect can interconnect to a total of 18 alarms per home. Consequently, you get alerted more quickly of the presence of CO or smoke in the house during emergencies, even when there’s only one alarm that got tripped.
This Nest smoke detector also comes with a slew of nifty features. It has voice alarms to tell you the nature of any detected fire threats as well as safety lights to illuminate smoky or dark rooms. It has warning lights to tell you when the device is running low on power, too. Its best feature, however, is that it sends alerts to your phone if an alarm goes off or if its batteries are running low. You’ll have to set its app to send you notifications through your smartphone, though.
Another feature you’ll love about the Nest Protect is its built-in activity monitor. Pair such a function with other Nest products and you’re bound to save off your utility bills. So let’s say you left for work, the Protect device can detect that you’re not around and tell your Nest Thermostat to set your HVAC system to “away”. Nest Protect can help ensure that your house is neither cooling or heating, even if you forgot to tell your Nest Thermostat that you’re leaving.
On that note, Nest Protect complements other Nest devices well. When you have a Nest Cam and Nest Protect, for example, you instantly get a CCTV setup in the household. The Nest Cam automatically records a video every time the Protect’s alarms get triggered by smoke, fire, or movement. You’ll be able to see and hear everything that happens in your place while you’re away.
You’ll also be delighted to hear that help and support options for this Nest product are quite comprehensive. It even includes email and telephone support when you’re no fan of reading its active online database of troubleshooting guides.
A Few Minor Downsides
The majority of smoke detectors on the market come with standard 10-year warranties. This is to typically ensure longevity for your investment. This is the one area where the Nest Protect falls short. All you get for such a valuable device is a two-year warranty.
The Nest Protect is a wireless fire alarm that’s impressively heavy on features and visually pleasing to boot. It’s a break from the usual mold of smoke alarms so it fits well into your smart home plans, too. We honestly think the Nest Protect should get a crack at the best smart home products for every part of the house.
