Smart Thermostat Company Nest Developing 'Protect' Smoke Detector

MacRumors · Sep 24, 2013

Nest, the company behind the iPhone-connected Nest Learning Thermostat, is working on developing a smoke detector, reports former Wall Street Journal journalist Jessica Lessin. While information is scarce on the smoke detector, it will presumably be controlled via an iPhone app similar to the Nest thermostat. According to AllThingsD, the product will be called "Protect."

The device will be the technology company's latest trojan horse into your home, which it wants to make as easy to control as a computer or smartphone. Think of it as the next node in the home network Nest is building device by device with the original thermostat as the hub.

According to Lessin, the smoke detector will have a lot of "neat" features that go beyond traditional smoke detecting, including a possible subscription monitoring service to remotely alert users if smoke or fire is detected (AllThingsD disagrees, saying the product will not include a subscription service). It may also interact with the Nest thermostat and detect carbon monoxide.

One person said the device could communicate with the Nest thermostat, giving it a longer battery life by eliminating the need for it to have its own battery-draining wi-fi chip. We also hear that Nest has discussed features like the ability to silence the alarm by waving a hand in front of it and the ability to detect carbon monoxide.

iPhone-connected home devices have been growing in popularity in recent months. In addition to the Nest thermostat, there are a range of other iPhone-controlled products available, including the Philips Hue lighting system and a number of automatic locking systems like the Lockitron and the August Smart Lock.

Nest's current product, the Nest Learning Thermostat, can be purchased from the Apple Store and other retailers for $249. Though there's no prospective release date on the smoke detector, Lessin's sources suggest that it could be released as early as this year.

Article Link: Smart Thermostat Company Nest Developing 'Protect' Smoke Detector

komocode · Sep 24, 2013

my smoke detector is pretty complicated

Shrink · Sep 24, 2013

Just what the world needs...a $250 smoke detector.

Just because something can be done, doesn't necessarily mean it should be done...

Mac'nCheese · Sep 24, 2013

Shrink said:
Just what the world needs...a $250 smoke detector.

Just because something can be done, doesn't necessarily mean it should be done...

Figure the target demo is the same people who buy those 200 buck light bulbs.

Edit: sorry, the starter pack is $200. Each bulb only costs $60.

Jeaz · Sep 24, 2013

Shrink said:
Just what the world needs...a $250 smoke detector.

Just because something can be done, doesn't necessarily mean it should be done...

I paid about $200 for my current one, while it can communicate with an iPhone app, it doesn't have the same feature set as this one.

As a side note, does anyone know if there's some international standard for thermostats? Or are the US ones different from the EU ones?

MVallee · Sep 24, 2013

I love my Nest thermostat and would be interested to see how they could make a smoke detector better.

clayj · Sep 24, 2013

What they should develop FIRST is a remote temperature sensor for the Nest -- something you could plug in in, say, your bedroom and then tell the Nest, "I want the temperature THERE to be [x]." My Nest is in my front hallway and while the temperature THERE gets to what I've set it to be, my bedroom is never quite at the same temperature.

D-Back · Sep 24, 2013

clayj said:
What they should develop FIRST is a remote temperature sensor for the Nest -- something you could plug in in, say, your bedroom and then tell the Nest, "I want the temperature THERE to be [x]." My Nest is in my front hallway and while the temperature THERE gets to what I've set it to be, my bedroom is never quite at the same
temperature.

Yes please.

swb1192 · Sep 24, 2013

clayj said:
What they should develop FIRST is a remote temperature sensor for the Nest -- something you could plug in in, say, your bedroom and then tell the Nest, "I want the temperature THERE to be [x]." My Nest is in my front hallway and while the temperature THERE gets to what I've set it to be, my bedroom is never quite at the same temperature.

And a motion sensor built-in with that, too. I had to turn off auto-away since I stay in an office all day that my thermostat does not see. Suddenly it was 83° in my apartment since auto-away was activated...

Worf · Sep 24, 2013

Make it subscriptionless and this will at least do as well as Nest.

Squid7085 · Sep 24, 2013

I think that is the last thing the home needs to be "reinvented," unless they plan on turning the smoke detector in to an all in one "detector" that detects motion, light, temperature. I could get behind that, but seriously.

nuckinfutz · Sep 24, 2013

This is not what people want. Nest has almost no chance and generating subscription revenue from a smoke detector.

I have a smoke detector today that annoys me when I cook. I have a sprinkler system that will go off if it gets too hot. But most importantly I have renter's insurance which covers me a whole lot better than Nest could ever dream of.

A fancy smoke detector is so mind numbingly bad of a decision it would cast doubts on whether the brain trust behind Nest really has any good ideas or not.

RyanKohl · Sep 24, 2013

clayj said:
What they should develop FIRST is a remote temperature sensor for the Nest -- something you could plug in in, say, your bedroom and then tell the Nest, "I want the temperature THERE to be [x]." My Nest is in my front hallway and while the temperature THERE gets to what I've set it to be, my bedroom is never quite at the same temperature.

This has to do with the air flow through the house.

RMo · Sep 24, 2013

Mac'nCheese said:
Figure the target demo is the same people who buy those 200 buck light bulbs.

You must mean the Hue. The bulb is not $200. That's for a three-pack, plus a "hub." Per bulb, then, it's only slightly more expensive than a good quality LED bulb was a couple years ago and not a horrible price for the features provided. A little expensive, but LEDs are generally a good investment due to their long life and low energy consumption.

But as for the Nest-style smoke alarm, I agree. The only usefulness I could see here is remote notification of smoke or carbon monoxide (and at the price they're undoubtedly going to charge, they better provide both). If they have a "wave hand to silence" feature, I hope they test it well so actual fires (or people by accident) won't be in danger of silencing the alarm with any appearance of motion. In general, however, smoke alarms seem so uncomplicated that I'm not sure what the advantage of a "smart" one would be.

But maybe it's one of those things you don't think you need because you can't even imagine its existence. We'll see.

gokart186 · Sep 24, 2013

If I can set it to "i'm cooking a pizza and not burning the house down" mode I'm in!

clayj · Sep 24, 2013

RyanKohl said:
This has to do with the air flow through the house.

Well, obviously. The point is that the thing that actually measures temperature -- the thermostat -- is rarely where you want it to be and cannot easily be moved. Having a remote temp sensor that you can move around would be invaluable.

2bikes · Sep 24, 2013

Protect can maybe protect me from other things too... Like a home security/fire alarm. That would be something to think about.

Doctor Q · Sep 24, 2013

Smoke detectors are so cheap. You just change the battery once in a long while and that's it. Perhaps instead of an expensive smoke detector we need a cheap device that listens for a standard smoke detector's alarm and alerts you in other ways.

On the other hand, being able to tell my smoke detector that I burned the dinner so it shouldn't squawk just now would be very handy. I'm not as talented a cook as gokart186!

burne · Sep 24, 2013

clayj said:
What they should develop FIRST is a remote temperature sensor for the Nest

There is that option. You can install multiple Nests. You can arrange them in various ways. Multiple masters, master/slave etc. Your bank account will hate you, however.

Also: with a single source of heating/cooling your results will be limited. Suppose it's 110F in the living room and 40F in your bedroom. Should the heater go apesh_t, or should your airco switch to arctic mode?

Battlefield Fan · Sep 24, 2013

I could justify Nest's price tag because it'll pay for itself over time but I can't find myself paying a premium for a smoke detector.

PracticalMac · Sep 24, 2013

Good enough to partially replace those pricy Home Security company?

BigHonkingDeal · Sep 24, 2013

nuckinfutz said:
This is not what people want. Nest has almost no chance and generating subscription revenue from a smoke detector.

Exactly, the last thing I want is another monthly subscription. I'm getting nickeled and dimed to death as it is....

McGiord · Sep 24, 2013

If they bundle a full house solution package it could be a nice system.
Obviously other sensors and actuators would be better: CO monitor, video surveillance, humidity control, window and doors sensors, etc.

Mac'nCheese · Sep 24, 2013

Battlefield Fan said:
I could justify Nest's price tag because it'll pay for itself over time but I can't find myself paying a premium for a smoke detector.

Well a smoke detected is kind of like insurance. To really pay for itself, it has to be used. And to be used....

jgdeschamps · Sep 24, 2013

I have a smoke detector today that annoys me when I cook. I have a sprinkler system that will go off if it gets too hot.

You either don't understand how those things work (and of course you are exaggerating using lies in your comment), or someone ripped you off when installing those equipments and your insurance company is not as good as you might think it is after checking and approving the installation.

Anyways, I wouldn't trust a device like that if it's not UL listed and FM approved for fire protection applications. It's a critical, life-saving device that shouldn't be downplayed to a mere iAccessory, like a thermostat.

Smart Thermostat Company Nest Developing 'Protect' Smoke Detector

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