Nest Introduces $129 'Protect' Connected Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector

[luckysob]

http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/firelifesafety/pdf/Smoke Alarm Task Force/R-32 2010 CA Residential Code.pdf

It would take several of these to satisfy the current code, and I'll wait for Gen 2 or 3 to take this product as a serious replacement for my installed detectors.

 

[spazzcat]

So it's still going to take batteries? What a stupid design.

Fusion power is still a ways off....

 

[tigres]

How many detectors does the average house have? I'm pretty sure my house has about 7 and it's a rather average size. That's quite the chunk of change for something that produces little benefit. I think the most useful part is that it tells you which room the smoke is coming from, but unless you have one in each room this feature isn't very useful. The fact that it lights up as you're walking at night is cool, but the flashlight in iOS 7 is pretty easy to get to as well which mitigates that benefit for me. I suppose this is more useful for people who burn things all the time? I've never set off a smoke alarm. I think my wife set one off once in the years we've been married. If our children turn out to be pyros this could prove beneficial.

What would be nice is if these smoke detectors—which seem to have decent speakers in them—could be used over AirPlay as a house-wide speaker system for music. This would work especially well on the wired models where battery life isn't a concern. It would also be great if you could use it like an intercom by speaking into the app and making announcements over the system, such as telling the kids upstairs that dinner is ready (or having some preset buttons to make announcements using the built-in voice actor). Another great feature they could add: Ability to put the house in lockdown mode while away on a vacation or during the day when at work. If it detects any motion, it sends you an alert.

Does anyone know if this will work with the Nest thermostat? I love my thermostat, but sometimes it goes into auto-away when I'm in my office for a few hours working on client projects on the weekend. If the motion detectors worked in-tandem with the thermostat, then that would allow better detection for auto-away. Having temperature sensors in each smoke detector would also be handy for having the thermostat even out the temperature throughout the house. My thermostat is downstairs and sometimes Nest doesn't get the temperature correct upstairs.

That was a great post.

Does anyone concur with me that CO2 does not rise like smoke, hence needing the device closer to floor level? Or am I incorrect.

 

[NorCalLights]

If you have that many new devices that are on your wifi, how will your bandwidth fare? Will you need to pay for even more expensive wifi speed?

That's a little silly... if there's no alarm state, these smoke detectors connect to the Nest service once every 30 minutes (wired) or once every day (battery). And when they do connect, all they're sending is an insignificant amount of data. There's zero chance this will affect your total network bandwidth.

If you have cathedral cielings as I do, then you won't be able to wave your hands in front of it to shut it up as it will be more than the 2-8 feet from you.

The Nest Protect's silence/status button is large enough that you can push it with a broom handle or other long pole by design. If your ceilings are even higher than that, you can hush the alarm by waving a broom above your head. That's certainly better than the tiny little reset/test buttons on regular alarms.

 

[AppleFan360]

The Nest thermostat is just doing its job. If it doesn't sense someone passing in front of the thermostat it will go into 'auto away' mode. There is no other way for it to know you haven't actually left your home/room. I don't see why you should be annoyed. It is not the thermostat's fault. If it get's too warm/cool you can always manually change the temperature or just log-on with your iPhone. I know I do.

Of course but it doesn't make it any less annoying. The first thing I asked the folks at Nest when I got mine last year is when they are going to come out with a remote sensor. They had nothing in the works at the time.

I realize you are trying to defend the functionality of the Nest and that's fine but not everyone's house is the same. I blame the folks at Nest. They should have realized that thermostates are not necessarily in high traffic areas and sooner rather than later created products accordingly to fix the issue.

 

[NorCalLights]

Does anyone concur with me that CO2 does not rise like smoke, hence needing the device closer to floor level? Or am I incorrect.

Detectors do not need to be placed at floor level.

NFPA 720, published by the National Fire Protection Association, sections 5.1.1.1 and 5.1.1.2, all CO detectors 'shall be centrally located outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms,' and each detector 'shall be located on the wall, ceiling or other location as specified in the installation instructions that accompany the unit.'

I have a CO detector (hardwired into my alarm system) that is mounted to the ceiling in my house, and the Nest Protect is clearly designed to be mounted to the ceiling and provide full protection.

 

[kas23]

I love my Nest, but it would be awfully expensive to line your house with these units, especially for something your rarely use/need (if ever).

These look just as good, at a fraction of the price.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Kidde-Ba...-Voice-Alert-KN-COSM-B/100004653#.UlRIQxYYKao

 

[d-klumpp]

Privacy??

Whether it's my smoke detectors or thermostats or transit card, I'm increasingly worried about technology's insistence that we have "an account" for every aspect of our daily life.

Why, so some aggregator can send me targeted ads?

I'll gladly pay $129 for a high-quality smoke/CO detector that solves the old problems. But sending data to Nest??!

Nope.

Dave

 

[canyonblue737]

Perhaps a smart compromise is to use one of these in areas where it will do most good (e.g. in high-traffic areas where the night light and motion sensors will do the most good) and continue to use your basic $20 smoke detectors in outlying areas such as in the garage and basement.

That option only works if you are using the battery models only in addition to all your existing hard wired old fashioned models. The hard wired models of the Nest Protect will NOT send a signal to non-Nest smokes via the hard wire and that violates almost all modern electrical codes if you have a newish house that uses hard wired detectors. If your house burns down (hopefully after you escape) it would be likely your insurance would refuse to pay due to improper detectors. Your only option is to replace ALL your existing hard wired detectors at the same time with the hard wired Nest Protects OR keep ALL of your existing hard wired detectors and add battery powered Nest Protects in the areas you want (rooms without existing detectors, a Nest Protect right next to an existing detector etc.)

For me I would need NINE Nest Protects just to replace my existing hard wired system (for me: $1161) and I would have to do it all at the same time. Remember you also have to budget to replace these every 7-10 years (for me yearly cost of the system: $116) because they actually have an automated message when they expire, "Your Master Bedroom Nest Protect has expired. Please replace it now." and it repeats every TWO MINUTES!

The technology is awesome but the price and upkeep makes this a pretty pricey choice. Existing detectors for under $40 will alarm for smoke and CO2 *just as well* and that is the bottom line of these things... safety. For the once or twice a year we might set off the kitchen area detector and have to get up on the step stool to shut it off is it worth a THREE time price increase in the cost of a unit times the number of units in your whole house? I'm still thinking hard on that one... I might see just buying 1 or 2 of these (battery only models) for *uncovered areas* or as an extra auto-away motion detector for the Nest Thermostat to place in a key area.

Finally: you know what I really want? A $50-60 Nest box that does 2 things... measures room temperature and detects motion and then sends that info to a Nest Thermostat for temp control. I can't even buy into the Nest system because my upstairs thermostat (I have 2 systems) is in a central hallway that is warmed by downstairs rising air... so I have to use a remote sensor in the master bedroom (via a Honeywell high end thermostat) to tell the thermostat what the "real" temperature is. If I put a Nest in that hall now we would NEVER get the temps comfortable in the bedrooms.

 

[nutmac]

For me I would need NINE Nest Protects just to replace my existing hard wired system (for me: $1161) and I would have to do it all at the same time. Remember you also have to budget to replace these every 7-10 years (for me yearly cost of the system: $116) because they actually have an automated message when they expire, "Your Master Bedroom Nest Protect has expired. Please replace it now." and it repeats every TWO MINUTES!

Nest Protect manual specifies 7-year shelf life, or $18.50/year per unit.

I personally think $129 for a wireless carbon monoxide + smoke alarm is a fair price (Costco sells wireless carbon monoxide only alarm for $90). What I would've liked to see, however, is full master version at $129 and slave unit with only the sensors and WiFi at much lower price (e.g., $59).

 

[sportsfan]

If you have a typical house with three bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room, then you need five smoke detectors. At $129 each, you would need to spend $600+. If you have a basement, then you may need more and may spend more. And you'll spend even more if you have them professionally installed.

If you have that many new devices that are on your wifi, how will your bandwidth fare? Will you need to pay for even more expensive wifi speed?

If you have cathedral cielings as I do, then you won't be able to wave your hands in front of it to shut it up as it will be more than the 2-8 feet from you.

This will be a cash cow for Nest as most homes only have one or two thermostats, but most have three to ten smoke detectors. Mine has seven - and I'm in a condo.

Do you need to replace all existing alarms with the NEST one? I'm thinking maybe 1-2 in the higher traffic areas of the home to take advantage of the night light feature and thermostat integration. The rest in the home can stay "dumb".

 

[Binarymix]

A CO detector would be ideal at floor level.

Couldn't you succumb to the CO fumes before a ceiling mounted one went off?

I have mine on the floor for this reason.

 

[AppleFan360]

Do you need to replace all existing alarms with the NEST one? I'm thinking maybe 1-2 in the higher traffic areas of the home to take advantage of the night light feature and thermostat integration. The rest in the home can stay "dumb".

That's what I'm doing. No point in replacing what's already there. The two Nests will simply supplement what I already have. No way in hell I'm buying 9 of these things.

 

[coolfactor]

If you have that many new devices that are on your wifi, how will your bandwidth fare? Will you need to pay for even more expensive wifi speed?

Are you confusing your WAN (outside) connection with your LAN (inside) connection?

You don't need to pay for bandwidth costs and the networking inside your home, other than the initial purchase of the equipment. And Wireless-N routers, which are more than sufficient for the vast majority of wifi devices in use today, have been on the market for many years. If you have anything less, then you should be upgraded anyway.

 

[dtlee1974]

A CO detector would be ideal at floor level.

Couldn't you succumb to the CO fumes before a ceiling mounted one went off?

I have mine on the floor for this reason.

No. CO will mix with the air sufficiently to be detected at the low concentrations these devices detect, far before it becomes a threat.

 

[flatfoot99]

What color u guys going with???

I'm a sucker for this stuff. Preordered 2 white wired. Told the wife it was a safety issue...

 

[mdelvecchio]

If you have that many new devices that are on your wifi, how will your bandwidth fare? Will you need to pay for even more expensive wifi speed?

no.

If you have cathedral cielings as I do, then you won't be able to wave your hands in front of it to shut it up as it will be more than the 2-8 feet from you.

then use your nearest iOS device. most living space isnt that high. no single device is going to solve every single use case in the world.

most have three to ten smoke detectors. Mine has seven - and I'm in a condo.

wow, not sure what im doing wrong. im in a 1800sf home and only have a few -- front room, bedroom, kitchen, attic.

----------

Pssh $129! I'll be a buyer at the correct price point of about $40. Until then, stick with the Kidde alarms.

legacy smoke/CO detectors are about that price. why wouldnt Nest charge more for a more-featured device, plus the R&D for it?

----------

So it's still going to take batteries? What a stupid design.

so you didnt read the product page? what a stupid post.

----------

They should make the "expensive" one to act as the master, and some simpler slave units that are only slightly more expensive than a current high-end smoke/CO detector, but add a radio transmitter that just chirps its status to the master unit on a regular basis.

that sounds complicated and confusing to lay people. normal people dont want to mess w/ things like that -- they just want something that works. grab off the shelf, onto the ceiling, done.

----------

Does anyone know if this will work with the Nest thermostat? I love my thermostat, but sometimes it goes into auto-away when I'm in my office

if you read their product page, youll discover the answer to this question.

----------

This is cool but it's a bad investment. The thermostats will save you money and eventually pay for themselves, while also having a nice user interface. The smoke detector just has a nice user interface. The Nest smoke detector is definitely the best smoke detector ever made, but I don't think it's an order of magnitude better....because the price is an order of magnitude more than a traditional smoke detector.

fire/CO/heat detectors are probably one of the few things you dont want to allow to "pay for themselves" (detect a fire in your home and warn you of it). id prefer i never have to ever use them.

and ill still pay for it -- because the non-chirping, voice-driven, iOS-controlled, etc features of it offer value to me.

 

[rdlink]

The article says it takes batteries or lets you wire it into the house depending on the kind of setup your house comes with.

Also, all wired smoke detectors also take a battery. This is so they'll work if a fire takes out your wiring.

 

[mdelvecchio]

Detects smoke and CO similarly to my existing detectors.

you forgot heat. do your existing cheapies pick up heat and determine whether its an actual fire (smoke, heat, motion). and your cheapies wont assist your thermostat, nor auto-shut-down your furnace. all plusses for me, thus the device offers value and will be purchased.

Nest should have gone after more useful energy-saving devices like light switches and electrical outlets like Belkin is doing with their WeMo devices.

this is their second product. new company.

 

[Battlefield Fan]

I'll have to check when I get home but I'm pretty sure my apartment only has two smoke detectors so this isn't awful. Safety first!

My only concern is that Nest will try and treat these like they did with the iPod and Nest Thermostats and come out with multiple generations of these units. No sane person is going to buy generation 2 of this product if they even have the wallet for generation 1.

 

[ptb42]

Studies have also found that the typical smoke detector alarm is more often "slept through" and that more people are awaken with a voice notification.

I can't even stay in our house when a smoke detector goes off. All 7 are linked together, and the combination of them are painful. It makes my ears ring for hours afterwards.

But, I do like the ability to identify which detector has a low battery. When one starts chirping, I have to walk around the house and wait for it to chirp again, until I can figure out which one.

 

[rdlink]

Very interesting. I'm actually in the market for a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Hopefully these will work in the UK. I also wish Nest would hurry up and release a high voltage Nest thermostat so that people outside of the US can get them hooked up.

People outside of the US have electricity?

 

[ipedro]

I wasn't sold when I heard that Nest was going to re-invent a smoke detector but I am now after seeing what they've done. The ability to verbally warn you in which room there's danger is pretty smart but an away from home warning is truly an addition that no smoke detector can offer. If I'm at work and I find out there's smoke in my house, you bet I'll turn on my security cameras to verify and run over there after calling 911.

The only feature that may turn out to be a downside is the aiding in Auto-Away detection for my Nest. I have a dog so I put my Nest high up enough that she's not detected when she walks by and doesn't disrupt the Auto-Away function of the thermostat. Having the smoke detector on the ceiling, will definitely detect my dog making it look like I'm home. If that can be turned off, I'm in for a couple of these.

 

[acarney]

I like the night light feature of this and the "easy silentl feature. I love the idea of them connected, but I wish it gave a more powerful read out report. If I'm spending big bucks it would be nice to be able to glance at my phone and see the temperature in each room as well as the CO2 ppm (if it's that sensitive). It also would be even smarter with the thermostat that way. Hell, it could even assign an "air quality" value and maybe cycle on just the fan side of the AC to circulate/HEPA filter stale air during the fall/spring months when your system may only run a few hours in the morning or night.

Now about the price. Ya, that's killer. BUT, you could probably start with just a few in high traffic areas or likely false alarm areas. Maybe one in a living room so auto away doesn't cycle on if everyone is watching a movie or something. One around the kitchen because that's probably where false alarms will take place. Etc. Three units wouldn't break the bank when talking about something this advanced and probably would improve the quality a lot in the house. Then slowly replace out the dumb units over the next year or so. Or maybe leave a couple in guest bedrooms that don't get used often or what not.

 

[iMac-do you?]

I'd have black ones, just so my Apple savvy friends would ask why I glued my Apple TV's to the ceiling