Fire? There’s an app for that
Nest, founded by the man who created the iPod at Apple but now owned by Google, is best known for its smart thermostat. That costs £249 and requires professional installation, but the Nest Protect, a smoke alarm that can similarly connects to your mobile devices, is much more straightforward. It costs £89 in battery or wired configurations (the latter to replace existing wired units), and you can install it yourself. The battery version uses no less than six AA cells, presumably because it draws power relatively fast.
The original Nest Protect had a feature called Wave that let you turn it off by waggling your hand, but this was disabled after it was found to be too easily activated unintentionally. The new version looks the same and is turned off using the Nest app. The ceilingmounted box indicates mild danger by changing the colour of its illuminated ring, then switches to a red light and siren in more serious situations. Besides smoke, it detects heat and deadly carbon monoxide, and it’s supposedly much better at ignoring steam. Perhaps most importantly, it constantly tests itself and lets you know if it’s not working.
The Nest Protect 2 is beautifully made, and controlling several Nest Protects in different rooms and a Thermostat from the app will feel like you’re in the Jetsons. But at three times the price of a normal detector, it’s likely to remain a fantasy.
VERDICT
Makes the most sense if you use more than one, but replacing multiple alarms is just too expensive.
SPECIFICATIONS
Split-spectrum smoke sensor • Electrochemical CO sensor • Heat, light, humidity and movement sensors • 802.11n Wi-Fi • Complies with EU/UK safety standards • 38.5x135x135mm (HxWxD) • Two-year warranty