If you’re more interest in setting up a smart home system, you should browse our list of the best smart hubs to get started. For everyone else, read on below to see the best smart smoke detectors to buy.
There’s no question about it – if you want a smart smoke detector, Nest is at the top of the game. The Nest Protect has an industrial-grade photoelectric smoke sensor that can distinguish between different types of fires and works with other smart devices in your home such as thermostats or light bulbs according to your preferences. The Nest Protect can be hushed from your phone – no more annoying false alarms! – and alerts your phone to tell you what it thinks is wrong, so you can keep an eye on your home even when you’re far away.
Best Overall
Google Nest Protect 2nd Generation
Some of its other features include an occupancy sensor, ambient light sensor and even a humidity sensor to build a complete picture of what is going on in your home. It comes in a wired or battery version and connects to Wi-Fi after a simple set-up process. As a bonus, you can choose from multiple different metallic finishes to complement your home’s décor.
The Kidde RF-SM-DC may not have all the extra features that some of the other alarms on our list do, but for the budget-friendly price, this device will still give you wire-free interconnectivity quickly and easily. It uses radio frequency to send and receive messages between your smart home system and/or the other alarms in your home. This allows you to update your system in minutes so that when one alarm goes off, all the alarms go off. Experts agree that an interconnected alarm system is a superior choice to keep you and your loved ones safe.
Best Budget
Kidde RF-SM-DC Wireless Interconnect Battery-Operated Smoke Alarm
Thanks to this Kidde alarm, you can create this interconnected smoke alarm system without spending a ton of money and time to rewire your home. Plus, if you have a smart home hub already like Wink or SmartThings, you can connect your Kidde alarm to it and control it through your hub. A smart touch button quickly hushes the system to silence nuisance alarms.
Best for Alexa Users
First Alert Onelink Safe & Sound
The First Alert 2-in-1 Z Wave Smoke Detector is an affordable option if you need multiple alarms throughout your home. This budget-friendly smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector features both electrochemical and photoelectric smoke sensors in order to minimize the risk of false alarms from things such as shower steam. This device can wirelessly link to a z-wave hub such as the Nexia Home Intelligence Hub that helps you control the smart devices in your home and sends alerts to your device if you are away from home. If you do get a false alarm, you can silence the alarm with a touch of a single button.
Best Value
First Alert 2-in-1 Z Wave Smoke Detector
The Ring Alarm Smoke and CO Listener is one of the easiest smart smoke detectors to install because it doesn’t actually require you to replace your existing smoke detector. All you have to do is place the Ring Alarm Smoke near your smoke detector, right next to it works just fine. Once it’s installed, you can get real-time alarms and notifications to your phone whenever the existing smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarms sound.
Easiest Installation
Ring Alarm Smoke and CO Listener
What to Look for in a Smoke Detector
Voice control - When a kitchen mishap causes a false alarm, there’s no need to drag out a stepladder or poke at your smoke detector with a broom to shut it off. Look for a smart smoke detector that includes a voice hush feature, which lets you quickly shut things down in case of a false alarm. Some smart smoke detectors even work with Alexa.
Interconnectivity - This feature allows one smoke detector to instruct the rest of your smoke detectors to sound the alarm. So if there’s a fire downstairs, the smart smoke detectors in your upstairs bedrooms will immediately wake you up. If you have an existing smart home hub, look for smoke detectors that work with the equipment you already own.
Carbon monoxide detection - Some smart smoke detectors are also capable of alerting you to the presence of deadly carbon monoxide gas. This saves you the extra cost and time associated with buying and installing dedicated carbon monoxide detectors.
