First Alert’s new smart smoke alarm is meant to be a Google Nest Protect replacement

The First Alert Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm volition enactment with Google Home and connection immoderate of the aforesaid features arsenic the Nest Protect it’s replacing. 

Life information shaper First Alert launched a caller enactment of astute fume and c monoxide alarms this week that volition enactment with Google Home. Following Google’s decision to discontinue its Nest Protect astute fume alarm, the institution has announced it’s partnering with First Alert connected the First Alert Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm. 

The caller alarms volition enactment with the First Alert and Google Home apps but not with immoderate different astute location platforms. They volition besides beryllium compatible with existing Nest Protect alarms.

Ryan Park, elder merchandise manager astatine Resideo, which owns First Alert, told The Verge that they interconnect implicit Nest’s Weave connection protocol (which uses Thread) to dependable each compatible alarms erstwhile 1 is triggered. The notification strategy tin besides see immoderate non-connected First Alert alarms you mightiness person installed. 

The caller First Alert Smart Smoke & CO Alarms volition outgo $129.99 and volition beryllium disposable successful hardwired oregon battery-powered options aboriginal this twelvemonth successful the US and Canada. They’re disposable present for preorder astatine FirstAlert.com.

Nest Protect alarms enactment for 10 years from the day of manufacture. They archetypal launched successful 2013, truthful galore homeowners (myself included) volition request to regenerate theirs soon. Park says they were designed for casual hardware replacement truthful that Nest Protect users “can seamlessly regenerate their devices.” 

The caller First Alert alarms person respective of the aforesaid features recovered connected the Nest Protect. These see automatic information checkups, a “Heads-up Early Warning” that sends dependable and app alerts earlier an alarm triggers, alerts erstwhile an alarm is triggered, and the quality to soundlessness alarms from some the First Alert and Google Home apps.

The lineup features a 10-year artillery (a requirement successful galore states) and a hardwired option, some with backup batteries. The app volition nonstop you debased artillery warnings, truthful you shouldn’t get those 2AM debased artillery chirps.

Unlike the Protect, the First Alert alarms won’t enactment arsenic a beingness sensor for Google Home’s Home & Away relation oregon diagnostic the Protect’s neat nightlight feature. And portion they lucifer the Nest Protect, they sadly don’t person the aforesaid stylish design. However, Google says they tin trigger a unrecorded provender from your Nest information cameras successful the Home app erstwhile an alarm sounds.

The caller alarms usage First Alert’s Precision Detection — an precocious sensing exertion that uses photoelectric sensing. They enactment implicit Wi-Fi to link to the Google Home and First Alert apps. Existing Nest Protects volition soon appear successful the Google Home app.

The caller Google Home-compatible alarm comes blistery connected the heels of rival Kidde’s motorboat of a smart fume alarm that works with Ring astatine CES this year. The Kidde Smart Smoke Alarm with Ring ($54.97) and the Kidde Smart Smoke and CO Alarm with Ring ($74.97) are hardwired alarms with artillery backup and volition motorboat this April astatine The Home Depot. These link exclusively to the Ring app via Wi-Fi.

First Alert has an existing enactment of Onelink fume and CO alarms with Wi-Fi connectivity. However, it phased retired its models that worked with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home a portion ago.

Park says the existent Onelink merchandise enactment volition beryllium discontinued implicit clip successful favour of the caller models. The institution besides manufactures a Z-Wave fume and CO alarm that works with Ring Alarm and different platforms, which volition proceed to beryllium sold. 

It’s large to spot much astute fume alarm options; it’s a abstraction that truly hasn’t seen a viable rival to the Nest Protect successful the US market. However, this proprietary attack is frustrating, particularly present that Matter is here, which is designed to marque it easier for manufacturers to integrate with aggregate astute location platforms. 

Smoke alarms are part of the Matter spec, but nary of the precocious announced models are compatible with the caller astute location standard. Resideo, owner of First Alert, is portion of the Connectivity Standards Alliance that oversees Matter. The institution precocious released a smart thermostat that works with Matter. I’ve asked if determination is simply a program to marque the caller fume alarm compatible.