14.9.2015

When replacing two rather ancient smoke detectors inherited when we bought our house, we decided to go for Nest Protect. Not only were they the most aesthetically pleasing detectors out there, they had received generally positive reviews and, with the 'internet of things' becoming an increasing reality, they seemed to be the way to go technologically.Having now installed both units I have to say that overall I am impressed, but let me deal with each aspect of the product in turn.1. Packaging - Not really that important, but excellent none-the-less. Akin to the sort of packaging you receive smart phones in. Mostly cardboard, but with a bit of recyclable plastic. No blister packs thank goodness.2.Build quality - Impressive based on initial impressions. Compared to the two units we replaced the Nest Protect feels solid and substantial. Of course, one or both units may fail very quickly, in which case I will update this review, but there's no lightweight, cheap plastic on display here. Even the screws to mount the units are decent quality, rather than soft, cheap metal.3. Installation - Easy-ish. In terms of physical installation (i.e. attaching the units to the ceiling) it was a doddle. Four holes drilled, mounting plate attached using enclosed screws, Nest Protect mounted on plate, done. It was the setting up the software side that was a little trickier, at least with the first unit. Downloading the App wasn't a problem. Nor was setting up an account. The problem came when trying to get the first Nest Protect to communicate with our wi-fi network. After lengthy periods waiting for an 'interconnect' to be made, both the first and second attempt failed. Only when I rebooted our router (a 10 month old BT Homehub) did the interconnect work at the third attempt. I have no idea whether it was the reboot that made the difference or some other change in circumstances, but the initial failure was frustrating, and the 'troubleshooting' advice provided by the App was less than illuminating. Nest does offer a helpline for those experiencing problems, but for a product priding itself on being high-end and user friendly and whose USP is its internet-connectivity the initial failure to connect smoothly was both disappointing and slightly worrying (giving me cause to wonder if the unit will remain connected). That in itself was enough to lose the Nest Protect a single star.To be fair however, connecting the second unit proved to be a doddle, once I had gotten past a self-inflicted mix up that had me accidentally setting up a whole new property on my account rather than installing unit two at the pre-existing location. After I had corrected that mistake unit two connected up quickly and without any problems at all.4. Performance - So far, so good. Having only been running both Nests for a week its a bit early to testify with any great certainty to their performance. I can however, confirm that they both work as they should. Not only did the post installation tests prove that, smoke emerging from the oven when roasting a shoulder of lamb also prompted the unit in the hallway outside the kitchen to give us a verbal warning, followed a moment later by the unit on the landing upstairs (which repeated the warning of hallway smoke, rather than registering smoke itself). Closing the kitchen door prevented either unit setting off a full alarm, thankfully, but it was good to know they were both doing what they should, albeit with a degree of high sensitivity. It also demonstrated the benefit of having a verbal warning before the full alarm kicked in, giving us time to ventilate the offending smoke before being unnecessarily deafened.5. Other positives - The motion sensitive night light feature (which can be switched off if you don't want it) is a great added extra. It provides just enough light to see by, and saves fumbling around for light switches and risking waking people up. Its particularly useful when, like we do, you have small children who wake in the night and may either be moving around themselves or need parental attention.Another positive, in my opinion, is the fact that the battery powered Nest Protect takes standard AA batteries, which you're more likely to having lying around when they need replacing than the usual 9v PP3 battery that most detectors take. Admittedly each unit uses a substantial number of AA's, and at this stage I can't testify to how long they will last, but at least getting hold of replacements will be easy. Plus you'll have a gentle warning when the time to replace them does arrive, courtesy of the App, rather than the annoying intermittent bleep most detectors give off when they're close to going flat.6. Other negatives - So far none. If any do arise I will update the review according.So far however, barring the niggles with the initial set-up and the fact that they're a bit more sensitive that we're used to, the Nest Protects have met all our expectations. I'm not going to be buying any more of them because I don't see the point of having one in every room, and I wouldn't put them in a kitchen or a room with an open fire (traditional heat detectors and pure CO2 detectors remain a safer bet in both those cases) but as your main smoke and CO2 alarm on each floor I really can't fault the Nest.Now if only I had a boiler that was compatible with their Thermostat...

25.11.2015

As the owner of a Nest 2nd Gen thermostat it seemed like a good idea to get the Nest Protect when the smoke alarms needed replacing. My wife was also keen to have CO alarms now that we have a baby; so 2 birds with one stone, even if it is a pretty expensive stone. I've only purchased one Protect for the moment, but plan to add a second when our other smoke alarm reaches the end of it's life. I particularly like the idea that in the event of a fire or CO alarm the boiler will be turned off. It seems such a simple but brilliant idea. The added benefit of notifications to my phone and audio notifications are also a big draw of the Protect.The alarm comes in the standard well thought out packagingI've come to expect from Nest with a nice box which is well packed and includes simple instructions.The first thing you do when you unpack the alarm is to pull out the battery tab and then setup the device with the App. This went very smoothly and didn't take very long at all; less than 5 minutes. One thing to be aware of is that the alarm does a test at the end of setup and the alarm is loud when beeping. I got a bit of a telling off for disturbing the sleeping baby and had I realised it was going to do that I would've left it until the baby was awake.Installation was simple too. It comes with a diagram to show you where you should and shouldn't put it, and following the instructions it was just a case of picking the spot and screwing it into the plasterboard ceiling. All told less than another 5 minutes. The device then just twists onto the base plate you've attached to the ceiling and can be twisted to straighten.The notable features and my experiences:Pathlight: On the battery operated model I've heard this is slightly dimmer than the wired version and has three settings. I have it set on medium and when it's pitch black and you've got up in the night it works very well. It's not going to set your world alight when you've just turned the lights out for the night tho. I've also found that it is activated by our two young cats which may drain the batteries. At the moment I've leaving it on and on medium to see how things go.Nightly Promise: I initially thought this was a bit of a waste, but actually it is kind of useful. The nest glows green is all is well and it's connected, or yellow if there's a problem connecting to the network. It would still work when not connected to the network, but not to it's full extent. It's actually good to know.Steam Check: I have my protect just outside the family bathroom, so this is a useful feature. My wife creates more steam than I thought possible when having a shower and we've not had a false alarm yet.Heads-Up: This is just a pre-warning that something is amiss. I think it's a really useful thing to have and something I've not found offered by any other alarm.Auto-Away assist: This would be a useful feature to help with the Thermostat, especially at the moment with the baby. The idea is that the sensor can be used to tell the thermostat if someone is home and help with the Auto-Away feature. At the moment my wife spends a good deal of time upstairs (away from the thermostat) and having another sensor up there would be useful. Unfortunately the aforementioned cats set it off so I have to have this turned off. It's a real shame and something I'm sure Nest could do something about. I'd love to be able to adjust the sensitivity manually. Maybe in a future update?Overall I'm very pleased. Highly recommended even if it is a bit pricey and with one or two short comings.Update 21/11/16: One year on and I'm still very pleased. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat!Pathlight: Still on medium, still being set off by the cats, but the batteries are still going strong and I like this feature more all the time.Steam Check: This works reasonably well, but steam has sent an early smoke heads-up on 3 occasions in the last year. Not bad going, but room for improvement. Overall I'd rather have a false alarm than it not work in a real fire.Still delighted with my purchase.

19.4.2016

We moved into a newly built house in November 2015. By April 2016, the cheap smoke alarm that our builder had installed had given up already. Given how scarily unreliable and poorly built the original smoke alarm must have been, I decided to explore options for something of a more premium quality.Although a lot of people complain about spending a lot of money on a smoke alarm, to me, it's a no-brainer. This is not just a product purely for decoration (although it is by far the most aesthetic smoke alarm out there) but for your own safety. It seems a little hyopcritical to criticise a quality £89 life-saving smoke alarm if you have ever bought more expensive, non-functional goods purely for their aesthetic quality.Yes, perhaps £50 or £60 might have been a nicer price-point and would encourage more people to buy, but I'm not sure there's any other product out there that has the same level of functionality, compatibility, ease of use (mobile phone app) and aesthetic looks for that price.If it hadn't been for the shoddy work of our electrician, the installation would have been a breeze too. One word of warning for those who buy the wired version - make sure you have space for wires in your ceiling (Ideally a drylining box in the ceiling above your exisiting smoke alarm would be the optimum solution. I ended up having to make a slightly larger diameter hole in our ceiling so that all the wires could be accommodated. It wasn't a huge issue, it just took some patience and careful drilling to get things right for the installation. Otherwise, setting up the Nest is easy peasy - in fact, I'm pretty sure my 4-year old nephew could have worked out how to set it up. Just read the easy-to-follow instructions and before you know it, the Nest is up and running and testing the alarm.Once set up, the Nest sat nicely on our ceiling. In fact, I found myself wishing that I had some smoke to test it out!! But I had to resign myself to testing it via my phone.With most smoke alarms, after you install them, they mainly just stay there for the next several years gathering dust, not performing any function - but the Nest is active. Firstly, there's the Nest Pathlight - basically a nightlight built in to the Nest which automatically turns itself on whenever you move near it. A very useful feature, especially if your smoke alarm is positioned in a landing or hallway that connects bedrooms to bathrooms! Making my way to the bathroom for a late night/early morning pee-pee is now much easier and doesn't involve me stubbing my toes on every object that I can't see. The pathlight is optional and can be turned off or the brightness can be adjusted to suit your requirements.The other useful feature is the nightly Promise. Basically, whenever you turn off the lights at night, the smoke alarm glows green to tell you that everything is working. Seems simple, but it's actually such a nice assurance to have every night when you go to bed. Give how easily and quickly our cheap, builder-installed smoke alarm broke, it's nice to know that your main means of protection against fire is working.The phone app/online portal are great little tools. In the first few days of ownership, I found myself checking the Protect through my app to see what (if anything had happened). Thankfully, nothing was happening, but the app and website gave me peace of mind that the Nest was doing it's job as it was able to give me information about when the sensors, battery and wifi were last tested. It also gave me a timeline of events, showing when the pathlight had been triggered and when the promise had glowed green.All-in-all, I am super happy and impressed with my Nest. In fact, my non-techie other-half is also a big fan and now we're planning to replace all the other crappy, cheapo smoke alarms in the house with Nests (and install a Nest thermostat too hopefully!!)It may have a higher-than-usual price tag for a smoke alarm, but the product quality, functionality and appearance are worthy of it.

14.2.2021

Now I’m going to be the first to admit it -If you put the word SMART before a product - you’ve already peaked my interest, be it a Smart Tv, a Smart toothbrush or even this a Smart fire alarm.It might sound ridiculous to some to pay nearly 5 times more than the average fire alarm for something that does the same job (and it does for the most part), but it’s the little extras that really make up for the heightened cost.Hopefully we will never need it for it’s primary purpose, to alert us of a House fire, but I’m sure the fit would stand up to the task.We live in a three story house and have one of these on each floor,I can’t comment on the ease of installation unfortunately as we were having a lot of building work occurring when these were installed so the electrician installed these at the same time.I’m obviously set these up using the app, which was relatively straight forward, the hardest bit was trying to scan the QR code of the alarm at the top of the third story bedroom staircase, 3 metres high and above the stairs in order to link it to the system.My absolute favourite feature with these is the ‘Pathlight’ - whereby when it’s dark, the protect ring will light up just enough so you can see where you are going without being too blinding and causing your eyes to ‘wake up’ so to speak - this light will stay on if it senses movement, but will turn off after W few seconds of no movement is detected.It’s especially handy if you need to check on a crying child in the night as it’s bright enough to light your way, but not so bright that you can’t ‘see in the dark’, when you enter their room, also great if you need to find the toilet in the night as it doesn’t blind you, whereas turning a main light on would - making it more difficult to get back to sleep.Mobile notifications are fantastic, and I regularly (or in most cases my wife), gets a notification when one of us has burnt some toast (or other), warning is that there is smoke in the kitchen. This notification can be silenced, via the app, but only when you are in the vicinity of the alarm that picked up the signal - obviously a great little safety feature as it means you actually have to check everything is ok as opposed to guessing it is all ok.Again, I hope it never comes to this, but if there is a fire in the house and we’re away, we will get a notification informing us of this and we would be able to contact the fire brigade and get them to the house even though we aren’t there.I get a notification every month to state that the system is about to perform a sound test, just to check that everything is working as it should be, and you can easily check the app to check that everything is working as it should. You can also manually test the alarms to check all is well by holding down the main button on the alarm as you would a a ‘normal alarm’.A green check light with light up the protect ring, when you turn the lights off before bed - this just means that all is well in the system.Obviously not a cheap product, but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a replacement set in 10 years time (when every alarm should be replaced anyway). Supposedly Nest protects stop functioning after 10 years from manufacture (not instal), and are quite insistent for a few weeks before telling you they you need to buy some more. I’ve had mine installed for 2 years so another 8 to go - but to be honest, I don’t begrudge buying a replacement in 10 years, it’s better to be safe than sorry.Overall I think these are fantastic, and again, I hope I never have to use these for their primary function, but I do trust that they will work perfectly if they need to. Again, my favourite feature is the path light feature it truly is something special!

19.7.2018

Did I need a 'smart' smoke alarm? No. Did I see this and then try to justify it? Yes.Nest seems to almost create markets for things we don't really need. But these products are very well made, designed and thought out. Our carbon monoxide monitor had expired, so I took the opportunity to purchase this after reading some reviews claiming the sensors it uses are really good. I wanted something reliable I could mount and not worry about and this certainly seems to be the perfect candidate.In the box, you'll get a user guide, the Nest Protect, a mounting plate and some screws. It's as simple as you'd expect and takes about 15 mins to install.The unit itself feels very sturdy and well made and is quite nice to look at.Fitting - I opted for the battery model as the Nest will let you know once batteries are running low, and I don't have the wiring for a wired model in place. I was mounting this on a plasterboard ceiling so personally, I didn't feel the screws alone offered enough stability. I'd recommend fitting with some wall plugs if you have a plasterboard ceiling too. 6mm wall plugs (red) will offer a nice snug fit. Note that the Nest Protect can be rotated on it's base to lock it in, so you don't have to get the base mounted perfectly straight. It's also worth noting that it's a pretty big device, so should cover up any screw holes from a previous fire alarm nicely.Setup - Just download the app, create an account and scan the barcode/enter the serial. It'll carry out a test and then it's good to go. The alarm is much louer than my previous fire alarm which gives you the confidence of it being clearly heard.App - The Nest app is nice and clean and as expected, allows you to control the settings of your Protect. It has a log of when it has carried out checks, been activated etc. The protect also has a nice little light that is automatically triggered on it too which is perfect for hallways and landings at night. You can control the strength of the light via the app (min/med/max). As it's LED I don't suspect it'll reduce battery life dramatically. On the app home screen, you get a nice green indicator to show all is OK. You can also use the app to schedule the monthly check the alarm runs itself. It's a shame you can't fine tune the time (it offers windows such as 7am - 11am), but it's a reassuring feature. As is the fact that you can be notified if the alarm goes off remotely which is the major selling point of this. One other feature I was really impressed to see was the option to have the Nest Protect turn off your heating if it detects a CO leak. This only works if you have a Nest Thermostat and whilst it probably won't help much if there's a leak, it may offer some precious time. This is a clear example of how much thought goes into Nest products and integration.I can't comment on battery life and since it uses alkaline batteries, it can't monitor how much is left. I assume it will let you know when it is close to running out though. It's worth noting it uses long life batteries (included) so bear this in mind when replacing them.Overall, I'm very impressed by the device so far. My only reservation is the price, but when you factor Nest claim it ought to last 10 years, it's an investment. And the price covers Nest's costs to offer you that 10 years worth of updates, monitoring via their servers and support. It does feel overkill for what you need, but you've probably made your mind up about it if you've got this far!

13.6.2018

I purchased two of these to replace hard wired traditional smoke alarms. The installation was easy. You open the box, download the Nest App if you don't already have it, use your phone to scan the code on the back of each unit and follow the instructions. The units talk to you and tell you what to do. The set up is done before you attach the detectors to your ceiling. I also took photos of the info on the back of each as this won't be visible when installed. Turn off the mains supply to your existing detectors, remove them and then make sure the centre hole in the ceiling or wall is nearly as big as the central hole in the new nest bracket. You may have to make it a bit bigger.Connect the supply wires to the connectors that come with the nest. These are simple push in connectors, so i didn't need wire cutters or strippers. My existing smoke detectors were connected to each other (mine was by a black wire). This is not needed as the Nests talk to each other over wifi rather than wire. I just pushed each end back into the ceiling void (the cable only joined one to the other). You then screw the nest back plate to the ceiling with the self tapping screws that come with it. The nest connectors then connect to a small plug that plugs into the back of the nest unit. Push all wires and connectors into the ceiling void (hence the bigger hole) and attach the main Nest unit to the backplate. A small twist secures it. Make sure your ceiling hole allows for this twist. You then switch the mains feed back on and the units will start taking to you again. Follow their instructions to test the units. You may need to press the big button on the unit twice to start this. You can then go back to the nest App and see the units in your list. You do NOT need Nest thermostat, all you need is one or more Nest Protect 2nd Gen and the Nest App, wifi and a smart phone. I have given it 5 stars for easy install and potential but until I see the alarm activated due to burnt toast I don't know how good it is. I'll update once I have seen it identify an incident. The product looks like a high quality item. Like top brand phones, the box and packaging is high quality and solid. It gives you confidence if they have designed the packaging so well the item inside is hopefully as high spec. If your wifi or electricity goes down, the units will still work as they have battery backups. They won't be able to notify your phone without wifi but will still detect and set off alarm if necessary. This is an expensive alarm - and the functionality may be more than you need, but if you want piece of mind when away from home, this is a great idea (if you don't mind your phone alerting you every time your teenagers burn the toast)

24.7.2015

I have been looking at getting a Nest Protect for a long time and we recently had some re-wiring and decorating done, so with the release of the 2nd generation approaching this seemed like the ideal time. I bought the Nest Protect for a couple of reasons, firstly I will be getting the Nest Thermostat later this year when we have a new boiler installed and I know the smoke alarms and thermostats work together to improve the Auto Away function of the thermostat, and secondly I love a good gadget! I opted for the wired version as I was placing it on the landing where the Pathlight feature would be used lots,

9.6.2017

This feels like a quality product from the minute you start to unpack it, with lots of thought gone into how it is packaged, documented etc. All the wiring and connectors are included for replacing an existing mains-power smoke alarm however this does require this to be installed over the top of a flush fitting faster fix cable box installed into the ceiling cavity, some smokes will have this installed while others will not but only a minutes work to cut a box into the ceiling void and only required if you buy the mains version. The nest smoke alarm only requires mains power and no interconnection link cable between house smoke alarms as this is done via WIFI so could even be a cost effective

11.6.2019

These alarms are great (We have installed 3)The features they contain probably make this the most advanced in a smoke/CO detector on the market.I have read some reviews that say that they don't comply with building regulations, but having read the White Paper from Nest I'm pretty sure from my understanding that they far exceed the requirements of the building regulations.The installation is quite easy albeit a few pointers I'll expand on in a minute. Site registration is quick and simple. The connection to the wifi (Assuming you can remember your password) is over in a jiffy.My only complaints are very minor regarding the installation into an existing circuit in existing wiring.The installation

6.9.2018

Upon opening the product I was disappointed to find no supplied wall plugs, but quickly realised they were self-tapping screws of decent quality. Installing the back plate was a breeze, and you don’t have to be super precise with the alignment with any nearby walls as once the detector is attached it can still be rotated for finer adjustment.The companion app is okay as far as smart home apps go, although it had trouble with my postcode format despite my location being set to UK. I ended up punching in a postcode I knew from a few miles away, which it accepted. I don’t want my smoke alarm knowing where I live anyway.The rest of the setup was painless and once the initial self-test was completed you’re not really left with anything further to do.

31.8.2015

Well it's a smoke / carbon monoxide detector, so it's not the most exciting thing to review.It's also a bit over priced, but it didn't stop me getting it. I recently removed the old smoke detectors in a house we recently bought to find out they had expired more than 5 years ago, and were not up to code (they were wired and not interconnected as the code says they should be), so I went out and bought these as I wanted interconnected ones and I wanted carbon monoxide detectors as well. So these met both of my needs, being interconnected wirelessly and also doing carbon monoxide as well as being a smoke detector.The units do use wireless (as in wireless internet) for the app and for communicating back to nest,

12.10.2017

I bought 5 of these to cover the rooms in the house that have the main electrical appliances (white goods are a very common cause of fires) and one for the landing so that we hear the alarm if there's a fire somewhere downstairs. I don't regret it as you can't put a price on safety of family, and it's also reassuring to know that you'll be notified if one goes off and you're away from home.The price is indeed high, but as I say, you can't put a price on the safety aspect, especially if you have a large house that's on multiple levels.The build quality if fantastic and fitting the alarms was a breeze. I bought the battery version since the price of professional installation for 5 wired alarms was quoted at around £1,500 - since the detectors are supplied with batteries,

21.7.2017

When I was woken at 3 a.m. the other morning by my smoke alarm complaining that its battery was running low, I decided it was time for a more sophisticated solution. And this is – at so many levels.First, the physical features. It may sound strange but it actually looks nice. Mounted on a ceiling, it doesn't shout out its presence but, to the extent that you notice it, it's quite attractive. So far as fixing is concerned, you don't have to line up the backplate very precisely because, once you've aligned its lugs with those on the alarm, you can turn the unit as far as you like. Also, the unit is supplied with self-tapping screws that need no pre-drilling to mount it in a dry-lined wall or conventional ceiling.Next,

1.12.2016

Absolutely brilliant some alarm! I bought this over a year ago and we now have several around our house.This smoke alarm has been worth far more than we paid for it. Early in the year we bought a new breadmaker, it was a Sunday and I was at work and my husband went into work for a few hours and put the bread machine on so that a loaf would be ready when he got home. I know you're not meant to leave a bread machine unattended whilst you're out/asleep/elsewhere but in reality I doubt we're the only people to do it. The bread machine turned out to be faulty despite being a very good quality, well known brand, and caught fire. The alert came up on my husband's 'phone that the fire alarm had detected smoke,

26.10.2017

We already had wired smoke alarms, but they were over 10 years old.Upgraded to Nest Protect to get CO alarm for extra protection as well, our first foray into the smart Home world.We did the install of 3 linked alarms ourselves using our existing wiring (we are reasonably competent at electrical diy). Installation was straightforward once we’d worked out how to remove the old alarms. We were fortunate that our old alarms were mounted on a socket back box in the ceiling. The nest back plate is round and has numerous mounting screw holes which made it easy to line up the back plate with existing holes. Be sure to install the app,

Nest Protect 2nd Generation Smart Smoke Detector - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail