Best Smart Smoke Alarms 2022: Reviews & Buying Advice

The concept is simple: a smoke alarm that tells you there’s a fire nearby is great, but a smoke alarm that tells you there’s a fire no matter where you are is even better. Smart smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are one of the most useful categories of smart home equipment on the market, primarily because they offer a distinct advantage over “dumb” versions of the same product. And if you have a second home or travel frequently, the added peace of mind they can provide is invaluable.

Once installed and powered on, it downloads the corresponding app and connects to the device wirelessly. Then, when the alarm sounds, not only do you get an audio alert (many include helpful voice instructions instead of just a siren), your smartphone also tells you what the problem is (if it’s smoke or CO, which alarm went off , and sometimes even the severity of the smoke). Many smart smoke detectors connect to additional smart home equipment and IFTTT, so you can get even smarter by having your lights start flashing if smoke is detected, for example. Perhaps the biggest benefit of a smart smoke detector: no more hunting midnight chirps, as you’ll also get phone notifications about dead batteries.

Here are our picks for the best options on the market today.

best smart smoke detector

Nest Protect is one of the most mature smart smoke alarms on the market, and it’s an obvious choice if you want one of the most sophisticated and reliable smart smoke detectors out there. The alarms are varied, the integrated lighting is color coded according to the type of threat, and the product includes helpful voice alerts when activated. In testing, our phone received an alert almost immediately, and the app couldn’t be easier to master. If you have extra Nest gear at home, like a Nest Thermostat, things get even smarter as you can set Protect to turn off your ventilation system if it detects smoke, a potential lifesaver.

At $119, the Nest Protect isn’t cheap, but there are more expensive options. In this case, however, the outlay is worth it.

The best affordable smart smoke detector

The X-Sense XS01-WT isn’t as smart as the much more sophisticated Nest Protect: it won’t warn you of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home, and you won’t be able to interconnect multiple units so that when one beeps. turned off, they’ll all sound bad, but its $40 list price makes it an attractive value for home security.

best smart listener

Leeo has shut down the servers for their Leeo Smart Alert Nightlight, so the 2nd generation Roost Smart Battery wins this category by default. Install this battery in your conventional smoke detector and it will send a push notification to the contact list you set up in your app, so you can take action even when you’re away from home.

What you should know about smart smoke detectors

For the most part, smart smoke alarms tend to work almost identically. The device mounts to the ceiling or high on the wall (usually replacing an old-school smoke alarm in the same location), using either batteries or wall power. Most of the smart smoke alarms we reviewed are available in any form factor and cost about the same. When you go shopping, pay close attention so you don’t end up with the wrong guy.