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Few phratry will contend about the importance of make high - quality , reliable smoking demodulator in their home . The sole purpose of these gadget is to alert multitude to lifespan - threatening berth , and scant on them is never deserving it . But is go all in on a top - of - the - linesmoke detectorunnecessary ? This hand - on followup of the Google Nest Protect smoke detector will answer that head .
The Google Nest Protect is a combination dope and carbon monoxide detector price at over three times as much as a typical combo detector ( which is commonly between $ 25 and $ 30 ) . The agio price nets you a kind of features , including advanced duple - sensor technology , unmortgaged voice alert , wireless interconnectedness , a ready to hand footpath light , and mobile connectivity , to name a few . Also keep in judgment the time value of the authentic Google brand in a smart - home market flooded with grim - timber clone .
Photo: Tom Scalisi
I perform hand - on examination of Google Nest Protect to help consumers decide if this sess sensor is deserving its high damage tag . I put Nest Protect through its paces to judge how promiscuous it was to instal and connect with my earphone , and also how quickly and well it touch off under sess consideration ( fake smoke , of course ) . Keep reading to get out how it fared so you may decide if it ’s right for your home .
At a Glance
Google Nest Protect
Rating:8.8/10
What Is the Google Nest Protect?
For those unfamiliar with the Google Nest Protect , permit ’s first take a nimble dive into the twist , as it ’s not a typical smoke detector . Nest Protect is basically three aliveness - safety devices in one , offer carbon monoxide detection and two types of smoke detection , thanks to its duple - sensor technology . look on their method acting of sensing , most smoke alarms can find either fast - burning or smoldering fire . Google Nest Protect can pick up both for faster , more accurate detection of dangerous situations .
What ’s more , Google Nest Protect also interfaces with the Nest app , which users can unite with the smoke detector to alert them to dangerous place , even if they are n’t home . If Nest Protect detects carbon monoxide or fastball , or is simply low-spirited on bombardment life , it will send an alert to the user ’s phone . At the same fourth dimension , it will provide clear voice alerts to help oneself minimise confusedness in an already feverish environment .
Via the Nest app , users can alsointerconnectseveral Protect detectors throughout the home base — a vast welfare since if one gimmick alerts , all the gimmick will trigger . And since Google Nest Protect provide voice alerts , it will give everyone within earshot an accurate verbal description of the peril and its location .
Photo: amazon.com
Finally , while Nest Protect may look like nothing more than a speaker , it has a build - in pathway light that will give a blue - colored nighttime - light when it discover motion . This light source will turn solid red when vocalize the alarm , help residents orient themselves in smoke conditions .
Testing the Google Nest Protect
From the second I opened the package , it was clear that Google Nest Protect was unlike any fastball sensor I ’ve ever used . It came in a dead telescoping two - piece corner with exonerated installation direction — not just what to put where but the right fiat in which to do so . Advanced as this sensor is , these instruction made it very easy to set up .
With most smoke detectors , the first footprint is installing the base on or near the ceiling — and that ’s the pillow slip with Google Nest Protect . It come with four gamey - quality mounting nooky and a base with an inlay of gasket - type fabric . The annulus climb to the roof without issue and seemed to be of far ripe quality and material thanother role model I was testing at the same time .
When installing received green goddess detectors , this is the period where you put the battery in , snap the smoke detector to the stem , and strike the test button . That ’s not the showcase with Google Nest Protect . First , you must pull a tab out of the building block to trigger the built - in battery . Then you download the Nest app ( more on that below ) and scan the QR code on the back of the Protect to link it .
Photo: Tom Scalisi
The machine then initiated a self - test chronological succession , after which I was able-bodied to establish it on the base without issue . In fact , the base has ample adjustability that allowed me to position the Protect to be perfectly square in sexual congress to the wall ( something that the fussiest of DIYers will appreciate ) .
Installation and Setup
It ’s helpful to appear at facility ( physically mount the smoke detector to the wall ) and apparatus ( downloading the app and link it to a equipment ) singly . Installation , as explained above , was simple . Setup , however , had one minuscule hiccup .
As previously cite , Google Nest Protect necessitate to connect with a mobile gadget before mounting it to the ceiling . There is a QR codification on the back of the equipment that aims to make the setup as simple as potential . All that ’s need — in theory — is downloading the Nest app and scanning this code . But it drive a few tries before I could successfully link the Google Nest Protect to the Nest app on my Samsung S21 Ultra . This for sure was n’t a Wi - Fi publication , as I was no more than 15 base from the router . However , the Protect did finally relate , and from that level forward , it was smooth glide .
Setting up the Google Nest Protect requires assigning a name , which is done through the Nest app . This is for a few reasons , such as checking the status on individual devices , but principally so the part alarm can clearly line the hazard and its positioning in an alarm result . I assigned mine as “ office , ” as that ’s the room in which I test it .
Photo: Tom Scalisi
Design and Appearance
Looks and tactile find are all the madness when it come tosmart devices , but does that really matter in regard to life - safety devices ? Maybe not , but it could be quite the bonus .
While test the Google Nest Protect , I also tested several other smoke detectors . The Nest Protect put up apart in appearance , immix into the room and looking more like a talker than a skunk demodulator . And since the groundwork ( i.e. , mounting ring ) allows the drug user to adjust the side of the twist rotationally , a quick adjustment allows it to sit solid in relation to the bulwark and ceiling for a pleasing aesthetic .
There ’s also a orotund button in the midsection with a normally blue light source that glows softly when it observe question . However , that same light turns hopeful red in alarm shape , and the button in the middlesilences the machine . With many other smoke detectors , the silence button is hard to find out and the activeness is so slight that I ’d enquire if I actually pressed the button if the dismay did n’t silence in good order aside . With Google Nest Protect , there ’s no guessing — the tactile find and slight “ clunk ” of the button talk for itself ( particularly since the warning equipment silences almost immediately ) .
Photo: Tom Scalisi
The Nest app is also well designed — very straightforward and easy to use ( once the machine syncs , that is ) . Checking the position of the gimmick at any sentence is dim-witted and easy .
Smoke Detection
The respectable looks and feel of Google Nest Protect would n’t think of a matter if the gimmick performed poorly , so I simulated smoke experimental condition with a can of synthetical smoke developed specifically for testing smoke detector .
After spray two quick pouffe of canned bullet toward the machine , it take 10 seconds to start alarming : “ Smoke emergency brake in the office ! ” It then began chirping like a standard roll of tobacco detector while continuing to describe the chance . Compared to the other smoke detectors , Nest Protect had one of the fastest rattling times . In a situation where this gimmick would be connected to other twist , all would alarm with the same swiftness and clarity .
When I silenced the alarm , it immediately stopped sound — a function at which many other smoke detector fail abominably . One press of the large push button and the gadget was tranquil .
Is the Google Nest Protect Worth the Money?
The Google Nest Protect retails for $ 119 at just about every retail merchant that sells it , with multipacks also being available for a thin savings per gimmick . That ’s a good deal of money for a smoke sensing element . But if I consider what cheaper devices propose , I consider the price rag justified .
During my paw - on testing , three out of eight smoke detectors from other brands merely refused to quieten , while three of the others expect several “ hushes ” before the warning signal would stop over . One gadget that synced with an app for mobile admission , and cost well less than the Protect , also call for the purchase of a disjoined hub . The one other equipment in my testing that had voice commands was n’t quite as clear as the Protect , lacked customizable elbow room name , and did n’t interlink with other devices .
The Google Nest Protect did all these thing well . The only challenge I had was syncing it with the app , which was more of an incommodiousness than a spate - breakers . All in all , the $ 119 price yields a well - designed gimmick that works as it should and integrates with an equally well - designed app .
Final Thoughts
Ultimately , the end of reading any review is to determine whether or not a product is worth bribe . But considering Google Nest Protect ’s price and the use it suffice , it ’s challenge to boil this down to a simplified answer .
If there are budgetary constraint and you postulate to choose between make unnecessary for a Protect or providing smoke demodulator coverage within the home , go for standard auspices now . It ’s far more of import to have some smoke and carbon copy monoxide auspices at all time than to wait till you may afford a better theoretical account , leaving the dwelling house unprotected . In this case , an affordable , reliable smoke demodulator such as a basicFirst Alert SCO5CN Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector will more than do the conjuring trick .
However , anyone already invested in the Nest line ofsmart - home productswill likely love the Google Nest Protect for its mellow - tech overture to fire safety . Also , anyone with a large dwelling house who might not know immediately where a hazard could be happening may breathe easier with Protect ’s interconnectivity and voice alarm . And kinsfolk who need the peace of mind that comes from check on their home when they ’re away will also love the app interface .
The Google Nest Protect is surely a premium - price product . But it ’s well designed , easy to install and practice , and offers more than any other smoke sensor on the market .
Where to Buy the Google Nest Protect
Get the Google Nest Protect at :
Meet the Tester
Tom Scalisi is a full - time DIY and construction writer for many of the big websites in the industry , include Bob Vila , This Old House , Family Handyman , and Forbes as well as his own blighter control blog . He work in the blast alarm industry before moving to the swap , from building alimony to woodwork and catching , so he ’s quite intimate with fire rubber .
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