Nest Protect 2nd Gen Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm

AndyBoBandy

Does anybody have one of these? (wired or battery)

Nest Protect Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm

How are they?

Graham

We were looking at them but this video put me off while I was researching :eek:

Would be very interested in hearing how other Boardsies have got on with them.

Roen

One installed, two more on the way.

Like it a lot.
The path light functionality is largely extraneous to a heavy Hue user as no doubt you'll have covered anywhere it'll be going.

You'd see the best out of it if you integrated it further with the Nest cam I believe. The Home/Away functionality on my iphone doesn't seem to work that well, same on the missus's android. But that in no way takes away from it's functionality as a smoke/CO alarm.

Quick edit, not seen it in any way buggy. Just works fine and is happily checking itself and generating reports.

Double edit: That was a gen1 which were a bit flaky as far as I recall. One of the guys in work had a few and replaced them out with gen 2 and they haven't skipped a beat.

garbeth

Have two wired. Find them great. They replaced the smoke alarm that came with the house 10 years ago which went off and wouldnt stop if using the toaster. These can be silenced from the phone or at the press of a button and the warning is clear. Get a 2nd gen one not a first gen

paulbok

I have a few of them and find them good. Have both the wired and battery versions.
I have one in the kitchen and it does go off sometimes when cooking (stir frying at high heat esp.)
However it does give you a warning before blowing the ears off you, and I can reach the reset button on it, or it can be done from the app.
Gives email notification when alarms are triggered, and when you have more than one in a house they will all notify you when another goes off, e.g. Nest in living room will say "there is smoke in the kitchen".

Motion sensor and night light are useful but as mentioned by Roen, superseded by Hue setups.
If it was opened up to be more compatible with Hue or Smartthings, it would suffice as the motion sensor, one of the reasons I went for it in the first place was the combined smoke/CO2/heat detection, saving having to cover the ceiling with detectors. I still have a smartthings motion sensor on the ceiling, so would like to get it down to one device.

2011

I have 2 of the wired versions. One of them went nuts when it was nearly 2 years old. Harvey Norman's replaced it free of charge. Perhaps I was just unlucky. Apart from that I find them great.

Stoner

Only issue I have with these is the IFTTT channel.

Unless I'm mistaken you've no access to the. motion detector or the night light as triggers or outputs

Roen

Stoner wrote: »

Only issue I have with these is the IFTTT channel.

Unless I'm mistaken you've no access to the. motion detector or the night light as triggers or outputs

Correct, they expose feck all. I'm getting smoke, CO and Battery status from them but that's it.
That said the Hue motion sensors are covering the same areas for me so I can pull from them instead.

For me the motion detector in the Nest would be of limited use as they point straight down and you have to be nearly under them before the path light triggers, so I reckon they either have limited field of view or they only trigger the light on a narrow portion of the field they do have.

The Hue ones point along the corridors/rooms so they catch everything.
Nothing to stop you mounting the smoke alarm on a wall though, aesthetics
aside.

bk

Stoner wrote: »

Only issue I have with these is the IFTTT channel.

Unless I'm mistaken you've no access to the. motion detector or the night light as triggers or outputs

A tip for you Stoner for IFTTT. IFTTT has a dedicated page for each device and service it supports e.g.:

https://ifttt.com/nest_protect

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, click on "Nest Protect triggers and actions" (or similar for the service you are looking at), you will get a dropdown listing all the triggers and actions that are supported for the device/service under IFTTT. This can give you a good idea of what can and can't be done with the device via IFTTT.

Comes in very handy when I'm thinking about investing in a new HA tech.

Stoner

bk wrote:

Comes in very handy when I'm thinking about investing in a new HA tech.

Very good thanks it's a good idea,
I do something similar, but I just simulate making my own applet, I select the IF function and search for the device , this will give the list if triggers for that device

So with the nest protect I get

Smoke alarm warning
Smoke alarm emergency
CO2 alarm warning
CO2 alarm emergency
Iow battery warning

So I have 5 triggers, the motion detection function is not available. It would be handy

paulbok

Roen wrote: »

Correct, they expose feck all. I'm getting smoke, CO and Battery status from them but that's it.
That said the Hue motion sensors are covering the same areas for me so I can pull from them instead.

For me the motion detector in the Nest would be of limited use as they point straight down and you have to be nearly under them before the path light triggers, so I reckon they either have limited field of view or they only trigger the light on a narrow portion of the field they do have.

The Hue ones point along the corridors/rooms so they catch everything.
Nothing to stop you mounting the smoke alarm on a wall though, aesthetics
aside.

I find the motion detector fair for its coverage, catches me both sides of a medium sized room.

ted1

Stoner wrote: »

Very good thanks it's a good idea,
I do something similar, but I just simulate making my own applet, I select the IF function and search for the device , this will give the list if triggers for that device

So with the nest protect I get

Smoke alarm warning
Smoke alarm emergency
CO2 alarm warning
CO2 alarm emergency
Iow battery warning

So I have 5 triggers, the motion detection function is not available. It would be handy

Most places suggest that CO2 alarms shouldn't be placed up high.
General reasoning is that if a boiler is heating air , that the heated air is lighter than the CO2 and will provide a buffer between the alarm and the CO2.

Has anyone looked into this further before deciding weather to get a protect ?

OU812

Have one (wired) on the way for a new extension. Will add more as funds allow, probably a battery one & a wired for upstairs.

2011

One important point to note:
They are designed to be replaced every 7 to 10 years.

https://nest.com/support/article/When-do-I-need-to-replace-my-Nest-Protect

OU812

2011 wrote: »

One important point to note:
They are designed to be replaced every 7 to 10 years.

https://nest.com/support/article/When-do-I-need-to-replace-my-Nest-Protect

Non smart ones are supposed to be replaced every five

2011

OU812 wrote: »

Non smart ones are supposed to be replaced every five

It can vary, perhaps in some cases.

My point is that someone who installed a large number of these dectors could have all of them expiring at the same time. They would then face a whopping bill :eek:

Roen

paulbok wrote: »

I find the motion detector fair for its coverage, catches me both sides of a medium sized room.

Odd, mine only trigger when you are almost directly under them. Are yours wall mounted?

paulbok

Roen wrote: »

Odd, mine only trigger when you are almost directly under them. Are yours wall mounted?

No, all on the ceiling.

The one in the kitchen is approx 2ft from the door on the ceiling and will catch me the other side of the door when open approx 3M from where it is situated.

JDxtra

I've three of them - one wired, two battery. No issues at all.

paulbok

2011 wrote: »

It can vary, perhaps in some cases.

My point is that someone who installed a large number of these dectors could have all of them expiring at the same time. They would then face a whopping bill :eek:

Yeah, but going by the zeal that goods were snapped up for black Friday by members on this forum, that may be a good thing.

I would envisage in say 5+ years time anyway that tech will have moved on enough that there will be one ceiling device that does all the Nest protect can do a and lots more, like proper motion/alarm sensor, climate sensors, wi-fi repeater, intercom, doorbell alert, media speaker. So I would wager that they will be willingly replaced before they actually need to be.

Arbie

We have about a dozen wired detectors in the house. Are there disadvantages to replacing just some of them with Nest?

bk

Arbie wrote: »

We have about a dozen wired detectors in the house. Are there disadvantages to replacing just some of them with Nest?

Not really.

The one disadvantage is that all the Nest alarms communicate with one another. So if one detects smoke in the kitchen, the ones in the bedroom also give you a warning and go off too. This can be handy in a large house where you might not her the kitchen smoke alarm while in the bedroom. If there really is a fire then this can be good to give you more time to get out of the house.

But beyond that it wouldn't make a difference. I'm thinking of just getting one to work alongside my half a dozen or so dumb smoke alarms.

Stoner

Arbie wrote:

We have about a dozen wired detectors in the house. Are there disadvantages to replacing just some of them with Nest?

Well just a note if it's a newish house the detectors will be linked so you might be losing that connectivity.

JustAThought

my smoke alarms - not this version - were wired to the LX in the house and had valid batteries - one day they started going off and one by one - even with the batteries out and disconnected from the house mains they just kept going off - put them in the booth of the car and put a rug over them and the f***** things were still beeping away. Finally discovered (thank you local fire station) that there is radioactive bit in all fire alarms that degrades and has a best by date - once this runs out even if your batteries work and it is connected to the mains it will malfunction. NEVER knew that. Under the side of the smoke alarm in a place I would never have seen or looked there was a best by date - check this when buying and after its been up there a few years.

2011

Stoner wrote: »

Well just a note if it's a newish house the detectors will be linked so you might be losing that connectivity.

No, there will not be a loss of connectivity.

I agree that conventional smoke / heat detectors should have a hard wired link so that one smoke detector triggers all of the others. However the Nest protect have exactly the same functionality without the hard wired link cable. They wirelessly trigger each other.
This is another advantage of this product, not requiring an interlinking cable.

2011

JustAThought wrote: »

my smoke alarms - not this version - were wired to the LX in the house and had valid batteries - one day they started going off and one by one - even with the batteries out and disconnected from the house mains they just kept going off - put them in the booth of the car and put a rug over them and the f***** things were still beeping away. Finally discovered (thank you local fire station) that there is radioactive bit in all fire alarms that degrades and has a best by date - once this runs out even if your batteries work and it is connected to the mains it will malfunction. NEVER knew that. Under the side of the smoke alarm in a place I would never have seen or looked there was a best by date - check this when buying and after its been up there a few years.

Most smoke detectors are the "ionizing type" (radioactive), the Nest uses a different technology. However the Nest also have an expiry date stamped on the underside.

Stoner

2011 wrote:

Yes, they should have a hard wired link so that one smoke detector triggers all of the others. However the Nest protect have exactly the same functionality without the hard wired link cable. They wirelessly trigger each other. This is another advantage of this product, not requiring an interlinking cable.

Exactly, so if you have five linked wired units and you replace just two or three with Nest you've lost something as you have two Linked networks that don't talk to eachother

Also your kitchen is a heat detector, so you won't be able to offer a fully linked up solution with Nest,

2011

Stoner wrote: »

Exactly, so if you have five linked wired units and you replace just two or three with Nest you've lost something as you have two Linked networks that don't talk to eachother

True a mixture of conventional and Nest would have this issue, but I took the post mean replace all or none.

Also your kitchen is a heat detector, so you won't be able to offer a fully linked up solution with Nest,

Good point.

philboy

What rooms do you all have the Nest Protects in? I read this FAQ - https://nest.com/support/article/Which-rooms-in-my-home-need-a-Nest-Protect

I live in a 3 bed semi so should I buy one for each of the following areas:
- downstairs hall
- top of stairs
- bedroom

Thanks

OU812

philboy wrote: »

What rooms do you all have the Nest Protects in? I read this FAQ - https://nest.com/support/article/Which-rooms-in-my-home-need-a-Nest-Protect

I live in a 3 bed semi so should I buy one for each of the following areas:
- downstairs hall
- top of stairs
- bedroom

Thanks

I think bedroom is overkill. I have regular battery Ines in there & have a protect in the kitchen (high ceiling) & the landing which are wired. They'll shortly be joined by a battery one in the hall (shape of the house needs an extra one for coverage)

paulbok

philboy wrote: »

What rooms do you all have the Nest Protects in? I read this FAQ - https://nest.com/support/article/Which-rooms-in-my-home-need-a-Nest-Protect

I live in a 3 bed semi so should I buy one for each of the following areas:
- downstairs hall
- top of stairs
- bedroom

Thanks

Living room - have a solid fuel fire so co2 detector essential.
Kitchen, gas cooker, etc
Hall way beside the sitting room - open fire there.

Had a power cut the other night due to the lightning and they provided decent night lights all night on their batteries.

philboy

Thanks for the feedback Paul. We are getting in a stove in the sitting room so will need one there too also.

Stoner

Note the attic is overlooked and a high risk area I've a nest up there

ted1

These are now 89 euro for electric Ireland customers

bk

ted1 wrote: »

These are now 89 euro for electric Ireland customers

Have a link to that?

I'm an EI customer, but haven't heard anything about it!

ted1

Got a letter in the post yesterday.

Stoner

ted1 wrote:

These are now 89 euro for electric Ireland customers

FFS I just bought two from Google store

AndyBoBandy

ted1 wrote: »

Got a letter in the post yesterday.

I wonder would the deal only be available to those who got their Nest Thermostat from EI?

copacetic

I have 5, kitchen, utility, hall, living room and landing.

Had a 6th for cavity which boiler flue leaves through, but it couldn’t switch off boiler apparently
so had to replace that one.

Will probably put spare in attic now.

So far they seem reliable, was concerned with kitchen one and smoke, b only one warning so far during a fry up, which I muted and cleared before alarm went off.

Stoner

copacetic wrote:

Had a 6th for cavity which boiler flue leaves through, but it couldn’t switch off boiler apparently so had to replace that one.

How did you try it ? mine kills the power over IFTTT on a lightwaverf boiler switch

SachaJ

Are you guys putting them in the attic? According to the Nest website it says not to.

Also is it possible to get a temperature reading from these? I’m thinking of mounting a few tablets on walls around the house, perhaps running Imperihome, and I’d like to show room temperature.

JDxtra

It would be way to dusty in an attic (non-converted) to install one in there in my opinion.

Stoner

Thing is that Google don't specialise in fire alarm regulations

I was at a CDP session a while back I posted on it here, a fire in an attic spreads very quickly to the bedrooms below

Thing is people are fitting intruder alarm panels, lights, CCTV DVRs and network equipment in their attics using them as a mini comms room.

I've a cheap covering stapled to my ceiling. I've a cheap floor on it. I've the old hover up there and I give it a blast every now and then.

There are a lot more fire hazards in a modern attic then there use to be, if you use it as a comms room then it's a change of use to a degree.

If you a standard 1990's attic with nothing in it except dust and suitcases then fair enough.

bk

Stoner wrote: »

Thing is that Google don't specialise in fire alarm regulations

Just to point out the Google/Nest follow all fire regulations, as set out by the various regulatory bodies.

Unfortunately when you start looking into this sort of stuff, you realise that many of the regulations are the bear minimum and not at all in line with latest best practise.

BTW Here is what Nest actually say about Attics:

Attic: It’s true that unfinished attics are a bad place for smoke alarms. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) prohibits installing an alarm in an unfinished attic because the temperature can drop below 40ºF (4ºC) or get above 100ºF (37ºC) and the smoke alarm may not function properly. A finished attic, like a game room, is a different story. Here, you can install a Nest Protect.

https://nest.com/blog/2013/12/05/your-nest-protect-questions-our-answers/

So yes, if your attic is furnished or you have a lot of electrics up there, then I'd put a Nest protect there too.

AndyBoBandy

Hopefully there are good deals on Black Friday

Stoner

bk wrote:

Just to point out the Google/Nest follow all fire regulations, as set out by the various regulatory bodies.

To be fair that's a sweeping statement.

However i take your point.

However where to install these differs from country to country. These installation methods are governed by regulations.

For example the design of the fire alarm in grenfell tower would be different to one you'd find in Ireland. I've seen no landlord systems represented in UK apartments once the front door met a fire rating standard. Not the case here .

You couldn't say that you don't need whole system fire detection in the domestic areas of an Irish apartment, it's halls and or bedrooms, but regulations in some countries allow that case.

So the device might be suitable for use in many countries and operate correctly, but you can't make a statement that you should or should not install a detector in a particular room type and assume it meet All requirements and design standards, regulations differ all over the world.

The concept is that an optical or ionisation smoke detector should not be installed in a dusty environment would be more apt. As advised for kitchens. You'll get false alarms

That does not mean that no detection should be installed, tape or rate of rise detectors can be used. So not all attics are dusty or have standardised used, people would be advised to take the risks into account and not follow the generic printed text found on a device.

A recommendation is not a regulation.

So we are posting in the iot forum, it's very possible a lot if users have electrical equipment in their attics.

I'm not being arsey here, this is not about a router or a choice of smart home socket, it's about a life safety system, as someone who's been involved in the design if these systems for over 20 years it's worth noting that people are using their attics to hold electrical equipment. It's a risk either and people should seriously consider moving it or changing the environment where it's installed and protecting it.

bk

Question though, are folks actually putting electrical equipment (routers, etc.) in unfurnished attics?!

Unfurnished attics are very damp, cold and dusty. That will not be good at all for your devices! When you said putting gear in your attic, I assumed a furnished room, in which case Nest Protect is a god option.

To be honest, I would not recommend putting gear in an unfurnished attic at all!

However if people do, what sort of "fire alarm" would you recommend for the attic space?

SachaJ

bk wrote: »

Question though, are folks actually putting electrical equipment (routers, etc.) in unfurnished attics?!

Of course they are. It’s a very handy place for a PoE switch or DVR for CCTV.

(Note: my personal CCTV gear is in a spare room/office)

bk

SachaJ wrote: »

Of course they are. It’s a very handy place for a PoE switch or DVR for CCTV.

Eckk, it really sucks as a place for this sort of gear, they are highly likely to get damaged and fail early. Dust, damp and cold, a terrible combination for electronics.

Stoner

bk wrote:

However if people do, what sort of "fire alarm" would you recommend for the attic space?

I'd get spend a little money on it, insulation in the eaves staple breathable cover over it. That will keep the dust away.

The I'd use a smoke detector as a heat won't triggers fast enough.

Link it in to the others and obviously nest is perfect for that

copacetic

Interesting, during my house refurb, we had to put one in open plan kitchen and didn't put one in attic but wired power for it. Attic is prepped for conversion, with opened out area etc but no stairs and is indeed very dusty. No equipment up there, all in utility. Actually have a spare nest protect for it also.

Kitchen one has gone off with cooking etc, could have just had a heat one in kitchen, but regs required all alarms linked and since went with nest had to have one in there also, would be great to be able to tell nest unit in an attic or kitchen to respond to heat only say.

Have found app a bit unreliable for silencing alarms also,