Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have a lot of great features that can make your life safer and easier. Here are three of the best.
Top 3 Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors for 2024
Updated Feb. 01, 2024
About Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can detect smoke or dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in your home and sound an alarm to alert you, just like traditional detectors. But unlike traditional detectors, they send alerts to your phone so you’ll know of dangerous conditions even if you’re not home. These smart detectors also may come with nifty extra features like voice control through Alexa, music streaming, nightlights and more.
Note that there are few dual-duty smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on the market. And of those, even fewer are highly rated. We combed through the options for the best available. Here are our top three:
Onelink Safe & Sound Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector
The Onelink Safe & Sound by First Alert has more features than any other smart smoke and carbon monoxide detector on the market, which is probably why it costs around $240, more than double that of other smart detectors. With this one, you can talk to Alexa and use all the virtual assistant’s features. It can also stream Pandora, Spotify and Amazon Music, or play from your music library on your phone using Bluetooth.
The only drawback: It has to be hardwired into your electrical system instead of running on batteries. So installation may require an electrician, unless you already have a hardwired detector and can connect the Onelink to the existing wiring.
“We got this a few weeks ago and it has given us all [peace] of mind. It can be controlled by Alexa with hands free commands,” writes one reviewer on Home Depot’s website. “It was so easy to install and sync with [Alexa.] I like that we can find out what is happening if we are at home or away with the app. You can use it with your music as well with the built in [Bluetooth], instant speakers!! I recommend this product to everyone…So thankful we have this in our home.”
Nest Protect Gen 2 Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector
The Nest Protect Gen 2, at a little more than $100, may be pricier than high-end traditional detectors, but the features are worth it. The Nest Protect covers all the basics and works really well; it rated 4.4 out of five stars on Amazon with more than 4,000 reviews. It sends smoke and CO alerts to your phone, tells you when its batteries are low, and has a nightlight that only turns on when it senses motion. Even better, it runs on batteries. You simply install it on your ceiling or wall with a few screws.
“I purchased my first NEST Protect product about a year ago directly from Nest,” wrote a reviewer on Amazon. “My son told me, ‘Mom a smoke alarm doesn’t do you any good unless you are HOME to hear it.’ One week before Christmas my NEST alarm sounded on my phone and iPad with a loud alert at 8:45 AM. I looked at the phone and it said ‘Smoke in Den.’ I live close to where I work so I rushed home. Sure enough, there was smoke in the house and I could see it burning through the ceiling tiles. (Electrical fire in attic.) Called the fire department at 8:52. At 9:07 AM I received another alert from Nest that the smoke was clearing. The fire department, my neighbors and insurance agent were amazed at how quickly the fire was discovered and contained. Without the Nest alert the fire would not have been discovered until it burned through the roof of the house.”
Kidde Smart Smoke Detector
The Kidde Hardwired Smoke Detector doesn’t have a lot of features, but it can be connected to the Kidde Smart Bridge app and hub for smoke alerts on your phone, no matter where you are. It can also be wirelessly connected to other Kidde smart smoke detectors in your home so when one detects smoke, they all will sound, alerting your entire household to danger. This smoke detector also has a battery back-up system in case of a blackout. Unfortunately, it doesn’t detect carbon monoxide. But at $50, it is priced only around $20 more than other high-end smoke detectors without smart features.
“These installed and worked perfectly,” wrote a reviewer on the Home Depot website. “No false alarms, and the wireless interconnect synced up flawlessly over nine units (some combo smoke/CO; others smoke only; mix of AC wired and battery powered). Clean, elegant design too (after all, you have to *look* at these every day for years!).” If it isn’t working properly, then replacing a hardwired smoke detector is a piece of cake.
Originally Published: June 25, 2020
