Let’s discuss in this Nest Protect review. Best of all, the Nest Protect is versatile. It can either take batteries or be wired directly into the home. Just choose the approach that works best for you. When there’s a smoke or carbon monoxide alert, a red light flashes on the Google Nest Protect. A voice then calmly states whether smoke or carbon monoxide was detected, the room it’s in, and the danger level. Most traditional carbon monoxide detectors have a digital display to show carbon monoxide levels and, sometimes, even the temperature. With Nest, you have to go to the app to get that information. We’d prefer to have the choice between the app and the device itself. It’s not always convenient to pull out your phone. We also aren’t sure if the average user will recognize that the round Nest seal in the center is also the silence button. Traditional smoke or carbon monoxide detectors usually have a button labeled Silence so you don’t overlook it. If the glow is yellow instead of green, you’ll know something is wrong. When you push the button, you’ll audibly receive more details about how to fix the problem. When you walk past your Nest Protect in a dark room or hallway, your detector will emit a soft glow to brighten your way. After ten seconds, the light turns off. Pathlight is an especially good feature if you get up a lot in the middle of the night. No more fumbling with those light switches or even blearily asking Alexa to turn on the smartbulbs for you.
Integrate your Nest Protect smoke alarm with your smart lights so that they flash different colors during an emergency Integrate your Nest Protect smoke alarm with your cameras so that they take footage of a smoke or carbon monoxide incident
If you aren’t a Google Nest brand evangelist, you can still link your Nest Protect detector to the rest of your home through Google Assistant voice commands. But if you’re hoping to link up to Alexa, Homekit, or a Samsung SmartThings hub, it’s not going to happen. But as we mentioned earlier, we feel like the Nest Protect relies a little too heavily on app access. So if the thought of always reaching for your phone to check the CO PPM makes you shudder, this isn’t the right detector for you. We have to say, though, Nest’s customer service is a bit meh. According to customer feedback, the reps usually get the job done, but no one seems to find them overly awe-inducing. It has a nice design and plenty of useful features, and it’s compatible with both Google Assistant and other Nest-branded devices. But if you like the traditional digital display or silence button, it’ll take some getting used to. If you’re primarily interested in the smart home aspect of Nest Protect and want to see some other options, here’s our guide to smart home connection. You can also take a look at our smoke alarm recommendations or our top carbon monoxide detectors.
