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First Alert Launches Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms Compatible with Google Home
First Alert, a leading manufacturer of life safety solutions, has unveiled its latest line of smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors designed to seamlessly integrate with Google Home. This announcement arrives after Google discontinued its Nest Protect smart smoke alarm, paving the way for a partnership between Google and First Alert on the new First Alert Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm.
Compatibility and Features of the New Smart Alarms
These new detectors are engineered to operate with both the First Alert and Google Home applications. While they are exclusively compatible with these platforms and not with wider smart home ecosystems, they will maintain interoperability with existing Nest Protect detectors.
Interconnectivity and Notification System
According to Ryan Park, Senior Product Director at Resideo, First Alert’s parent company, these alarms utilize Nest’s Weave communication protocol (based on Thread). This ensures that when one alarm is triggered, all compatible alarms within the network will sound in unison. Furthermore, the notification system is designed to include any non-connected First Alert alarms already installed within a home.
Pricing and Availability
Priced at $129.99, the First Alert Smart Smoke & CO Alarms will be offered in both hardwired and battery-powered configurations. Availability is slated for later this year across the United States and Canada. Pre-orders are currently being accepted through FirstAlert.com.
Nest Protect Replacement
Given that Nest Protect alarms have a 10-year lifespan from their manufacturing date, with initial models launched in 2013, numerous homeowners may soon require replacements. Park highlighted that the new First Alert alarms are designed for straightforward hardware replacement, allowing Nest Protect users to readily upgrade to these new devices.
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Key Features Mirroring Nest Protect
The latest First Alert alarms incorporate several crucial features that are also found in the Nest Protect. These shared functionalities include:
- Automatic Safety Checkups
- “Heads-up Early Warning” system: Provides voice and app alerts before full alarm activation
- Instant notifications when an alarm is triggered
- Remote silencing of alarms via both First Alert and Google Home apps
Power Options and Battery Management
The product lineup features both hardwired and battery-operated variants, each equipped with backup batteries for continuous operation. Users will receive timely low battery alerts through the app, preventing unexpected low battery chirps during inconvenient hours.
Differences from Nest Protect and Google Home Integration
Unlike the Nest Protect, the First Alert alarms will not function as presence sensors for Google Home’s Home & Away modes and do not include a nightlight feature. While visually similar to Nest Protect, they present a different aesthetic design. However, a notable integration with Google Home is the ability to trigger a live video feed from Nest security cameras within the Home app when an alarm is activated.
Advanced Detection Technology and Connectivity
Precision Detection Technology
The new alarms are equipped with First Alert’s Precision Detection, an advanced sensing technology utilizing photoelectric sensing. This technology enhances detection accuracy and reduces nuisance alarms.
Wi-Fi and App Integration
Connectivity is facilitated through Wi-Fi, enabling seamless integration with both the Google Home and First Alert applications. Furthermore, Google is planning to integrate existing Nest Protect devices into the Google Home app, enhancing overall smart home ecosystem management.
Competition in the Smart Alarm Market
Kidde’s Ring-Compatible Smart Alarms
This launch of Google Home compatible alarms follows closely after competitor Kidde presented its own smart smoke alarm, designed to work with Ring, at CES earlier this year. Kidde’s offerings, the Smart Smoke Alarm with Ring ($54.97) and the Smart Smoke and CO Alarm with Ring ($74.97), are hardwired with battery backup and are scheduled to launch in April at The Home Depot. These Kidde alarms are designed to connect exclusively with the Ring app via Wi-Fi, indicating a growing trend in platform-specific smart alarm solutions.
First Alert’s Onelink Product Line
First Alert already markets the Onelink series of smoke and CO alarms with Wi-Fi capabilities. However, previously released Onelink models that were compatible with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home have been discontinued.
Future of Onelink and Z-Wave Options
Park confirmed that the current Onelink product line will be phased out progressively, to be replaced by these new models. First Alert will continue to offer its Z-Wave smoke and CO alarm, which maintains compatibility with Ring Alarm and other compatible smart home platforms, catering to users seeking broader system integration.
Matter Compatibility and Market Trends
Proprietary Ecosystems vs. Matter Standard
The introduction of more smart smoke alarm options is a positive step in a market where competition to the Nest Protect has been limited, particularly in the US. However, the platform-specific compatibility of these new alarms highlights the ongoing challenge of proprietary ecosystems, especially with the emergence of Matter, a unified standard aimed at simplifying smart home device interoperability across different platforms.
Matter and Future Compatibility
Although smoke alarms are included within the Matter specification, none of the recently announced models currently support this new smart home standard. Resideo, the parent company of First Alert, is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which oversees Matter’s development. Resideo has recently released a Matter-compatible smart thermostat, raising questions about future Matter integration for the new First Alert alarms. Inquiries are pending regarding potential Matter compatibility for these new smart smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector models as the industry moves towards greater interoperability.
Correction Notice
Correction (March 28th): A previous version of this article incorrectly described the First Alert alarm’s sensing technology. The alarm exclusively utilizes photoelectric sensing, and not a combination of ionization and photoelectric sensing as initially stated.