The best smart smoke detectors add a layer of extra protection to your house or apartment by alerting you to a dangerous condition — whether you’re home or not. That’s because smart smoke detectors will not only sound an alarm, but send a signal to the cloud, so you can be alerted on your smartphone.
Additionally, some smart smoke detectors can be connected to other smart home devices. For example, if there’s a fire, the smart smoke detector can tell your smart lights to turn on, helping show you the way out of your house in smoky conditions.
There’s not a lot of choice when it comes to smart smoke detectors. Our favorite for a few years running is the Nest Protect. It’s the most full-featured alarm, blaring out a loud siren and telling you where the problem is. If you have one mounted near your kitchen, it will also send out a warning that it’s about to go off, so you can silence it if all you’re doing is cooking up some steaks. We also like that it performs a self-check every month, and can be linked with other Nest Protects. It has a 10-year battery, too.
