Well it took a while to see the value ( I was a little concerned paying $189 for a smoke alarm. But found a bulk deal purchase at Officeworks for 3 for $159 each) and I guess I am still in post purchase excitement but I am enjoying the tech behind the 2nd Gen smoke alarm by Nest.
There are two types of Nest Smoke Alarms, long life battery powered and mains powered. As I had two existing mains powered smoke alarms that needed replacing I purchased two powered alarms and one battery alarm. Both operate exactly the same but I would expect the long-life battery powered alarm to have to be recharged or have the battery replaced after a period of time.
Supporting the standard use of a ceiling smoke alarm i.e. they make a noise when they detect smoke lol, the Nest smoke Alarm also provides a couple of cool features that can be configured and enhance their purpose and meaning in life, all done via the phone app, these features include;
1. Intuitive Phone App
The Phone App is available via Google Play and Apple App Store and is easy to use. The App enables you to set up your smoke alarm before you secure it to you ceiling and configure your preferences to the following features.
2. Nightly Promise
Once you turn out the lights for the evening and call it a night, the Nest Alarm will give a soft green glow indicating that it is operational and ready to detect. In comparison to a standard smoke alarm, this self test and notification features instils a higher level of security that if anything goes amiss during the night, the Nest Alarm will be ready to alert you and your loved ones.
3. Steam Check
The Steam check option allows for the smoke alarms placed close to your bathrooms to detect if what it is sensing is either steam or smoke. Providing better certainty against false alarms.
4. Heads-up
The heads-up feature is very handy, designed for the regular toast burner. This feature allows for a pre-alarm voice warning you that smoke has been detected and allows you to turn off the smoke detector via the app or by waving your had in front of the detector before the full alarm sounds.
5. Pathlight
My favourite feature and (secretly the reason I purchased these detectors). Ok, so yes my smoke alarms did need replacing (this should be done every 10 years) but one of the deciding factors that helped with my purchase was the fact that once the lights are out and the detector senses someone walking past they will illuminate and provide a nice glow that conveniently lights up to provide a ambient light to help find your way. This feature itself turns a regular smoke alarm into a daily used device in your home.
Summary
Bringing the ability to be alerted via my phone immediately when there is any sort of fire threat in the home provides a sense of security and comfort a standard smoke alarm cannot. Combined with the features of the night light and nightly promise, this nifty little smoke alarm will give me and my family 10 years worth of security and convenience I never expected out of the, what seemed, miss placed device that used to be mounted to my ceiling.