IMPORTANT SAFETY UPDATE: You might wanna hold off on buying a Nest. CLICK FOR INFO HERE.
Have I ever mentioned that I ♥ Technology? Well, I do!
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Technology makes me giddy, like this new product: Nest Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm
image source: Amazon
Purdy…
So what does this bad boy do, other than cost about $129?! ~coughWHAT?!cough~ This part of technology, the expensive, early adapter part, I’m not fond of.
Let’s check out the features and see if the Nest is worth the cost (the smoke alarm product is from the same company that makes the Nest Thermostat)
The Good:
* It doesn’t beep, it HOWLS. But, before going into HOWLER-MONKEY-mode the Nest talks to you, in a human voice, that tells you where the problem is originating and gives you the opportunity, like a civilized person, to right the wrong. If you have more than one Nest detector, they work together.
* You can silence the alarm with a WAVE of your hand.
* It will talk, er, send messages, to your smartphone/tablets. Yep, it connects to Wi-Fi.
* Can be wired (120v).
* Has a sensor that detects motion to serve as a nightlight.
The center ring changes colors, serving to alert you of status. Red, of course, = DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!
* Works with your Nest Thermostat.
* Detects carbon monoxide.
The Bad:
* Each Nest alarm costs $129 and to get the most use of the technology, you would need 3-4 of the. $129 x 3-4 = $387-$517
* No info on shelf life of product. Typical smoke detector units sold now are built for 10-years of use. Current carbon monoxide units are built for 5ish. A serious consideration.
* The sexiness of it may be clouding my vision. Hello, luva!
Video recap:
The cost is something to be considered, but when I think of my house burning at night (studies have shown many folks, especially children, sleep through regular fire alarms) or of the convenience of the Nest telling me where my issue is, my thoughts turn to this being a good investment.
I’m totally jonesing to change out all of my old smoke detectors.
What do you guys think? Am I just a sucker for technology or is this a #winner?
That is very intriguing. Definitely a consideration for the cost involved. But my husband goes batty over ours right now. It seems all the batteries have to be changed in the middle of the night and there’s one that still beeps even after you take the batteries out. It’s possessed.
~ugh~ I think we can all relate to possessed smoke detectors. The cost is a punch in the gut, no doubt, but…
I had no idea about the shelf life of a smoke detector. Now I’m going to have to go and figure out when all of mine were installed! Thanks for the tip!
Me neither. I think most of us take for granted that what’s on the ceiling is good to go.
I love that you can turn it off with a wave of your hand. I guess that’s similar to my current alarm; I turn it off with a wave of my hand…with a dishtowel wildly flailing from it… 🙂 Very cool.
YES! Plus, I had visions of me flailing underneath it, which gave me a lol.
We have the nest thermostat and love it however not sure I love the price tag on those but I do love that they make a dang loud noise. Our smoke detector seems to have a mind of it own too.
I like the idea of a loud noise too. Make sure to wake us. Howler-Monkey engage!
We swapped all our smoked detectors out when we purchased our home five years ago. It’s time to do the carbon monoxide monitors now. This is one is mighty sexy, but we’ve got smoke detectors in every room, except bathrooms, so I’m looking at over a grand and that’s a hard sell to the family bean counter. 😉
DANG! My husband informed me that the newest building codes require waaaaay more alarms than most homes currently have, so obviously the cost would be greater, but for our house, the cost wouldn’t be too (cough) prohibitive, especially if I get some sexy!
OK. This is so cool! If I didn’t have a house that I hated (and wanted to burn down so I can rebuild something awesome) I’d be all over this! Maybe one day in the future when we move/build/rebuild I’ll have actual central air and the option for cool technology! *sigh* one day…
I know this is about the smoke alarm, but my brain keeps shaking over the fact that you do not have central air in TEXAS. ~faint~
Please let us know if you do try it out! I have and love the thermostat, and I’m so ready to have a smoke detector that goes off whenever something spills in the bottom of the oven! One wave of my hand seems so much more civilized…
Yes, the civilized wave. Grandmama likey! I will def let y’all know if I decide to go all in with teh zexy!
My SIL has the Nest Thermostat. I didn’t know they made a Carbon Monoxide/Smoke Detector. That’s awesome. I would definitely consider these items when we build.
Everyone I know who has the thermostat, loves it. We are def thinking about putting the smoke detectors throughout our house. I’ll keep you posted.
Wow. This does look like a great product, but the cost is definitely the issue – and like you said, it’s the shelf-life part that would concern me!
I want those sexy badboys, but….the cost…the shelf life…
It definitely looks interesting! I love technology too!
I still haven’t decided, but definitely thinking about it.