Top Smart Smoke Alarm to Replace Nest Protect
▼ Summary
– Gentex’s new Place line of smart smoke and CO alarms includes features like phone notifications, motion detection, and air quality monitoring, with models starting at $139.
– The Place line offers room-specific models (kitchen, nursery, garage, and base) with varying features like VOC detection, cameras, and white noise generators.
– All Place models feature a low-frequency alarm tone proven to wake deep sleepers and those with hearing impairments, plus Wi-Fi connectivity for app alerts and controls.
– The Place app currently integrates only with Amazon Alexa for light control, but Google Home and Matter compatibility are in development.
– Unlike competitors Kidde and First Alert, Place alarms include motion sensing and a nightlight, but lack smart home platform integration and are only hardwired.
Looking for a smart smoke alarm to replace your Nest Protect? The new Place line from Gentex offers advanced safety features with room-specific models designed for kitchens, nurseries, garages, and general home use. Starting at $139, these alarms combine smoke and carbon monoxide detection with Wi-Fi connectivity, motion sensing, and customizable nightlights, making them a strong contender in the smart safety market.
Gentex’s Place alarms come in four variants, each tailored for different environments. The Any Space base model includes photoelectric smoke detection, CO monitoring, temperature and humidity sensors, and motion-activated alerts. For kitchens, the $249.95 model adds natural gas and VOC detection, while the nursery version ($349.95) features air quality monitoring, a white noise generator, and a two-way camera intercom. The garage unit ($299.95) swaps smoke detection for heat sensing and includes a built-in camera.
One standout feature is the low-frequency alarm tone, proven by NFPA studies to wake deep sleepers and those with hearing impairments more effectively. The alarms interconnect via home wiring and communicate through the Place app, sending real-time alerts for smoke, CO, motion, and air quality changes. Users can silence alarms remotely and control nightlight settings, which offer adjustable color and brightness.
While the Place line lacks smart home platform integration beyond basic Alexa control, Gentex is working on Google Home and Matter compatibility. Matter support could eventually allow these alarms to work seamlessly with Apple Home, Google Home, and other ecosystems, a major advantage for smart home enthusiasts.
For those seeking alternatives, Kidde’s Ring-compatible alarms and First Alert’s Google Home detector provide budget-friendly options but miss features like motion sensing and pathlighting. Gentex, though lesser-known in consumer tech, brings decades of fire safety expertise, having pioneered dual-cell photoelectric sensors in the 1970s.
If you’re upgrading from a Nest Protect, the Place alarms deliver comparable functionality with added perks like air quality tracking and intercoms. Though their industrial design may not match Nest’s sleek aesthetic, their robust feature set makes them a compelling choice for modern smart homes.
(Images: Gentex)
(Source: The Verge)
