Put the broom down. They come in peace.
by Casey Johnston
by Casey Johnston
The Nest Protect: a speaker, a lighted ring, and a giant button.
Nest
The designers of the Nest "learning" thermostat plan to improve another chronically annoying household device: the smoke and carbon monoxide detector. The company's new “Nest Protect” can be controlled via a mobile app and, most importantly, features a giant, lighted button that will immediately cancel any alarms.
According to Nest, the Protect has one sensor each for heat, light, carbon monoxide, and smoke; it can also sense movement and ultrasonic signals. In addition to an audible alarm, a lighted ring on the device will change color to alert users about household dangers. A set of Protects networked together can even help determine in which room a problem is occurring, and the lighted ring on the device is bright enough that it can light a dark room if it senses a person walking past.
Both the mobile app and the company's website can alert a Nest Protect owner when the battery in a Protect is low, a fact the device will also communicate several times via a spoken voice (i.e., no chirps).
Based on my own anecdotal experience, humanity spends far more time stalking the cryptic noises smoke detectors make or yanking the devices from the wall when they go off at the wrong times than it does being grateful to them for saving us from a fiery demise. Our relationship with these lifesavers is, at best, strained—but we maintain a strategic alliance.
The Nest Protect costs $129, about $100 more than a run-of-the-mill smoke detector. Preorders are open now, with shipments starting in early November.
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