The best smart smoke detectors go beyond sounding an alarm inside your house— they can also instantly send an alert to your smartphone so you can call emergency services. That extra warning time can mean the difference from light damage to a total loss in an emergency.
Sadly at the moment, there's no one smart smoke detector that really stands out. Our favorite for a few years running has been the Nest Protect. It's the most full-featured alarm, blaring out a loud siren and telling you where the problem is. 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.
However, it does not work with the Google Home app, and it no longer works with IFTTT, so it's lost a lot of the smarts it used to have.
If you already have non-smart smoke detectors in your home, the least expensive route to take is to use a smart speaker to listen for the sound of a smoke alarm.
If you have one of the best Alexa speakers, you can sign up for Alexa Emergency Assist ($5.99/month, $59/year). When enabled, your Alexa smart speakers will listen for smoke and CO2 alarms, and will send you an alert on your smartphone if they hear a siren, as well as connect you with an urgent response agent.
Alternatively, if you have a Nest Aware subscription (starting at $6/month), you can set your Google Home speakers to listen for alarms.
The Apple HomePod mini, as well as the Apple HomePod (2nd generation) can also listen for smoke and CO2 alarms, and send an alert to your phone. Unlike Alexa and Google Home, using this feature does not require a subscription.
The best smart smoke detectors you can buy today
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
Best overall
Nest’s smoke alarm detects both smoke and carbon monoxide. Should it sense either of these hazards, it will not only sound an alarm, but change the color of its bottom LED ring to give you a visual cue. The app notification will provide further context like what room the alert is coming from, and the nature of the alert.
The Nest Protect comes in both wired and battery-powered versions. If you have more than one in your home, and one goes off, the others will too, alerting you to the location of the fire.
When it originally launched in 2013, the Nest Protect used to work with a wider range of smart home devices, as well as IFTTT. However, a lot of that functionality has been lost; the device doesn't even work with the Google Home app, which is a bummer. We're hoping that Google will come out with a newer version of the Nest Protect, but we're not optimistic.
However, I was able to connect the Nest Protect to HomeKit using the Starling Home Hub, one of the best smart home hubs we've tested. It's not an approved HomeKit device, but it works.
Read our full Nest Protect review.
Best for Alexa
The Amazon Echo Dot doesn't have a smoke detector built in, but if you subscribe to Alexa Emergency Assist ($59/year), it can listen for smoke and CO2 detectors (as well as glass breaking), and alert you on your smartphone if if hears something. This way, you can keep your older smoke detectors, but still get a notification on your phone if you're away and something's amiss.
Apart from that, it's also a great little smart speaker on its own. For the price, the sound is more than good enough as a personal listening device. It also has presence and temperature sensors built in. and it can double as an eero Wi-Fi satellite, should you want to extend the reach of your mesh Wi-Fi system in your home.
Read our full Amazon Echo Dot review.
Best for HomeKit
Like the Amazon Echo Dot, the Apple HomePod mini isn't a smart smoke detector in its own right, but it can listen for the sound of a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm going off, and then alert you via the HomeKit app on your phone, tablet, or Apple Watch. Even better: If you have a security camera on HomeKit, the notification will also display an image from that camera, making it easier to see if there's a true emergency, or if it's just a false alarm.
Apart from these abilities, the HomePod mini is a great little smart speaker in its own right, delivering great audio for its size, and bettering the Amazon Echo. It also has a temperature and humidity sensor, can be paired with another HomePod mini for stereo sound, and comes in a variety of colors.
The Apple HomePod 2 also has this ability, so Apple's premium smart speaker is worth checking out if you're looking for better-quality audio, and don't mind its higher asking price.
Read our full Apple HomePod mini review.
Best with Alexa built-in
Like the Nest Protect, the OneLink Safe & Sound detects smoke and carbon monoxide, sends an alert to your smartphone, and tells you the type and location of the fire or condition. But for those times when it's not warning you of fire, you can use it for a great many other things. With Amazon's Alexa (and a very competent 10-watt speaker), the Safe & Sound can play music, listen to audiobooks, and access Alexa's thousands of skills. (It's also compatible with Apple's HomeKit, as well as AirPlay).
However, the Safe & Sound requires a hard-wired connection, and we found that the location of these connections doesn't make it the most conducive for using all of Alexa's capabilities.
Read our full OneLink Safe & Sound review.
Best under $100
The second-generation Onelink Smart Smoke + Carbon Monoxide alarm comes in battery and hardwired models. Similar to the Nest Protect, the Onelink will not only sound an alarm, but also specify the room affected and the type of alert: smoke or carbon monoxide. Also like the Nest Protect, if you have more than one Onelink alarm, you can interconnect them so that if one goes off, they all will.
An LED rings the middle of the alarm and changes color based on the alarm's status. Green and blue indicate that the alarm is starting up or in pairing mode. Yellow means there's a malfunction or a low battery, while red means there's a fire or smoke condition.
Onelink's alarm uses photoelectric technology, which is generally better at detecting smoldering fires than alarms that use ionization technology. However, the latter type are better at detecting fast-burning fires.
The Onelink can be connected to HomeKit and Alexa (but not Google Assistant), so you can ask both Siri and Amazon's voice assistant for the status of the smoke detector, but not much else. By contrast, if the Nest Protect detects fire or carbon monoxide, you can have it automatically turn on a security camera, open Lutron blinds, turn on Philips Hue lights, turn off your heat and more.
Setup should theoretically be easy—just scan a HomeKit code in the Onelink app—but it took a few tries to get it to work. The Onelink smoke and carbon monoxide alarm is good on its own, but the Nest Protect does more for the same price.
How to choose the best smart smoke detector
Fire and smoke detection sensors
All smoke detectors use one of two types of sensors to detect fires. Ionization-type sensors are best at detecting fast-burning fires, while photoelectric sensors are generally better at alerting you about smoldering, or slow-burning fires. You should have both types of alarms in your house. Smoke alarms such as the Nest Protect are designed to pick up both types of fires.
Carbon monoxide and other gas detection
Even if you don't have a fire in your home, you can be suffocated by carbon monoxide. A good detector should also protect you against this.
Hardwired vs. battery-powered
If your home has hardwired alarms, they will all be interconnected, so that if one goes off, they all will go off. Hardwired alarms also receive their power from your home, and only use batteries as backups. Standalone detectors run on batteries alone, so they may need to be replaced more often, and cannot signal each other in the event of an emergency (Nest's and OneLink's alarms are an exception to this). However, it's a lot easier to mount standalone smoke detectors where you need them.
How we test the best smart smoke detectors
To determine which smart smoke detector is best, we first install them in our home, to see how easy it is to get up and running. We then evaluate their app and user interface, as they need to be intuitive even for non-techie homeowners. If the device is compatible with Alexa or Google Assistant, we also factor that into our review.
Where applicable, we also take into consideration the type of smoke and carbon monoxide detection built into the device. And, where possible, we use a simulated smoke spray to ensure that it actually works.
For greater detail on our testing methodology and rating system, please go to our how we test page for more information.
Smoke detector FAQs
What are the types of smoke detectors?
Most smoke detectors fall under one of two types:
Ionization-type sensors are best at detecting fast-burning fires, while photoelectric sensors are generally better at alerting you about smoldering, or slow-burning fires. You should have both types of alarms in your house. Smoke alarms such as the Nest Protect are designed to pick up both types of fires.
Where should I place a smoke detector?
You should have at least one smoke detector on every level of your house, and inside and outside of every sleeping area. Smoke detectors should be mounted high up on a wall or on the ceiling.
How often should you replace your smoke detectors?
A smoke detector should be replaced every 10 years, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. That's because the sensors inside the alarm deteriorate, and lose their effectiveness over time. However, you'll most likely have to replace the smoke detector's battery more than once over its lifespan.
How often should you test your smoke alarms?
In general, you should test your smoke alarms every month to make sure they still work. You can test most of them by pressing the center button; if you hear it sound, then you know it's working. Most smoke alarms will emit an intermittent beep when their battery is running low on power.
More from Tom's Guide
Best smart light bulbs | Best smart locks | Best video doorbells | Best water leak detectors | Best home security cameras | Best smart thermostats
