Growing up with a firefighter dad, I have an inherent appreciation for fire safety. My father taught me the importance of limiting potential fire risks, practicing fire escape plans (you have one, too, right?), and of course, regularly replacing the batteries in the smoke detectors throughout my home.
That's easier said that done. We've all been there — at 2 a.m. (it's somehow always the middle of the night) a recurring beep echoes throughout your house. One of your smoke or carbon monoxide detectors needs new batteries, but which one?
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Rather than keep on the ridiculous tradition of hunting down the source of incessant beeps, Kidde and Ring have partnered up to release a set of wired smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that will tell you exactly which unit is trying to get your attention, even if you have several alarms situated throughout your home.
Launching as exclusives at The Home Depot in April, the Kidde Smart Smoke Alarm ($54.97) and Kidde Smart Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm ($74.97) are the first from the 100-plus-year-old fire detection brand to offer Ring compatibility.
As an existing Ring customer, this new detector is a no-brainer. Once set up through your Ring app over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, in the event of a smoke or carbon monoxide emergency, you’ll receive instant alerts directly to your phone.
Can automatically call emergency services
In the case you're not near your phone or able to take immediate action yourself, Ring is offering a special monitoring plan for these smoke detectors that will automatically call emergency services.
This plan will cost $5/month, which is significantly more affordable than the Ring Alarm Professional Monitoring plan that costs $20/month. If you do happen to have Ring Doorbells or a Ring security system on an existing paid plan, there will be no added fee for emergency calling when you install these specific Kidde detectors.
There are no shortage of smart smoke detectors on the market currently, so if you're already bought into another smart home device system, this new one from Kidde might not be right for you.
Plus, there are compelling products like the Nest Protect are battery-powered only, though they're quite a bit more expensive. But if you're already in the Ring family or are still new to connected home security products, there's a lot to like.
Besides, chances are it might be time to replace your existing smoke detectors. They're meant to be replaced every 10 years to ensure effectiveness. Dust and pet dander can build up over time, making your smoke detector less reliable. Personally, that's not something I'm willing to find out.
Fixing that pesky battery beeping aside, there's plenty of reason to consider a smoke detector upgrade. Whether it's this Ring-compatible Kidde one is your choice, but I'm pretty confident it'll be a good one.
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