From misused space heaters to misguided cooking attempts, home fires are one of the most common disasters to hit the inside of your house — and one of the most dangerous. But there’s also a lot that technology can do to protect your home, even if you’re not currently around.
Below, we’ll cover the best detectors, monitoring devices and services specifically designed to keep your home safe from the most common origins of house fires. In addition to these devices, ensure you follow your local government’s rules and building codes on fire alarms and home protection.
Nest Protect (second generation)
The most popular and best smart smoke detector on the market right now, the Nest Protect ($100), uses a split-spectrum sensor that supposedly helps it sense smoldering fires faster, and it combines that smoke-detecting prowess with helpful smarts. In practice, the Nest Protect responded to smoke almost as quickly as an ordinary Kidde smoke detector.
Once the alarm sounds, you’ll get a push notification, and you can use the app to silence the alarm in the case of burnt toast. The Nest Protect will also help you avoid those annoying low-battery chirps with notifications when it’s time to replace your AAs. We found the smarts helpful when we tested the Nest Protect and recommend it readily to anyone looking to replace your dumb old smoke detectors with a smart upgrade.
Read CNET’s full review of the Nest Protect (second generation)
Ring-Supported Kidde Smoke Alarm
If you can wait until April 2025, a very promising new smoke detector will arrive on the digital shelves. It’s a collaboration between home security brand Ring and one of our favorite smoke and fire brands, Kidde.
This smoke detector uses a Kidde design combined with Ring technology. The Ring app will provide alerts, updates, low battery warnings and more information. This is valuable combo, especially if you already use Ring devices or if you’d prefer not to use Google Home for a Nest system.
Kidde Dual Sensor Smoke Detector
If you don’t care about Ring compatibility, our next stop is one of our favorite smoke detectors, the latest dual-sensor model from Kidde. It has excellent specs, including a speedy fire detection rating for both smoke and fast-flaming fires. The design also helps reduce false alarms from things like candles or cooking. Just ensure you get a wired version if your building codes require a hardwired smoke detector in certain spots.
SimpliSafe Home Security Smoke Detector
If you already have a security system, you should start by looking for fire, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that your system already supports, so it can monitor and control them along with other sensors. Most home security systems offer devices like this, but SimpliSafe’s is an ideal example of how it works. It works via the SimpliSafe app, is designed for accuracy and can tap into SimpliSafe’s 24/7 home monitoring service if you choose to subscribe.
Ting Electrical Fault Detectors
A hidden cause of home fires is problems with wiring, which can be more common in older homes. If your home is high-risk, you may consider a monitoring solution like Ting, with plug-in devices that monitor your home electricity and watch for signs of faults. Ting says it can statistically stop four out of five home electrical fires with this kind of monitoring, and you may even get a credit amount to help pay for wiring repair.
Alexa Emergency Assist
What happens when you aren’t home or can’t quickly deal with a fire? A service like Alexa Emergency Assist could be the right answer if you want to go beyond detectors. It’s relatively affordable compared to home monitoring plans at $6 per month, and Alexa has some valuable tricks, like the ability to listen for smoke alarms and send your phone a message about them, no matter where you are. The service can also put you in contact with an agent who can call the fire department and take other important steps.
First Alert Rechargeable Fire Extinguisher
There’s not really any such thing as a “smart” fire extinguisher — they are already quite efficient at what they do. And if your home doesn’t have a fire extinguisher within easy reach (especially in the kitchen, where many fires can start), it’s time to add one. Technically, this First Alert model is made for garages, but you can use it anywhere. It’s durable, rechargeable, and ready even for grease and chemical fires.
To learn more about home safety, consult our master list of home security topics, see the best DIY home security systems, and check out the worst home security myths people still believe.
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