Replacing Nest Smoke Alarms.
Discussion
We have wired nest protect smoke/carbon monoxide alarms. One upstairs, one downstairs.
They are nearly 10 years old and apparently need replacing. I know this because they do a very loud announcement every night!
Google have killed nest. The replacement they recommend appears to be USA voltage only.
Any recommendations for wired smart replacements.
Would like them to do carbon monoxide too.
ChatGBT wasn t much use, & I didn t do well searching Pistonheads. So sorry if it s been discussed before.
They are nearly 10 years old and apparently need replacing. I know this because they do a very loud announcement every night!
Google have killed nest. The replacement they recommend appears to be USA voltage only.
Any recommendations for wired smart replacements.
Would like them to do carbon monoxide too.
ChatGBT wasn t much use, & I didn t do well searching Pistonheads. So sorry if it s been discussed before.
Edited by Parabola on Monday 21st September 15:42
I ve got 3x of the battery powered Nest alarms, we ve lived here for 13 years and I changed the first 3 a couple of years ago.
Don t think you actually need the mains powered version?
Google Nest Protect - Smoke Alarm And Carbon Monoxide Detector (Battery) https://amzn.eu/d/02KgQjvt
Don t think you actually need the mains powered version?
Google Nest Protect - Smoke Alarm And Carbon Monoxide Detector (Battery) https://amzn.eu/d/02KgQjvt
Ed Boon II said:
I ve got 3x of the battery powered Nest alarms, we ve lived here for 13 years and I changed the first 3 a couple of years ago.
Don t think you actually need the mains powered version?
Google Nest Protect - Smoke Alarm And Carbon Monoxide Detector (Battery) https://amzn.eu/d/02KgQjvt
Did you click to see the price of that option?!?!?!Don t think you actually need the mains powered version?
Google Nest Protect - Smoke Alarm And Carbon Monoxide Detector (Battery) https://amzn.eu/d/02KgQjvt
Such a shame they've killed them off. I will need to replace mine in the next year or so and they do seem to be quite unique.
I bought some Aico fire and co1 alarms to replace the nest ones.
£60 each. I can't even remember if they are wirelessly linked or not of if I needed to buy an additional module.
On top of that they don't self test, don't have an app and no built in night light... The night light feature is highly unique and a big loss even though it was such a subtle feature.
£60 each. I can't even remember if they are wirelessly linked or not of if I needed to buy an additional module.
On top of that they don't self test, don't have an app and no built in night light... The night light feature is highly unique and a big loss even though it was such a subtle feature.
t that they have totally f**** up the best things. They are brilliant. Another Nest protect owner here. Absolutely love these and the functionality, I've 3 hard wired and 5 battery ones, all of which are going to be hitting the 10 year point in the next 12 months or so.
Seems ridiculous that something with the same features doesn't exist in this day and age.
Seems ridiculous that something with the same features doesn't exist in this day and age.
I'm in the same situation. I have a number of these around the house, which are all approx. 10 years old. One of them has already announced itself as being expired, and I've had to disconnect it from the mains & batteries to stop it beeping.
I'm also looking for an equivalent replacement, but have not found anything yet, so I'm hoping that this thread might bring some inspiration.
I'm also looking for an equivalent replacement, but have not found anything yet, so I'm hoping that this thread might bring some inspiration.
ChatGPT said:
Yes. Assuming you’re in the UK, there are several good hard-wired Nest Protect replacements, but there’s an important catch: very few current UK alarms combine all three of:
1. 230V mains/hard-wired power
2. Smoke + CO in the same unit
3. A genuine Nest-style night light
The closest options are:
1. Aico Ei3030 — probably the closest overall replacement
The model you actually want is the Aico Ei3030, rather than the Ei3024 shown above. The Ei3030 combines optical smoke, heat and CO detection in one alarm and is 230V mains powered with rechargeable battery backup. It can also be interconnected with other Aico alarms, either wired or wirelessly using the Ei3000MRF SmartLINK module.
However: I don’t find evidence that the Ei3030 has a built-in night light. So you’d need a separate night light if that feature is important.
2. FireAngel Spec+ SP540 — very interesting modern alternative
The FireAngel SP540 is a mains-powered combined smoke + heat + CO alarm with rechargeable backup. It has built-in Bluetooth interlinking and can also be hardwired interconnected, and FireAngel provides diagnostics/app functionality for the range.
Again, though, it doesn’t appear to have a dedicated night-light function.
3. FireAngel Pro Connected — best if you want some of the “smart” Nest experience
FireAngel’s Pro Connected range is worth looking at if what you liked about Nest was more than just the light.
The mains-powered models can be interconnected, and FireAngel says you can combine mains and battery-powered devices in the same network. With the appropriate gateway, you get smartphone notifications and remote monitoring.
The downside is that you’ll generally have separate smoke/heat and CO devices, rather than the Nest-style all-in-one unit, depending on the configuration.
4. FireAngel FA6611-R — if the night light is the critical feature
This one does have an integrated light, and FireAngel specifically describes it as an escape light that comes on automatically when smoke is detected.
But it’s battery powered, not hard-wired, and it doesn’t provide CO detection. So it doesn’t meet your complete specification.
⸻
The interesting conclusion
If your requirements are strictly:
hard-wired + smoke + CO + night light + UK compatible
I don’t currently see a direct 1-for-1 Nest Protect replacement from the major UK manufacturers.
The market has essentially split into:
Option Mains Smoke CO Interlink Night/escape light Smart/app
Nest Protect ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Aico Ei3030 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ — Limited
FireAngel SP540 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ — ✓
FireAngel Pro Connected ✓* ✓ ✓* ✓ — ✓
FireAngel FA6611-R — ✓ — — ✓ —
One other important point: if you’re replacing existing Nest Protects, don’t assume the existing Nest wiring/base will be compatible with another manufacturer’s alarm. The interconnect systems are manufacturer-specific. FireAngel, for example, explicitly says not to mix manufacturers within an alarm network.
If you tell me which country you’re in (England/Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland) and whether your existing Nest Protects are the wired 230V version, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 closest replacements, including exact models, approximate prices and whether they will fit the existing wiring.
1. 230V mains/hard-wired power
2. Smoke + CO in the same unit
3. A genuine Nest-style night light
The closest options are:
1. Aico Ei3030 — probably the closest overall replacement
The model you actually want is the Aico Ei3030, rather than the Ei3024 shown above. The Ei3030 combines optical smoke, heat and CO detection in one alarm and is 230V mains powered with rechargeable battery backup. It can also be interconnected with other Aico alarms, either wired or wirelessly using the Ei3000MRF SmartLINK module.
However: I don’t find evidence that the Ei3030 has a built-in night light. So you’d need a separate night light if that feature is important.
2. FireAngel Spec+ SP540 — very interesting modern alternative
The FireAngel SP540 is a mains-powered combined smoke + heat + CO alarm with rechargeable backup. It has built-in Bluetooth interlinking and can also be hardwired interconnected, and FireAngel provides diagnostics/app functionality for the range.
Again, though, it doesn’t appear to have a dedicated night-light function.
3. FireAngel Pro Connected — best if you want some of the “smart” Nest experience
FireAngel’s Pro Connected range is worth looking at if what you liked about Nest was more than just the light.
The mains-powered models can be interconnected, and FireAngel says you can combine mains and battery-powered devices in the same network. With the appropriate gateway, you get smartphone notifications and remote monitoring.
The downside is that you’ll generally have separate smoke/heat and CO devices, rather than the Nest-style all-in-one unit, depending on the configuration.
4. FireAngel FA6611-R — if the night light is the critical feature
This one does have an integrated light, and FireAngel specifically describes it as an escape light that comes on automatically when smoke is detected.
But it’s battery powered, not hard-wired, and it doesn’t provide CO detection. So it doesn’t meet your complete specification.
⸻
The interesting conclusion
If your requirements are strictly:
hard-wired + smoke + CO + night light + UK compatible
I don’t currently see a direct 1-for-1 Nest Protect replacement from the major UK manufacturers.
The market has essentially split into:
Option Mains Smoke CO Interlink Night/escape light Smart/app
Nest Protect ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Aico Ei3030 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ — Limited
FireAngel SP540 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ — ✓
FireAngel Pro Connected ✓* ✓ ✓* ✓ — ✓
FireAngel FA6611-R — ✓ — — ✓ —
- depending on the particular Pro Connected devices/configuration.
One other important point: if you’re replacing existing Nest Protects, don’t assume the existing Nest wiring/base will be compatible with another manufacturer’s alarm. The interconnect systems are manufacturer-specific. FireAngel, for example, explicitly says not to mix manufacturers within an alarm network.
If you tell me which country you’re in (England/Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland) and whether your existing Nest Protects are the wired 230V version, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 closest replacements, including exact models, approximate prices and whether they will fit the existing wiring.
I’m in the same boat and have been looking at potential replacements for a while.
Ubiquiti have recently released an alarm which looks promising, but expensive as you also need one of their Superlink gateways. If you already use their network and camera products (which I do) you’ll be able to monitor and get notifications via their existing apps which is appealing.
I’ve also been looking for Matter / Thread products as I’ve recently changed a lot of my home automation stuff to use this. There seem to be a few Smoke / CO alarms appearing in this space which also appeals e.g. you could set up automations to turn the lights on if the alarm goes off. I currently have my eye on the Sensereo MS-1 but am holding off as there’s still a bit of life left in my Nests.
Ubiquiti have recently released an alarm which looks promising, but expensive as you also need one of their Superlink gateways. If you already use their network and camera products (which I do) you’ll be able to monitor and get notifications via their existing apps which is appealing.
I’ve also been looking for Matter / Thread products as I’ve recently changed a lot of my home automation stuff to use this. There seem to be a few Smoke / CO alarms appearing in this space which also appeals e.g. you could set up automations to turn the lights on if the alarm goes off. I currently have my eye on the Sensereo MS-1 but am holding off as there’s still a bit of life left in my Nests.
I replaced one of mine a couple of months ago and was surprised to see how limited the market is. Google is hopeless when it comes to smart home stuff and did literally nothing with the Nest after buying them (other than harvest the data, obviously). I wouldn't buy any smart home stuff from Google again.
There is a version from Aqara version which has similar features:
https://www.aqara-shop.co.uk/product/aqara-smoke-d...
I have a house full of smart devices so am always looking there first, but in the end I decided to replace it with a standard Fire Angel instead.
There is a version from Aqara version which has similar features:
https://www.aqara-shop.co.uk/product/aqara-smoke-d...
I have a house full of smart devices so am always looking there first, but in the end I decided to replace it with a standard Fire Angel instead.
My nests, all 3 in a town house, needed replacing all at once and I installed the following, not smart I know but neat looking
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09S1194Z2?ref_=pe_112...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09S1194Z2?ref_=pe_112...
Parabola said:
I guess because they re discontinued now, & people like us are struggling to find a decent alternative.
Beware the 10 year life is from date of manufacture, so old stock ones aren't sensible buys.One of ours flagged an error recently , luckily fixed with a disassemble and clean.
Remember you can't just replace a failed one with a different brand as they need to be interlinked.
Also check sellers feedback....
IAN1967 said:
My nests, all 3 in a town house, needed replacing all at once and I installed the following, not smart I know but neat looking
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09S1194Z2?ref_=pe_112...
A nice looking solution but as I understand it they need to be hard-wired and interlinked to meet current regulations.https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09S1194Z2?ref_=pe_112...
I went through a similar exercise a number of years ago with regard to finding a decent brand of wireless interlinked smoke detectors to fit into a new (old) house.
I actually eliminated Nest early on becuase they specifically stated 'Nest Protect should NOT be installed in unfinished attics or garages.' but I wanted to use them in various outbuildings and garages.
They don't technically conform to UK building regs IIRC as they don't have a 'Heat only' offering which is mandatory for kitchens I believe.
I had a look at Aico which are obviously a big name in fire detection, but their interlinking technology seems a bit dated in that you need an extra base station and add-on for each detector to add wireless app notification capability, and you're limited to about 8 detectors or something like that from memory.
I eventually decided on Ajax. Known mainly for their wireless alarms and fairly well regarded if a little less well known, their alarm components and smoke detectors are built with wireless in mind from the start and their Jeweller wireless protocol is very long range and very reliable.
It's all app based and I'm not aware of any practical limit on number of devices connected to a hub, and their app will immediately alert you to the exact zone that has alarmed and of course interlinking other detectors which was one of my requirements.
They've got a whole range of smoke detectors in their 'Fire Protect' range, with heat only, smoke & heat & CO, and a few other combinations in both replaceable battery and sealed battery types, as well as mains powered units as a fairly recent addition (I presume to make them building regs compliant, as arguably with a 10 year battery life a mains supply is not really necessary).
I've got quite a number of these Fire Protect units installed across 2 houses and a number of outbuildings. Unfortunately after a few months of installation I started experiencing a number of false detections in some of the outbuildings. I had lots of discussions with Ajax support who were quite helpful if somewhat of a slow process to make progress.
Eventually I got a full refund of all the detectors, and they gave me a couple of their brand new (at the time) Fire Protect 2, which had been fully redesigned to eliminate false detections apparently!
It seemed ok for maybe a year or so, then again I started getting false detections in the outbuildings even with the new Fire Protect 2. After a bit of back and forth with support again their answer was to regularly clean inside the smoke chamber. A bit of a cop out if you ask me, who has the time to go round regularly cleaning the inside of their smoke detectors?!
This is cutting a very long story short and after a lot of frustration I pretty much gave up and simply disabled the smoke detection part of the detectors in the outbuildings leaving just the heat detectors active. No more false alarms since. I'm pretty sure that the cause was very tiny insects getting into the smoke chamber as I did find evidence inside after one false alert - there is a fine mesh on the detectors to try and stop this but clearly it's not fine enough.
I don't recall ever having false alarms in the old days of the Americium based ionisation detectors, but they all seem to be optical these days.
It's never been an issue in the house mind you, only in the outbuildings where these little tiny insects seem to find their way in.
So after all that waffle would I recommend Ajax - err, probably not after my experience. But I still haven't found anything else that is any where near as advanced in terms of technology and app experience (not counting Nest of course), it does seem like there's a gap in the market.
I actually eliminated Nest early on becuase they specifically stated 'Nest Protect should NOT be installed in unfinished attics or garages.' but I wanted to use them in various outbuildings and garages.
They don't technically conform to UK building regs IIRC as they don't have a 'Heat only' offering which is mandatory for kitchens I believe.
I had a look at Aico which are obviously a big name in fire detection, but their interlinking technology seems a bit dated in that you need an extra base station and add-on for each detector to add wireless app notification capability, and you're limited to about 8 detectors or something like that from memory.
I eventually decided on Ajax. Known mainly for their wireless alarms and fairly well regarded if a little less well known, their alarm components and smoke detectors are built with wireless in mind from the start and their Jeweller wireless protocol is very long range and very reliable.
It's all app based and I'm not aware of any practical limit on number of devices connected to a hub, and their app will immediately alert you to the exact zone that has alarmed and of course interlinking other detectors which was one of my requirements.
They've got a whole range of smoke detectors in their 'Fire Protect' range, with heat only, smoke & heat & CO, and a few other combinations in both replaceable battery and sealed battery types, as well as mains powered units as a fairly recent addition (I presume to make them building regs compliant, as arguably with a 10 year battery life a mains supply is not really necessary).
I've got quite a number of these Fire Protect units installed across 2 houses and a number of outbuildings. Unfortunately after a few months of installation I started experiencing a number of false detections in some of the outbuildings. I had lots of discussions with Ajax support who were quite helpful if somewhat of a slow process to make progress.
Eventually I got a full refund of all the detectors, and they gave me a couple of their brand new (at the time) Fire Protect 2, which had been fully redesigned to eliminate false detections apparently!
It seemed ok for maybe a year or so, then again I started getting false detections in the outbuildings even with the new Fire Protect 2. After a bit of back and forth with support again their answer was to regularly clean inside the smoke chamber. A bit of a cop out if you ask me, who has the time to go round regularly cleaning the inside of their smoke detectors?!
This is cutting a very long story short and after a lot of frustration I pretty much gave up and simply disabled the smoke detection part of the detectors in the outbuildings leaving just the heat detectors active. No more false alarms since. I'm pretty sure that the cause was very tiny insects getting into the smoke chamber as I did find evidence inside after one false alert - there is a fine mesh on the detectors to try and stop this but clearly it's not fine enough.
I don't recall ever having false alarms in the old days of the Americium based ionisation detectors, but they all seem to be optical these days.
It's never been an issue in the house mind you, only in the outbuildings where these little tiny insects seem to find their way in.
So after all that waffle would I recommend Ajax - err, probably not after my experience. But I still haven't found anything else that is any where near as advanced in terms of technology and app experience (not counting Nest of course), it does seem like there's a gap in the market.
Edited by Ben-57xmk on Tuesday 22 September 10:54
I held off buying the Nests as I knew they were about to he discontinued but I expected them to reveal a replacement rather than just pull out completely.
As others have said they offer some really nice features but the limited life span and the chance of a "new" one being manufactured years ago is off putting.
Following with interest here as I have 4 to replace and despite searching haven't really found anything I love, even just being wired, interconnected and having night light would be enough.
As others have said they offer some really nice features but the limited life span and the chance of a "new" one being manufactured years ago is off putting.
Following with interest here as I have 4 to replace and despite searching haven't really found anything I love, even just being wired, interconnected and having night light would be enough.
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