A new line of smoke and CO alarms from Gentex called Place is packed with smart features, including phone notifications, a nightlight, motion detection, and temperature and humidity sensing. There’s also optional air quality monitoring and a camera/intercom. The four Place models start at $139, and are available now at The Home Depot.
With the excellent Nest Protect now discontinued, many homeowners have been seeking an alternative smart alarm that can similarly alert them to a smoke or carbon monoxide emergency in their home, even when they’re not there. On paper, this new line from Place might be just that.
The base model, called Any Space, costs $139 and has photoelectric smoke detection, carbon monoxide detection, Wi-Fi connectivity, ambient temperature and humidity sensing, localized voice alerts, and a nightlight. It also features a motion sensor that can send alerts to the Place app, a useful security feature. It has most of the same features as the Nest Protect, along with some additional ones. However, disappointingly, there isn’t currently alarm integration with smart home platforms, and the models are only available as hardwired devices.
The more expensive models do bring some very interesting upgrades. A unit designed for the kitchen costs $249.95 and includes natural gas and VOC detection, in addition to the base model’s features. A nursery unit, priced at $349.95, features both VOC detection and PM2.5 air quality monitoring, a white noise generator, and a camera with a two-way intercom — potentially replacing four different products you might put in your baby’s room. A garage unit, priced at $299.95, provides heat detection (instead of smoke) and includes a camera and intercom.
All the models have what Gentex claims is the first built-in low-frequency sounder alarm. Studies from the NFPA have shown that a low-frequency tone can be more effective at waking deep sleepers, children, and those with hearing impairments.
The Place line interconnects via your home’s wiring to sound all the alarms when one is triggered, and communicate over Wi-Fi to the Place app for smart features. These include getting notifications for smoke, CO, motion, air quality, and temperature changes. You can also silence compatible alarms from the app. The intercom and camera features are accessed through the app, where you can also control the white noise and nightlight functions.
The nightlight uses adjustable and dimmable color and white LEDS. It can be set to always on, activate based on ambient light, or triggered with ambient light and motion, Steven Bedford, a product manager at Gentex, told The Verge in an interview.
Currently, the Place app only integrates with Amazon Alexa, specifically for controlling the light. Bedford says they are working on a Google Home integration as well as exploring Matter integration. “Our goal is to be the first smart smoke detector on Matter in the U.S.,” he said. Matter integration could allow the alarms to work with any Matter-compatible platforms, such as Google Home, Apple Home, and Amazon Alexa.
While receiving an alert on your phone and silencing a nuisance alarm are great features of connected smoke alarms, smart home integration can offer a lot more functionality. For example, turning off the HVAC system, unlocking the doors, and triggering security cameras to record when an alarm sounds.
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The Place alarms are UL-listed, and while you may not have heard of Gentex – which is best known for developing automotive technology, including the HomeLink system that controls your garage door from your car – the Michigan-based company has plenty of experience in fire safety. Gentex developed the first dual-cell photoelectric smoke alarm in 1974 and has been selling commercial grade alarms for decades.
A couple of new smart smoke alarms have launched in the wake of the end of Nest Protect. Kidde released two models in partnership with Ring earlier this year. The hardwired Kidde Smart Smoke Alarm with Ring ($54.97) and the Kidde Smart Smoke and CO Alarm with Ring ($74.97), which work with the Ring app to send you alerts.
First Alert (now owned by Resideo) partnered with Google on the $129 First Alert Smart Smoke & CO detector. With a hardwired alarm and battery-powered option, these smart alarms work with Google Home and can integrate with existing Google Nest Protect alarms, interconnecting over Google’s Thread and Weave protocols.
However, neither the First Alert nor the Kidde models have motion sensing or the popular pathlight feature of the Nest Protect, both of which the Place alarms have. Unfortunately, none of the new models match the Nest Protect in terms of industrial design.
It’s good to finally see more options for smart smoke alarms arriving, but it’s frustrating that none of them have broad smart home compatibility. It means you still have to pick a platform or use a proprietary app for a device that will be in your home for a decade.
