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Smoke detectors are mandatory if you want to keep you and your loved ones safe. You should at least have smoke detectors in all rooms where people sleep and where there is more danger of fire – like in the kitchen.
This may sound annoying and exaggerated, but in an emergency, you will be glad to have such a device hanging from the ceiling and your life and that of your family, if you have one, will be much better protected.
But if you think about which type of smoke detector best suits your apartment or house, you will quickly stumble across a lot of offers and ask yourself the question of which smoke detector might be the right one.
In order to be prepared for the future and to rely on the latest technical standards right from the start, we clearly recommend the use of smart devices. These can be integrated into an existing smart home network but will work perfectly even without a home network.
We have compared the current best models for you and would like to inform you here about our research so that you too can benefit from the best smoke detectors for your home.
Here are the 3 best smoke detectors for the kitchen at a glance:
| Image | Name | Link |
|---|---|---|
  * | Nest Protect | Check Price* |
  * | Onelink Safe & Sound | Check Price* |
  * | Onelink Smoke Detector | Check Price* |
Table of Contents
Special Requirements in the Kitchen
Especially in the kitchen, the choice of the right appliance is crucial, because here an annoying false alarm can quickly be triggered by cooking, roasting and baking. Therefore, when buying an appliance for the kitchen, make sure that the smoke detector has temperature-based fire detection on board. In combination with classic photoelectric detection, where a sensor detects the smoke in the room, this is the safest solution to register a fire in your home in time.
Nest Protect – our Favourite
The Nest Protect* is the best smart smoke detector in our test.
Not only is it unbeaten in the detection of fire, smoke and invisible gases (such as carbon monoxide), it can also be perfectly integrated into a smart home.
It also offers a whole range of features that are available via the Nest App. Just like the other Nest products, such as the Nest Cam* and the Nest Thermostat*, the Nest Protect interacts with you via your smartphone.
This means that, in addition to its normal alarm, it will also send a message to your smartphone so that you can react to it directly even if you are not in the same room (or even country).
The app also lets you turn off the alarm without having to climb a chair or ladder. It also lets you know early on when its battery is running low and carries out self-tests on its own.
In addition to its sensors for smoke and fire, it also has sensors for carbon monoxide, heat, humidity and even detects whether someone is in the room or not.
As soon as the alarm informs you via your smartphone, you will know which sensors have been triggered and can react accordingly.
Most smoke detectors usually have only one type of sensor to detect fire. With the Split Spectrum Sensor, the Nest Smoke Detector has the ability to reliably detect both fast-burning fires and slow-burning or smoldering fires.
Summary:
- Highlights: Has a variety of features and an excellent integration into a smart home.
- Sensors: With the Split Spectrum sensors for fire and the various other sensors for smoke and gases, it is well equipped to protect your home and your loved ones.
- Service life: At least 10 years
Onelink Safe & Sound by First Alert
The Onelink Safe & Sound by First Alert* combines two techniques to detect smoke and fire. It detects photoelectrically when there is smoke in the air and, thanks to a thermo-differential sensor, also monitors the temperature in the room.
By combining these two techniques, false alarms are minimized and you can be sure that especially in the kitchen the smoke detector will not go off with every burnt toast.
But that’s not all: It integrates easily into your smart home network using Amazon Alexa. Not only does it give you an audible warning from the smoke detector itself, but it also sends a notification to your smartphone.
This is the ideal solution if you own a holiday home or have a second home that is not regularly occupied.
What makes this smoke detector so special is that you get a built-in premium home speaker which can also be controlled with Alexa! Smoke detectors are normally mounted under the ceiling which makes a perfect spot for some high-quality and room-filling sound.
In addition, you can switch off the smoke detector from your mobile device, so the annoying grip on the ceiling is no longer necessary. And you can create a scene that is executed when the alarm is triggered. You only need some smart lights for that.
For example, you can automatically light up all the lamps that illuminate the escape route through the corridor to the front door!
The smoke detector itself also contains a built-in LED that lights up in case of an alarm, thus illuminating the area around the device.
But integrating it into your wifi brings a few more advantages. For example, the model regularly tests itself and directly indicates on your smartphone when the smoke detector is malfunctioning or the battery level has reached a critical level.
But the latter is rather unlikely: it has a life span of about ten years. So all too often you will not be disappointed by a low battery charge level here.
If you use several of these smoke detectors, they can also be connected to each other. This way, the device in your bedroom will also sound the alarm, even if the fire in the kitchen happens at the other end of the apartment.
Your children are also much better protected from danger.
Summary:
- Highlights: Alexa compatible and has a built-in premium speaker
- Sensor: In addition to smoke sensor also thermo-differential sensor
- Service life: at least 10 years
Onelink Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Detector
The Onelink Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Detector* is a device that can also detect the invisible carbon monoxide.
The installation of the smoke detector is very easy and the device is compatible with both Alexa and HomeKit. It quickly connects to the rest of your network and lets you know if there’s a fire in one of your rooms.
Within the alarm notification on your smartphone, you can either dismiss it and silence the device or call 911 with one touch. The alarm itself consists of an 85-decibel alarm and voice alert.
In addition, LED lamps are built into the smoke detector, which can be very helpful in case of fire, as the device automatically illuminates the escape route and the light in the smoky apartment shows you how to get outdoors and therefore to safety.
The cool thing about these Onelink devices is that you can link them all together to create a web of detectors. If a fire is detected all smoke detectors will sound the alarm. If your house is quite big, this could save valuable time!
Over the alarm notification, you will see where the alarm got triggered exactly and react accordingly.
For this model too, the manufacturer assumes that the battery will last for ten years. You will be informed about the current state of charge in the app.
Summary:
- Highlights: Can be paired with similar detectors to create a smart safety network
- Sensor: Photoelectronic and carbon monoxide sensor
- Service life: 10 years
Basic Tips for Installation
- Install smoke detectors in all rooms where people sleep.
- You should also install some in the hallways.
- Smoke detectors in the attic or basement can also be helpful.
- The safest way to make the detectors work is to place them on the ceiling in the center of a room.
- If there is an air conditioner or other type of ventilation system in the room, you should take this into account when choosing the location for the installation.
- In addition, the smoke detector should be installed more than 2 feet away from walls and other obstacles.
- If your hallway is very long, you should install a smoke detector at both ends of the hallway.
Conclusion
We looked at various smoke detectors for you. One thing in advance: They all warn reliably of smoke in your house or apartment.
Nevertheless, there are of course qualitative differences with regard to the workmanship of the devices and especially with regard to the additional features.
Depending on which smart home system you are already using, probably only one of the models is suitable for you anyway.
This is exactly what you should consider when buying a smart smoke detector: Which mobile devices do you use? What other smart home devices would you like to use in your home? What prices are you willing to pay for them?
All these questions will automatically limit the choice.
In addition, as is so often the case, the purchase decision is dependent on the price and the associated functions. Are you willing to pay over a hundred bucks and have a lot of features for it? Or would you like a simple and therefore cheaper solution?
We hope that this post will give you an insight into the world of smart smoke detectors and that we have been able to help you choose the right smoke detector.
Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
Disclosure: This website is the property of Martin Lütkemeyer and is operated by Martin Lütkemeyer. Martin Lütkemeyer is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to enable Web sites to earn advertising revenue through advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Links marked with * are affiliate links.