Nest Protect Is Gone: The Best Smart Smoke Detector to Replace It in 2026
Google quietly stopped making the Nest Protect in 2025, and if you own one, you have probably wondered what that means for the alarm on your ceiling. The short version: it still works, but it won’t last forever, and you can’t buy new ones to expand your system anymore. That leaves a lot of people shopping for a smart smoke detector for the first time in a decade, and the market looks very different than it did when the Nest Protect launched.
This guide covers what actually happens to your Nest Protect, which smart smoke detector makes sense as a replacement depending on the ecosystem you use, and the one cheap alternative most people overlook entirely.
What Happens to Your Nest Protect Now
Google announced in March 2025 that it was discontinuing the Nest Protect along with the Nest x Yale lock. Existing units keep working. They still sound when they detect smoke or carbon monoxide, they still show up in the Google Home app, and Google has said they will continue receiving security updates.
The real deadline isn’t software, it’s chemistry. Every smoke and CO alarm has a limited sensor life, and the Nest Protect is designed to expire roughly 10 years after it was manufactured. When it reaches that point it will start chirping and telling you to replace it. The second-generation Nest Protect launched in 2015, so the earliest units are hitting their end of life right now.
To find your expiration date, open the Google Home app, tap your Nest Protect, and check the device settings, or take the unit off its base and read the label on the back. If yours was made before 2017, start shopping now rather than waiting for the chirp at 3 a.m.
Why a Smart Smoke Detector Is Worth It
A regular smoke alarm only helps if someone hears it. That sounds obvious until you think about when fires actually happen: while you are at work, while you are on vacation, while the kids are home with a sitter who sleeps through anything. According to the National Fire Protection Association, roughly three out of five home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
A smart smoke detector fixes the two biggest failure points:
- You get alerted when you are not home. Your phone buzzes the moment smoke or CO is detected, so you can call 911 or a neighbor instead of coming home to the aftermath.
- You know when it is broken. Low battery, a failed sensor, or an expired unit shows up as an app notification instead of a chirp you can’t locate.
The secondary benefits matter too. Silencing a false alarm from your phone when you burn toast beats standing on a chair waving a dish towel. And many smart alarms tell you where the problem is, which is useful in a two-story house.
The Best Nest Protect Replacements in 2026
There is no single best smart smoke detector. The right one depends mostly on which smart home ecosystem you already use, and whether your current alarms are hardwired or battery powered.
First Alert SC5: The Official Replacement
When Google stopped selling the Nest Protect, it pointed buyers to the First Alert SC5. It is the closest thing to a drop-in replacement, and it was designed that way on purpose.
- Price: about $129 per unit, the same as the Nest Protect was
- Power: battery and hardwired versions available
- Sensors: photoelectric smoke plus electrochemical CO
- Works with: Google Home app and the First Alert app
The big selling point is compatibility. The SC5 uses the same mounting bracket as the Nest Protect, so you twist the old one off and the new one on without drilling. The hardwired version includes an adapter plug for your existing wiring. Best of all, it interconnects with any Nest Protect units you still have, so when one sounds, they all sound. That means you can replace expiring units one at a time instead of buying a whole house worth at once.
What you give up: the SC5 doesn’t have the Nest Protect’s motion-activated pathlight, and reviewers note the voice alerts are quieter and less detailed. If you loved the nightlight feature, that is a real loss. If you just want reliable alerts in Google Home, it is the easy choice.
Kidde Smart Alarms with Ring: Best for Ring and Alexa Homes
Kidde, one of the oldest names in smoke alarms, partnered with Ring in 2025 to build alarms that report directly into the Ring app. If you already have a Ring doorbell or Ring Alarm system, this keeps everything in one place.
- Price: about $55 for smoke only, about $75 for the smoke and CO combo
- Power: hardwired with battery backup
- Works with: Ring app, with optional professional monitoring
At roughly half the price of the SC5, these are the value pick for whole-home coverage. Kidde says the sensor is faster at detecting real fires and better at ignoring cooking smoke, which is the number one reason people disable their alarms. The Ring app also warns you about a week before the backup battery runs low.
Ring offers 24/7 professional smoke and CO monitoring for $5 a month, which dispatches emergency services if you don’t respond. It is optional. The app alerts work without it. If you are trying to keep recurring costs down, check our breakdown of smart home subscription costs before adding another monthly fee.
X-Sense Smart Smoke and CO Alarms: Best for Renters and Older Homes
Plenty of homes, especially older ones and apartments, don’t have hardwired alarm circuits. X-Sense makes battery-powered smart alarms that link to each other wirelessly through a small base station, so you get interconnection without running wire through walls.
- Price: about $200 for a five-alarm kit, which is unusually cheap per room
- Power: sealed battery, no wiring needed
- Works with: X-Sense app only
The trade-off is that X-Sense doesn’t integrate with Google Home, Alexa, or Apple Home. You get phone alerts through its own app, but you can’t trigger automations like turning on all the lights when smoke is detected. For renters who just want alerts and interconnection without touching the ceiling wiring, it is hard to beat. We cover more no-drill options in our smart home for renters guide.
The Cheap Alternative: Let Your Smart Speaker Listen
Here is the option most people don’t know about. If your current smoke alarms work fine and simply aren’t “smart,” you might not need to replace them at all.
Apple’s HomePod and HomePod mini can listen for the sound of a smoke or CO alarm and send a notification to your iPhone, at no extra cost. Amazon Echo speakers can do the same thing through Alexa Emergency Assist, though Amazon charges a subscription for that feature.
This approach has limits. The speaker has to be close enough to hear the alarm, it won’t tell you which room triggered, and it can’t detect a fault in the alarm itself. But if you already own a HomePod and have working, unexpired alarms, it costs nothing to turn on, and it’s a big step up from no remote alerts at all.
Smart Smoke Detector Comparison
| Option | Approx. price | Power | Ecosystem | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Alert SC5 | $129 each | Battery or hardwired | Google Home | Replacing Nest Protect units one by one |
| Kidde with Ring | $55 to $75 each | Hardwired with backup | Ring / Alexa | Whole-home coverage on a budget |
| X-Sense kit | $200 for five | Battery | Own app | Renters and homes without alarm wiring |
| HomePod listening | Free if you own one | Plugged in | Apple Home | Making existing alarms smarter |
How to Choose the Right Smart Smoke Detector
Work through these questions in order and the decision usually makes itself.
- Are your current alarms hardwired? Look for a wire running into the base. If yes, get a hardwired smart alarm so you keep interconnection and don’t rely only on batteries. Most building codes require hardwired, interconnected alarms in newer construction anyway.
- Which app do you live in? Google Home points you to the SC5. Ring or Alexa points you to Kidde. Apple Home users should consider letting a HomePod listen, or pick the alarm with the best standalone app.
- Do you need CO detection? If you have a gas furnace, gas stove, fireplace, or attached garage, the answer is yes. Get combo units at least on every level and near sleeping areas.
- How many do you need? Fire safety guidance calls for an alarm inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level including the basement. Count before you buy, because that number changes which option is cheapest.
Installation Tips That Actually Matter
A smart smoke detector installed in the wrong spot is just an expensive false-alarm machine. A few rules make a big difference:
- Keep alarms at least 10 feet from the stove. This is the single best way to reduce nuisance alarms from cooking.
- Avoid bathrooms and right next to HVAC vents. Steam and moving air both cause false triggers or slow detection.
- Mount on the ceiling or high on the wall. Smoke rises, so ceiling placement is ideal. On a wall, stay within 12 inches of the ceiling.
- Turn off the breaker before swapping a hardwired unit. It takes ten seconds and avoids a shock.
- Test every alarm after setup. Use the test button or the app test so you confirm both the siren and the phone alert work.
If you are building out a broader safety setup, our guide to a full smart home security system shows how alarms, cameras, and sensors fit together.
Don’t Wait for the Chirp
Winter is when home fires and carbon monoxide incidents spike, thanks to heaters, fireplaces, and holiday cooking. If you own a Nest Protect from the first few years of production, now is the time to check its expiration date rather than discovering it in the middle of a cold night.
For most Google Home users, the First Alert SC5 is the path of least resistance, since it mounts on your existing bracket and talks to your remaining Nest units. If you want to cover the whole house for less, the Kidde and Ring alarms cost about half as much per room. And if your alarms are fine and you already own a HomePod, turn on sound recognition today. It takes two minutes.
Whatever you choose, the smartest smoke detector is the one that is installed, unexpired, and tested. Everything else is a bonus. For a final checklist before you leave home for the holidays, see our guide on setting up your smart home while you are on vacation.
