After around a decade of Nest Protect Smoke & CO Alarms dominating the market, Google is moving away from the established platform to partner with First Alert. The company announced today that it would cease manufacturing Nest Protect smoke & CO alarms, instead devoting those resources to the production of First Alert Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms. These new devices will work existing Nest systems and can be controlled through the Google Home app.
“At Google Home we’re deeply committed to building a platform that makes it easy to set up, control and automate all of your smart home devices in one place,” said Anish Kattukaran, Chief Product Officer at Google Home & Nest. “The Nest Protect has been one of our most beloved devices and we are excited to be partnering with established industry leaders like First Alert so users can manage more of their safety devices together, for a safer and more protected home.”
At the same time, Google also announced it’s ending sales of the Nest x Yale lock. Though a long-time staple of its smart home lineup, Google is now diverting its focus to the Yale Smart Lock with Matter. The new home security option is set to release this summer and work with a wider range of devices. However, the Nest x Yale lock will still be available for purchase while supplies last, and the company isn’t ending support for it (and that means you might be able to snag one for a nice discount).
Though it’s a bummer to see Google sunset such an iconic product, the new First Alert Smoke & CO Alarm has a lot of features that make it better suited to modern use. It has better Wi-Fi range, audible voice alerts that describe where in the home it detects a problem, and even an early warning system.
As First Alert points out, fires burn both hotter and faster in homes that have more modern, open floor plans and are made of greater numbers of synthetic materials. The advanced features in these new detectors could provide families with more time to get out in case of an emergency.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.