Best smart smoke detectors in 2023

Keep your home and family safe the smart way with one of these smart smoke detectors

With any number of potential apocalypses looming on the horizon, home security has never been more important. Smart home technology has been a massive boon in this regard, and smart smoke detectors, like the best outdoor security cameras or the best smart locks, are one of the most no-brainer deployments of connectivity and integration to instantly make your home a safer place.

The best smoke detectors, smart or not, let you detect harmful smoke while ignoring normal amounts of particulate generated by cooking or a home fireplace, while smart detectors take this tech to the next level, not only detecting and identifying particulates but alerting you immediately, or even contacting your local fire department automatically in the case of an emergency. Now that big players like Google are finally adding support for smart smoke detectors and sensors to their virtual assistants, there's never been a better time to upgrade your home's safety the intelligent way.

Treatlife earns its spot as our best overall choice on the strength of its solid stable of features paired with a few genuinely useful extras, while not unneccesarily inflating the price tag by jamming in a bunch of cruft that most people will never use (or even realize is included).

X-Sense fills our value slot admirably with the XS01-WX, an inexpensive detector that provides all the baseline features you want while costing a fraction of the price of the top models. If you're looking for a quick solution with some good features but don't need a ton of premium bells and whistles, the X-Sense is solid, reliable, and won't annihilate your bank account.

The Google Nest Protect slides in as our premium pick in large part because of its advanced feature set. The included carbon monoxide detector, self-diagnoistic suite, and ease of operation (including the fact that it's battery powered, making it easy to install and use, with no hard-wiring required) make the Nest Protect the best smart smoke detector available...if you're willing to pay top dollar.

The Kidde Smart Smoke Detector is a midrange model that takes advantage of its built in speaker to announce specific alerts in case of emergecy. The speaker can call out "Fire," "Carbon Monoxide Warning," or even alert you by voice prompt that the alarm needs replacing. It's compatible with both Android and Apple devices, and comes with the standard suite of smart detector features, like mobile alerts and app support.

While expensive, First Alert's Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm shines based on its ease of integration with other smart home tech (including Alexa and Apple's HomeKit) and the number of premium features on offer. There's an 85 decibel siren to alert you in case of a fire or CO2 leak, voice and mobile alerts, and both photoelectric and electrochemical sensors, paired with an easy to install, battery-operated design that make it surprisingly user-friendly.

This smart smoke detector from Aegislink has some of the best app support of any of the detectors on this list, backed by a feature list that rivals some of the priciest. It's got dual sensors, self-diagnostics, and is powered by a lithium battery with a lifespan of up to a year, plus ease-of-use features like an LED that indicates its status (without the incessant beeping of many conventional smoke alarms).

The Wi-Fi Smoke Detector from Siterwell detects both smoke and carbon monoxide while taking advantage of an advanced photoelectric sensor to filter out false negatives from cooking smoke and other, non-hazardous home particulates. It's easy to install and has one of the easiest-to-use and most customizable apps of any smart detector, with easy to read alerts.

First Alert earns a second slot on this list with its more streamlined Z-Wave offering. While it's not as advanced as the Onelink we previously highlighted, it stands out in large part due to its compatibility with the popular Ring ecosystem of products and its lower price. It still includes the key features expected from a smart detector, and if you're a Ring convert already, this is the choice for you.

I think we can all agree that the modern world provides enough sources of unchecked anxiety without adding house fires to the list. The best smart smoke detectors can alleviate at least some of that fear (and even detect carbon monoxide to knock out the fear of asphyxiation in the bargain) and give you the mental space you need to freak out about all the other existential threats to our species.

The best detectors don't just detect smoke, but also CO2 as well as other potentially harmful particulates, and let you know about any possible issues in the most obvious and immediate way possible. That said, you don't want a smoke alarm constantly screaming at you because of a bunch of false positives, so we've carefully curated our list to only include devices with high-end or dual sensors, to filter out the stuff you genuinely don't need to worry about like cooking or candle smoke.

Our top pick from Treatlife balances all of this admirably and throws a bunch of additional features into the mix. If you're just looking for a basic model and don't want to pour a ton of money into your smart home set up yet, the X-Sense Smart Smoke Detector does a lot of what pricier options do for less. On the other end of the spectrum, if you do want to splurge and get the very best of the best, the Nest Protect from Google is indisputably the most feature-rich option, designed to within an inch of its life, and an easy recommend if you don't mind spending a little extra.

Alan is an experienced culture, commerce, and tech writer with a background in newspaper reporting. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, The Escapist, ESPN, PC Gamer, and a multitude of other outlets. He has over twenty years of experience writing reviews, deals posts, and roundups of the best tech and his debut novel, The Sixth Borough, is coming soon.