Some smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms communicate with each other through wires. Google Nest Protects speak to each other wirelessly.
Wireless interconnect has advantages over wired interconnect: With wireless interconnect you can add more alarms without adding expensive wiring and it allows Nest Protect to convey more safety information in an emergency. The latest codes say wired and wireless interconnect are equal. With wireless, you can add alarms without adding expensive wiring.
Interconnect is the way that the Nest Protect in the hallway tells all of your other Nest Protects when there’s a problem. Both Nest Protect (Wired 120V) and Nest Protect (Battery) have interconnect.
We looked at many different ways to connect Nest Protects together and consulted with fire safety experts, such as the NFPA. In the end, wireless interconnect was the best option. You can add more alarms without adding expensive rewiring of your home. And wireless interconnect allows Nest Protect to convey more safety information in an emergency.
For instance, when a Nest Protect in the hallway says, “Emergency, there’s smoke in the hallway,†your other Protects will say the same thing. With traditional single-wire hard-wired alarms, the other devices don’t tell you what the problem is or where it is.
Learn about wireless interconnect >
Learn why interconnected smoke alarms are better than standalone smoke alarms >
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Can convey the type of danger throughout the home |
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Can convey where the danger is throughout the home |
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Can add and connect new alarms without rewiring |
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Place alarms on any wall or ceiling without wire constraints |
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You can expand coverage to more rooms in your home easily. Wireless interconnect lets you add additional alarms without adding expensive wiring. Both Nest Protect (Battery) and Nest Protect (Wired 120V or 230V) are fully compatible with each other so you can mix battery and wired Nest Protects in your home.
Fire safety experts such as UL and the California State Fire Marshal have thoroughly reviewed and tested our wireless interconnect and confirmed it meets national safety standards.
Learn how Nest Protect was certified >
Is Wireless Interconnect reliable?
To interconnect, Nest Protect uses its own wireless network, not your home’s Wi-Fi network. So, even if your Wi-Fi goes down, your Nest Protects will still talk to each other.
How does Nest Protect connect wirelessly?
Can I replace my wired interconnect alarms with wireless interconnect alarms?
The NFPA doesn’t have a preference for either wired or wireless interconnect. Additionally, the International Residential Code considers smoke and CO alarms with either wired and wireless interconnect to be equal under its most recent model building code. To the best of our knowledge, there are no state building codes that require hard-wire interconnect for your smoke and CO alarms. However, you should always check your local fire safety codes. They can vary from city to city or even home to home.
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Permitted by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) |
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Permitted by International Residential Code |
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Permitted by all US states |
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Can I buy a Nest Protect and connect it to my existing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, no, but this isn’t unusual. Each company’s smoke and CO alarms use proprietary detection algorithms and interfaces. And therefore there’s no industry standard. If alarms from different companies are connected together, they may not warn you properly in an emergency. The NFPA actually prohibits the connection of alarms from different manufacturers without special testing. To the best of our knowledge, no company sells a combination smoke and CO alarm that is meant to be connected with a different company’s smoke and CO alarm. Some companies even state in their documentation not to connect to a different company’s smoke and CO alarm.