Best smart smoke detector to keep your home safe

Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide (CO) detectors warn you of imminent danger in your home, so you can get out as soon as possible. As such, they are essential life-safety devices. A smart Smoke Alarm or CO Detector will alert you to danger from smoke, fire, or a malfunctioning appliance even when you`re not home. As such, they can not only save your life, they can also protect what is likely to be your single biggest financial investment. Smart smoke and CO detectors are among the most useful categories of smart home gear because they offer critical advantages over dumb versions of the same product.

Once installed and powered up, you download the relevant app and connect to the device wirelessly. Then, when the alarm goes off, not only do you receive an audio alert-many include helpful voice instructions as well as a siren-your smartphone also tells you what the problem is (whether it`s smoke or CO, which alarm was activated, and sometimes even the severity of the smoke).

Many smart smoke detectors hook into additional smart home gear and IFTTT, so an alarm can trigger your smart lighting to flash or change color when danger is detected. Perhaps the biggest benefit of a Smart Smoke Detector: No more hunting down midnight chirps, since you`ll also get phone-based notifications about dying batteries.

Here are our picks for the best options on the market today.