The Nest Learning Thermostat is about to get a sibling. The Protect. If this report is correct, the company behind the incredibly popular Learning Thermostat is prepping a smoke detector. Yep, a smoke detector, reportedly called Protect, — which sounds about right for Nest Labs.
Co-founder and VP of Engineering Matt Rogers recently told me in an interview (view below) that the company is targeting all the white crap in our homes. The boring, the mundane, the products like the thermostat that were previously unloved and ignored. Nest wants to reinvent them. And with the smoke detector, there is a lot to reinvent.
The report is light on details, speculating heavily that the smoke detector could be tied to a subscription account (not likely), link with Learning Thermostat directly (plausible), and hand gestures could silence the alarm (likely).
But the lowly smoke detector is ripe for reinventing and Nest is the company to do it. Like the thermostat before it, the smoke detector is a disconnected device but plays a vital role in homes. Yet, it’s a dumb device. If it smells smoke, it yells. But what if you’re out of the house? What if you know you’re going to burn bacon and the smoke detector is located on a 15-foot ceiling? What if you want to check the status of the battery? A connected smoke detector makes a whole lot of sense.
Nest Labs declined to comment.