Smart Smoke / CO detectors for a landlord?

Smart Smoke / CO detectors for a landlord?

Rental Property Investor · Toronto, Canada · Member since 2016 · 5 posts · 1 vote

I can't seem to find any discussions about smart smoke / CO detectors. I have a tri-plex with interconnected "dumb" Kidde smoke/CO detectors that are at the end of their life. By law, they have to be replaced with a new interconnected system (when one alarm tirggers, they ALL HAVE to trigger). I am considering the Nest Protect at more than 2 times the cost of a "dumb" Kidde system. (I will need 5 alarms, because of some common areas, which makes the cost differential upwards of $350!)

The rationale for considering the Nest Protect is the ability to be notified on my cell phone when an alarm is triggered, the ability to pinpoint exactly which alarm went off (location and whether it was smoke or CO), the ability for the alarm to turn off the forced air furnace (already has a smart thermostat) when it detects smoke or CO, and the ability to turn off the alarm from my cell phone once I know it's all clear.

I don't currently get many nuisance alarm complaints at this tri-plex. 

Is the Nest Protect going to give me useful information, or will it just be expensive and create a nuisance where one did not exist in the first place? Any thoughts for or against out there?

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  • Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    I believe the Nest alarms require WiFi to do their notification magic, and possibly for interconnection too(?). I’m a rental, that seems difficult and unreliable.

    I also don’t need to know every time the renter burns some toast.

  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    7y

    I'm not a fan of all the fancy technology gizmos. It's just one more thing to go wrong. I would personally get them up to code with the tried-and-true "dumb" system.

    The DIY Landlord Book4.7247 Reviews
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