First Alert SC5 Hardwire Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm, SMCO600NV-AC, 1-Pack

Frustrating Downgrade from Nest Protect – Why Did Google Make This Worse?
Let me start by saying, I was a huge fan of my old Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm. It served me loyally for a decade, always reliable and almost a little too smart for its own good. When it finally nudged me to upgrade, I figured this new First Alert SC5 “Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm”—especially since it’s pitched as compatible—would keep that peace of mind going. But wow, was I wrong on that.The first thing I noticed is the style: side-by-side, this new First Alert device just looks plain clunky next to the smooth, modern Nest Protect that’s been a familiar face in my home. In the attached photo, you can see what I mean—the new alarm is bulkier, with a glowing blue ring that honestly feels more sci-fi than homey. Setting it up threw me for a loop, too. It was far less intuitive, didn’t pair as easily, and generally left me wishing I had my old friend back. I had to read the instructions twice, and for someone who usually breezes through tech installs, that’s saying something!But here’s the kicker—this alarm costs way more, but seems to do a whole lot less. All the features I loved (smooth app integration, ease of testing, helpful heads-up notifications) feel stripped down or just awkward to use here. You’d think for the price, it’d offer an upgrade, but honestly, calling it a “sidegrade” would be generous. Even the “precision detection technology” is marketed as an improvement, yet I can’t say it feels any better than my Nest ever did. I half-expected it to start making me coffee in the morning for this price.My advice? Don’t buy into the hype just because Google nudges you with compatibility talk. If you’re in the market, a $30 plain old detector probably does the same job (minus the pretty lights) without any of this frustration. Google used to say “don’t be evil,” but pushing people towards a more expensive, less functional product has me wondering if they remember their own slogan.

Fair but lesser replacement for its predecessor
I replaced my older nest alarm with this. The set up and connection was fine. Had to use the First Alert app and then it showed up in the Google home app.So far it appears to work well and test well. But no actual alarms have triggered fortunately.It’s a shame that First Alert missed out on some trivial features that made the Nest alarm experience standout and a true differentiator. They could have easily utilized the light and carried over the “nightly promise” and the “pathway light” features, but sadly they didn’t. It isn’t necessary, but it was a nice enhancement on the older Nest which made the overall experience better and unique.I never had a real alarm, but I believe the Nest pathway light would have turned on as well to help provide a guiding light in case the power outage, night time incident, or if smoke was making visibility difficult. Hopefully it does turn on when triggered. But bummed they don’t offer the other light features likeIts predecessor.Based on my knowledge this is the only option if you want to stay in the Google home/Nest ecosystem. But if you’re committed to the Google home ecosystem, you have other options, and they all seem pretty basic now compared to the original nest alarm.