Smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarms do everything a standard alarm does — and more. They alert your phone wherever you are if they trigger, they interconnect wirelessly so every alarm in the house sounds simultaneously, and they can be silenced remotely when a false alarm fills the kitchen with steam from burned toast. Given that fire and CO pose genuine life-safety risks, smart alarms are one of the most meaningful smart home upgrades available in any UK home. We’ve reviewed the best options available in 2026.
UK law requires specific alarm placement. Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, landlords must fit:
Homeowners aren’t legally mandated to fit alarms (though buildings regulations require them in new builds), but the government guidance strongly recommends a working smoke alarm on every floor and a CO alarm in any room with a gas appliance. Smart alarms meet these requirements and go beyond them.
| Alarm | Price (approx.) | Type | Smart features | Interconnection | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Nest Protect | £109 each | Smoke + CO combo | Phone alerts, voice warnings, remote silence | Wireless (Nest-only) | Smart home households, best app |
| FireAngel Pro Connected | £39 each | Smoke or CO (separate) | Phone alerts via gateway | RF wireless, mixed brand | Budget smart alarm, UK-made |
| Aico Ei650iRF | £45 each | Smoke or CO (separate) | Phone alerts via Aico Connected Home gateway | RF wireless mesh | Installer-grade, large properties |
| Google Nest Protect (wired version) | £109 each | Smoke + CO combo | As battery version | Wireless (Nest) | New builds and renovations |
The Google Nest Protect is the most polished smart alarm available in the UK and the clear recommendation for homes building or expanding a smart home ecosystem. It combines smoke and CO detection in a single device (saving ceiling space and reducing the number of units to maintain), uses a human voice to tell you what the problem is and where (“There is smoke in the kitchen”), and sends an immediate notification to your phone if it triggers while you’re away.
The Nest Protect uses a split-spectrum sensor — detecting both fast-burning and slow-smouldering fires — alongside an electrochemical CO sensor. Nest Protects interconnect wirelessly with each other so all alarms sound simultaneously. The Google Home app shows the status of each alarm, battery levels, and test history. A “Heads Up” warning sounds before the full alarm, giving you time to address cooking steam before waking the household.
FireAngel is a long-established UK alarm brand, and the Pro Connected range brings smart functionality at around a third of the Nest Protect price. Individual alarms connect wirelessly to each other via FireAngel’s RF mesh protocol, and a separate gateway (around £30) connects them to Wi-Fi for phone notifications. Unlike the Nest Protect, smoke and CO functions are in separate units — you’ll need one smoke alarm per floor and a CO alarm per room with a gas appliance.
The FireAngel alarms carry relevant UK certifications (BS EN 14604 for smoke, BS EN 50291 for CO) and are widely used by social housing providers and local councils — a mark of basic quality. The app is functional rather than beautiful, but delivers the core need: phone alerts when you’re away from home. For a cost-effective way to smart-upgrade a whole house without the Nest Protect budget, FireAngel Pro Connected is the practical choice.
Aico is the premium UK professional-grade alarm brand, widely specified by housing associations, developers, and electricians for properties requiring BS 5839-6 Grade D alarm systems. The Ei650iRF range uses RadioLINK+ for wireless interconnection — a more robust and longer-range RF mesh than FireAngel — and connects to the Aico Connected Home gateway for phone alerts and remote monitoring via the Connected Home app.
For a large house, a period property with thick walls that challenge RF signal, or anyone wanting an installer-grade system with 10-year sealed battery life, Aico is the right choice. The cost is higher than FireAngel but lower than fitting multiple Nest Protects, and the build quality is noticeably superior.
UK guidance from the London Fire Brigade and most fire safety professionals recommends optical (photoelectric) smoke alarms for residential use. They are better at detecting slow, smouldering fires — the type most likely to occur in UK homes during the night. Ionisation alarms detect fast-flaming fires faster but are more prone to nuisance alarms from cooking and are now considered less suitable for living areas. All the smart alarms recommended above use optical sensors for smoke detection.
CO alarms should always use an electrochemical sensor — the same type used by the emergency services. Any CO alarm carrying the BSI Kitemark (BS EN 50291) uses this sensor type and is suitable for UK installation.
Google Nest Protect integrates directly with Google Home, allowing automations — for example, flashing your smart lights red if a Protect alarm triggers at night, or sending a voice announcement through Google speakers throughout the house. This kind of integration can be life-saving, particularly for deaf or hard-of-hearing household members.
For alarm monitoring integration with a broader security system, see our smart security cameras guide — many systems allow camera recording to trigger when a smoke alarm activates, providing a visual record of events.
For most UK homeowners with a smart home or smart home aspirations, the Google Nest Protect is the right choice — it combines smoke and CO, connects to Google Home, and delivers the best app experience in the category. Households on a tighter budget should choose the FireAngel Pro Connected system — it’s UK-certified, affordable, and delivers the phone alert functionality that matters most. For large properties or anyone wanting installer-grade quality, Aico Ei650iRF is the professional standard. Whichever system you choose, test every alarm monthly and replace units at the end of their rated lifespan — smart features don’t offset an expired sensor.
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