Best HomeKit smoke and CO detectors for the Home app in 2024

The best HomeKit smoke and CO detector for you will depend very much on your needs and where you live. The benefits of having any kind of smoke and CO detector in your house should be obvious, and sometimes not having one can even be against the law. A traditional smoke detector can detect smoke or head caused by fires (or potential fires), alerting you to danger before things get out of hand. Having a smoke detector can, at the very least, sometimes save you from burning dinner, other times, it could mean the difference between life and death. 

Likewise, a CO alarm is vital in detecting deadly carbon monoxide gas in your home. This otherwise colorless, odorless liquid, can be emitted from appliances such as boilers and heaters, fireplaces, or even an idling car. So if a CO and smoke detector can keep you safe, what can a smart version bring to your home?

By and large smart smoke and CO detectors, especially ones that work with HomeKit, give you much more control over your alerts and the status of your detector, as well as interoperability with your smartphone and other devices. For example, our favorite pick, the First Alert OneLink Safe & Sound, can give you remote notifications directly to your phone 24/7. This means you'll be alerted to potential fires or CO detection in your home if you're out shopping, at work, or even abroad. You can also track the battery life of all your detectors without that annoying beeping warning, and you can easily silence alerts or false alarms without climbing a ladder or jumping on a chair to prod it. Our top pick even has a built-in AirPlay 2 speaker, doubling as a recessed smart speaker for your ceiling. 

As you can see, going smart is an easy way to elevate your smoke and CO detectors in your home. The market is quite limited and there aren't too many to choose from (especially between Europe and the U.S.), but the ones we have found are all excellent in their own way. 

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Are you looking for the absolute best HomeKit smoke detector for the Home app? Then look no further than the OneLink Safe and Sound. This feature-rich accessory includes an AirPlay 2 speaker, Amazon's Alexa, a customizable LED nightlight, and an interconnectivity function that extends its smart capabilities to all of your existing smoke and CO detectors.

Do you need to add a smoke and CO detector to a room without existing wiring? Then the OneLink Battery-Powered Smoke and CO Detector is your best bet. This unit looks like a typical smoke detector, but it comes with replaceable batteries that last up to five years and can be mounted just about anywhere. If you don't mind doing some hardwiring yourself, then the Hardwire version is also a great option.

Choosing the best smart smoke and CO detector for HomeKit

There are a couple of major considerations you should make when choosing a smart smoke and CO detector. As the NFPA notes, the biggest is probably the choice between ionization (electrochemical) and photoelectric sensors. The former is better for fast-burning, flaming fires, while the latter is more appropriate for smoke and smoldering fires (an unattended cigarette, for example). Generally, the NFPA recommends a detector that can do both, which again brings us back to our top pick, the OneLink Safe and Sound. 

The other main consideration is battery versus mains power. A hardwired detector that runs off your home's electricity will offer you peace of mind knowing you'll never run out of battery power. However, it will be more difficult to install and could be vulnerable to failure in the event of a power cut or outage. Conversely, a battery-powered detector will require less electric wizardry, but you'll need to keep on top of the battery to make sure it's always operational. Thankfully, the "smart" nature of it will make keeping track of battery levels easier. 

Christopher Close

Christopher spends most of his time writing and dreaming about all things HomeKit and the Home app. Whether it is installing smart light switches, testing the latest door locks, or automating his households daily routines, Christopher has done it all.

With contributions from