????煙霧探測器是一個經常被我們遺忘的家庭必用品。我大概一年只有一次才會想到家里還有這么個東西——也就是當電池電力不足開始報警的時候，那刺耳的“滴滴”聲會在半夜將我驚醒。

????你知道這聲音有多刺耳。第一步：我會踉踉蹌蹌地從床上爬下來，看看是不是真的著火了。第二步：發現并沒有著火，在“滴滴”聲中挨個房間尋找，看看究竟是哪一個煙霧探測器報的警。第三步：找到那個房間，打開煙霧探測器的塑料殼，把電池摳出來（說實話，心里非常不爽）。第四步：找到一個新電池裝上。第五步：一頭扎到床上繼續睡。

????唉，高科技。

????在千家萬戶中不時發生的這一幕，可能很快就會終結。或許你沒有意識到，如今的家用電器正在慢慢地具備聯接互聯網的功能。有了這種能力，某家企業開發出一款煙霧和一氧化碳“智能”探測器，只是時間問題。

????這家公司當然是Nest Labs。2011年，這家總部位于加州帕洛阿爾托市的公司推出了一款精巧的學習型恒溫器(Learning Thermostat)，引起媒體廣泛關注。今年年初，這家公司被谷歌（google）收購。去年10月，Nest Labs推出第二款產品，即Protect煙霧和一氧化碳探測器，但一個軟件故障迫使該公司召回了這款售價129美元的設備。

????今年6月末，Protect探測器攜升級后的軟件重新上市，價格也下調至99美元。它是否依然值得購買？也許吧。

????Protect可以聯入家庭的Wi-Fi網絡。（它也可以與Nest恒溫器進行協作，前提是如果你家里也安裝了Nest恒溫器，關于這一點稍后再談。）如果Protect探測到問題，它會向你的智能手機發送警報。另外它也能通過光、聲、語音等警報模式向你報警。總之，Protect的目標正如它的品牌名稱所示——保護你免受危險的侵襲。

????像該公司的恒溫器一樣，Protect的設計也是簡約風格。它采用了方型圓角造型和網眼式開孔，看上去不像傳統的煙霧探測器，倒像是一臺無線音箱。其表面中心處有一個圓形按鈕，旁邊是一圈會發光的圓環。這個按鈕可以用來對設備進行測試，或者關閉警報。按鈕旁邊的光環在報警過程中扮演了重要的角色，它可以發出好幾種顏色的光，警告人們即將或正在出現的危險。每到夜晚熄燈時，這個光環就會自動變成綠色，讓你知道這個設備運行正常。

????Smoke detectors are a forgotten necessity in our homes. I only think about the detectors in my house about once a year—when the batteries are depleted enough to trigger a piercing chirp that startles me in the middle of the night. Beeepp! Beeepp! Beeepp!

????You know the drill. Step one: Stumble out of bed and wonder if there’s a real fire. Step two: Knowing there isn’t one, lumber from room to room as the beep taunts and dares you to figure out which one it’s actually coming from. Step three: Locate the room, flip the plastic door open and rip out the detector’s battery (with, let’s be honest, a degree of spite). Step four: Find a replacement battery and put it in. Step five: Collapse in bed.

????Ah, technology.

????That well-worn homeowner tradition may soon come to an end. You may not have noticed but household appliances are slowly gaining the ability to connect to the Internet. With that capability, it was only a matter of time before a company developed a “smart” smoke and carbon monoxide detector.

????That company, of course, is Nest Labs. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company made headlines when it released its slick Learning Thermostat in 2011, and gained enough buzz to convince Google to acquire it earlier this year. In October, Nest released its second product, the Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector, but a software glitch forced the company to pull the $129 device from store shelves.

????The Protect returned to stores in late June with updated software and a $99 price tag. Is it still worth the dough? Maybe.

????The Protect gains its powers by connecting to your home’s Wi-Fi network. (It can also work in tandem with a Nest thermostat, should you have one installed in your home. More on this in a minute.) The Protect is capable of sending alerts to your smartphone when it detects an issue. With a combination of lights, audible alarms, and voice commands, the primary goal of the Protect is to do as its name implies—protect you by alerting you of present danger.

????Like its thermostat sibling, the Protect is designed with clean lines. With a rounded square shape and a floral hole pattern, it doesn’t really look like a conventional smoke detector—more of a wireless speaker, really. In the center of the unit’s face is a large circular button, surrounded by a light ring. The button can be used to test the device or hush an alarm. The light ring plays an important role in the alert process, using several colors to alert those in sight of impending or immediate danger. The ring also lights up green each night, as you turn off nearby lights, to let you know the unit is functioning properly.