My Nest Protect no longer gives me heads up warnings before the alarm goes off - it's best feature

[benkay86]

I'm having a similar issue to this (locked) thread.  I have a Nest Protect in my kitchen that always goes straight to the full smoke alarm -- flashing red light, loud beeping, and saying "emergency."  In a month of use, it has never once given me a "heads up" warning (flashing yellow light).  The only reason I was willing to pay 2x the cost of a regular interconnected smoke alarm for the Nest Protect was to have the opportunity to silence cooking-related alarms before they wake up my toddler from her nap.  Has anyone figured this one out?

I did contact Nest customer support.   They recommended checking that Heads Up is enabled in the settings (it was), "cleaning" the smoke alarm sensor (it was not dirty), and testing the smoke alarm (obviously it works), but they did not have any helpful suggestions.  I may see if it's too late to return my Nest Protect and get a First Alert instead...

[code_]

Hiya!

Apologies that you are experiencing this issue. I can understand that it is frustrating with it not giving a heads up.  

From my knowledge nest protect usually gives a head up to warn of a potential fire. For example, you may have toast on in the morning and its burning and the nest protect will give you a heads up. This is known as a 'pre-alarm' meaning its early warning sign. Depending on how much smoke there is...I believe if there is enough smoke it should then activate the alarm fully with 'Head ups there is smoke, sounding the alarm.' So, in terms of your issue it could be there is enough smoke for it to go into full alert.

Since it's giving no audible prompts, I suggest the device may be faulty with hardware? Usually, the nest app shows if any faults come up and I find it strange that the tests are coming back fine. Try getting a new nest protect and see if the issue resolves itself. Some other solutions may work:

1. Factory reset the device (nest protect)
2. Check for any errors in the app

I hope that works! But if your still having issues let us know and hopefully, we can find a fix 🙂

[zoeuvre]

Hi folks, 

Thanks for chiming in, @code_. 

@benkay86, yikes! I'm sorry to hear that your Nest Protect is not providing the heads-up warning before sounding the full smoke alarm. Losing this feature can be frustrating, especially if it was one of the reasons you chose the Nest Protect. While I can't provide a definitive solution, here are a few suggestions you can try:

1. Double-check the settings in the Nest app to ensure that the "Heads-Up" feature is enabled for the specific Nest Protect device in question. Sometimes, settings can be inadvertently changed or disabled, so confirming this could help.
2. Ensure that your Nest Protect has the latest software installed. Updates often include bug fixes and improvements that can address issues with features like heads-up warnings. You can check for updates through the Nest app or the Nest website.
3. Try performing a full reset of the Nest Protect and reconfiguring it from scratch. This can help clear any potential software glitches or configuration issues that may be affecting the heads-up feature. Refer to reset Nest Protect and erase all settings for instructions.
4. Ensure that your Nest Protect is installed in an appropriate location in your kitchen. The device should be away from cooking appliances and positioned according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Improper placement could affect the heads-up feature's accuracy.

I hope these suggestions help you address the issue with the heads-up warning on your Nest Protect.

Best,

Zoe

[MatthewPricePhD]

I am having the same issue.  My wife can be cooking and cause a bit of smoke, not enough to warrant a full alarm but it will set off the alarm fully with no warning. 

my brother in law vapes, and even with the steam setting on, it still sets it off from very little vapor.  Still no warning.  I can’t understand vapor setting it off as it moisture not smoke.

either way - I can run the test and it will do the count down to warn me.  I’d expect the same thing unless it’s a room of smoke.  It also terrifies the dogs, which is why I bought the Nest Protects for this feature so I could stop it from happening.

please advise.  

[benkay86]

The Nest Protect in my kitchen recently gave me an audible "heads up" alert, and then proceeded to sound a full alarm less than a second later.  So I guess the feature does still exist, but apparently the threshold for a "heads up" and the threshold for a full alarm are set too close together.  It seems like an issue that would be easy for Google/Nest engineers to fix if they wanted to.

My advice for anyone planning to buy a Nest Protect is: don't.  At least not if this is the feature you are buying it for.  After several years, Google/Nest are not going to fix the problem, and the only kind of "support" you will ever get from Google by phone/chat/forum is "Community Specialists" gaslighting you about reinstalling your smoke detector over and over again.