Nest Protect Wired User's Guide
2524
ALARM LIMITATIONS
LIMITATIONS OF SMOKE ALARMS
Alarms reduce deaths resulting from home fires 
worldwide. However smoke alarms can only 
work if they are properly located, installed and 
maintained, and if smoke reaches the alarms.
• Smoke alarms may not waken all individuals. 
Make sure you create an escape plan and 
you practice fire drills with all members of 
the family.
• Smoke alarms cannot work without power. 
If they are powered by batteries, the smoke 
alarms cannot work if the batteries are 
missing, dead or disconnected. If they are 
wired, the smoke alarms cannot work during 
a long power outage and once the backup 
battery is dead. Nest Protect will warn you 
in advance when batteries are running low 
so that you can replace them.
• Smoke will not be able to reach smoke sensor 
while the dust cover is in place. The dust cover 
must be removed.
• Smoke alarms cannot detect fires if the smoke 
does not reach the alarms. For example, if a 
door is closed, smoke may not reach the smoke 
alarm. This is why you should have a smoke 
alarm in each bedroom and in the hallways as 
bedroom doors may be closed at night.
• Smoke alarms may not be heard. Although 
the smoke alarm comes with a loud horn of 
85 decibels, it may not be heard if : 1) people 
have consumed alcohol or drugs, 2) the 
alarm is drowned by noise from stereo, TV, 
traffic, air conditioner or other appliances, 
3) residents are hearing impaired or have high 
frequency hearing loss associated with aging. 
Special smoke alarms should be installed for 
those who are hearing impaired.
SAFETY
• This smoke alarm is not intended to 
alert hearing impaired residents. Alarms 
specifically designed for the hearing impaired, 
which feature devices like flashing strobe 
lights or low frequency devices are available to 
alert the hearing impaired in case of fire.
• This smoke alarm alone is not a suitable 
substitute for complete fire detection 
systems in places housing many people—
like apartment buildings, condominiums, 
hotels, motels, dormitories, hospitals, 
long-term health care facilities, nursing  
homes, day care facilities, or group homes 
of any kind—even if they were once single-
family homes. It is not a suitable substitute 
for complete fire detection systems in 
warehouses, industrial facilities, commercial 
buildings, and special-purpose non-
residential buildings which require special 
fire detection and alarm systems. Depending 
on the building codes in your area, this smoke 
alarm may be used to provide additional 
protection in these facilities.
LIMITATIONS  OF  CARBON MONOXIDE CO ALARMS
• NEVER ignore your carbon monoxide alarm if it 
alarms. Refer to “What to do in case of a carbon 
monoxide alarm” for more information. Failure 
to do so can result in injury or death.
• This CO alarm is designed for use inside a 
single-family home or apartment. It is not 
meant to be used in common lobbies, hallways, 
or basements of multi-family buildings unless 
working CO alarms are also installed in each 
family living unit. CO alarms in common areas 
may not be heard from inside individual family 
living units.
• This CO alarm alone is not a suitable substitute 
for complete detection systems in places 
which house many people, like hotels or 
dormitories, unless a CO alarm is also placed 
in each unit.
• DO NOT use this CO alarm in warehouses, 
industrial or commercial buildings, special 
purpose non-residential buildings, or airplanes. 
This CO alarm is specifically designed for 
residential use, and may not provide adequate 
protection in non-residential applications.
• Some individuals are more sensitive to CO 
than others, including people with cardiac or 
respiratory problems, infants, unborn babies, 
pregnant mothers, or elderly people can be 
more quickly and severely affected by CO. 
Members of sensitive populations should 
consult their doctors for advice on taking 
additional precautions.
• The silence feature is for your convenience 
only and will not correct a CO problem. Always 
check your home for a potential problem after 
any alarm. Failure to do so can result in injury 
or death.










