There are zwave, and maybe Zigbee, devices that can connect to the signal line in order to capture an alarm.
Yes I know this. I’m just trying to get around buying another device which will hopefully someday be useless if a First Alert integration becomes available.
You can try this integration: https://github.com/aidenmitchell/ha-resideo-firstalert
The author doesn’t specifically say it will work with the SC5 (lists First Alert Safe & Sound Smart Smoke/CO Alarm) but indicates that other Resideo alarms probably will work; the SC5 uses the Resideo App.
I have 3 hardwired Nest Protect detectors that still have several years of life left. I recently purchased and installed an additional First Alert battery only SC5 to provide coverage in the main bedroom to meet recent suggestions to have detectors in each bedroom. So far the SC5 has interconnected properly with the 3 Nests as has been reported by others.
I installed aidenmitchell integration following their instructions using HACS and used the recommended login with my Resideo account credentials and it automatically found the SC5. It was called SMCO600NV in HA Device info (which is the SKU for the SC5). The various sensors seemed to indicate appropriate statuses. I used the Resideo App on my phone to put the SC5 in test mode (which also put the 3 interconnected Nest Protect detectors into test). The HA device page changed the test mode into running about 30 seconds later indicating (to me at least) that this device handler will probably work. After the test completed on the SC5, the status changed back to not running. I then tried the companion test using the Nest phone App to put one of the Nest Protect detectors into test (which caused testing of all of the 3 Nest devices plus also putting the SC5 into test). However this time the HA device page didn’t change the status of the test mode; it stayed not running (not sure why).
I think this integration will work for the SC5. I intend to purchase an aerosol can of test ‘smoke’ to definitively test things out to ensure it all works with a real fire. I’ll try to report further once I’m able to do the next level testing.
@windsurfer99 - thanks for the info.
Checking the reviews on HomeDepot’s website, it appears these devices are very prone to false alarms:
Just a quick summary of comments:
“Garbage”, “Terrible”, “power indicator light is BRIGHT… lights up your room at night.”, “First Alert software looks like its from the 90’s”, “Integration with Google Home is very buggy”, “Had 5 false alarms in two days!”
I was quite happy with my Nest Protects but it looks like the SC5s won’t fill their shoes very well if these comments are true. Curious to hear your experience with them.
I also saw the numerous bad reviews. On Amazon, somewhat similar but there were also over 50% 4 and 5 stars. So I’m guessing they have a quality issue with their production. I decided to take a chance and bought one. So far, mine is working correctly.
So as followup testing of the aidenmitchell integration using the ‘test smoke’ aerosol, a bit disappointed.
I used an aerosol can of ‘test smoke’ on the SC5 (following the can’s direction) which triggered the SC5 alarm (plus the Nest Protects that are interconnected). So that is the good news. Unfortunately the HA integration didn’t indicate that there was an alarm; it did indicate that the SC5 connected at the time of the alarm, and then disconnected a few minutes later. Tried several times. Also used the ‘test smoke’ on one of the Nest Protects; this set off the Nest Protect as well as the interconnected SC5. Same result in the integration (no alarm and only a connected status change). I’ve left the settings of 60 seconds polling as the default in the integration. After doing several iterations of my ‘smoke test’, I noticed that the Resideo, Nest, and Google Home Apps did not consistently trigger a notification on my phone of the smoke alarm (even though all of the alarms did sound). I’m not sure if this is due to the fact that the alarm reset itself pretty quickly (typically within a minute) since I was only spraying a small amount of ‘smoke’ (about 1 second) into the detectors. I registered the issue on the GitHub of the integration; maybe it can be fixed.
@windsurfer99 - I recall seeing a documentary on how modern (US) homes tend to burn faster and more violently due to new materials used in homes and furnishings. If I recall correctly, the average time one has to get out to safety is 3 minutes!
While numbers vary slightly, there are many sources stating the same. One of these: Two minutes may be all you have to escape a home fire — the nation’s most frequent disaster
Therefore, even though the primary alarm (the audible one) is what mostly matters, it is indeed concerning that the apps and integration did not trigger right away.
I have not implemented this yet, but I am planning on having the following things happen in the event of a fire alarm:
Of the above, the one thing that worries me is whether an automation malfunction might cause my perimeter entry points to open at night, or while I am away, introducing a security risk. Another consideration is whether I want all of this to happen when I burn brownies in the oven… 
Don’t mean to Zombie but I am in this boat as well. One of my protects lost its sensors, annoying for how expensive these were.
I tried First Alert three years ago and it was so bad I sent all seven back for a refund. They would just lose connectivity and the only solution from support was to reset them. Some took 20 minutes to get into the app.
That’s how I ended up on a second round of Protects.
Now I kind of just want dumb ones that I can silence without using a 12’ pole. Home speakers can hear the alarms and warn me.
Frustrating.
What I don’t understand is that Google invested so much into these detectors for split spectrum sensing for smoke to basically eliminate false alarms and yet be ultra sensitive to smoldering OR fast burning starts.
There are no other detectors on the market with this function, the SC5 is old tech sensing, not the same result which is why it has false alarms.
Has anyone found any possible device that is at least comparable in functionality because I cannot seem to find one.
another option is the Kidde 30CUAR-W, but instead of sensor advancements like the nest, it only uses their software and different optical chamber. Maybe this other thread is a great switch:
Google didn’t invest in that specifically… they just acquired Nest to expand their presence in the smart home market with devices like thermostats and smoke detectors, but like other instances, when their new toy loses its allure (due to strategy change or focus shift, etc.), they stop supporting it and/or kill it off. I avoid Google hardware (mostly acquired brands) because I’ve seen this happen multiple times and no longer trust them.
The SC5 is a confirmation, IMO, of them exiting the smoke detector market. To do so somewhat gracefully, they partnered with a major vendor to offer a somewhat comparable replacement for the Nest Protect. While I did not compare the two in detail, it sounds like they failed at offering an “upgrade path”… and are rather just offering a less appealing similar product.
I have about 1yr left to find an alternative…
I too am in the same boat. One of my wired protects has expired and the other battery and wired ones will soon too.
I was just about to buy the replacement 3 and to my dismay read they are discontinued. The SC5 reports of false alarms in the middle of the night is an absolute no no with a small family.
Cant believe theres no viable alternative.!
I have three SC5s – I wouldn’t say that they’re prone to false positives but they are very sensitive. In the kitchen we get a pre-alarm warning from only the smallest amount of cooking, without visible smoke coming from the pan. But these aren’t random alarms as they only occur when we’re cooking.
I do wish they’d integrate with HA.
In my house the nest is imperative for this exact reason. We cook soooo much and have such an open space that we would literally have to grab a very tall step ladder to turn off the alarm. Nest was awesome because even IF it had a false alarm (had none in 6 years so far) I could turn it off via phone. If I want that same hardware style I would have to sacrifice the connectivity, if I want to the same connectivity I have to deal with more false alarms. Manufacturers are terrible. I’ve literally just started building all of my own stuff because nothing is compatible, nothing is reliable, and when you finally find a product line that works the way you want it- it has a short shelf life.
I would call acquiring nest and lot of investment. Also, they basically eliminated a great base product by acquiring it and ditching it. The SC5 does not have the same sensor capacity. The 30CUAR-W has connectivity and in theory has similar functioning but literally nothing on the market has the hardware that the nest protect has.
Yes, and it’s a bit odd how manufacturers have such an upper hand on, and irreverence for, their customers. It wasn’t long ago when these companies knew that if they didn’t perform their sales would drop and they’d be out of business, so if for no other reason they’d operate at a high level for that reason. Now, it seems like most companies couldn’t care less about their customers’ needs and opinions, and we also hear about a massive number of mid-level manufacturers shutting their doors. So… how can they continue to be so disparaging toward customers, knowing the effect it will have?
Is it because many companies are ultimately owned by VCs who are fine with a short-term run and shoddy products?
I think it is because the culture (globally) has become a disposal lifestyle. It used to just be the consumer elite in the USA, but now it has permeated nearly everywhere. There is no focus on robust quality of product because people have the expectation to replace in short time. It keeps the initial price tag low but the long term costs high and a whole lot of excess waste. There used to be long term gaps between advancements in products (computers, games, cell phones, etc) that it was worthwhile upgrading. Now advancements are small and frequent with just enough feature changes to keep fanboys buying new.
So unfortunately for us, we have to research way deeper than necessary to find products that are worthwhile buying and then HOPE it doesn’t get phased out of product line.
Seriously, this is why I joined HA community. I find something that I can repair or drop and replacement if broken with small components so that I don’t have to deal with manufacturers and the price tag associated with finish products.
Cheap garbage, is still garbage. Expensive garbage, is still garbage.
I’m in the same annoying boat. I have 7 Nest Protects in my home, and I just got a warning that the first of the 7 is going to expire in June. I purchased all of them 9 years ago in August, and they are supposed to have a 10 year lifespan. I guess that is from manufacture date.
The Resideo app is awful. My HO insurance gives me a discount for leak detectors, and they have to be Resideo so USAA can monitor compliance. I have the bare minimum of 2, and they frequently disconnect and don’t alert me that they have. I’d prefer another app and something that works natively with HAAS.
I got honeywell t stats before they truly merged to resideo. They worked well under their lyric product line. After switch to resideo apps it took almost 2 years to get the right connection to work. Now they just drop out constantly and dont reflect current state. Ive given up on that too. After i finish house renovations it will be all rs485 sensors (temp/rh) and i built custom HA thermostats and will be using esphome to control hvac system that is completely autonomous to outside temp, weather forecast, and also heat source (fire pit, outdoor wood boiler, hot water tank, etc).
That is a tall ask, most of these branded compliance pieces (t stats, smoke/fire/CO2, leak, etc) all have to meet certifications so they end up having some form of app priority vs full HA integration.
I’ve had my SC5 for almost a year now, replacing my one Nest that I had for as long as it would run beyond it’s 10 year life span (that was approximately 60 days, I think, before it hard locked itself). I’ve had one completely false alarm with it – which happened while I was away, and sent me into a major panic (and I think the only reason I didn’t get a massive speeding ticket is because a police officer probably figured he must’ve had a malfunction in his radar gun), and I’ve had it set off zero times by shower or nicotine vapor – something which happened occasionally with the Nest. It does trigger slightly more easily to cooking than the Nest did. It’s vocal is MUCH quieter and MUCH less understandable than the Nest. I’m not sure how it would compare when it goes into full alarm mode, as I’ve never experienced full alarm mode in either, though the test in both were plenty loud.
Overall, while I’m reasonably happy with the SC5 as it’s own product, IN COMPARISON TO THE NEST, it is not that great. The Nest was, frankly, a much better product, with the motion sensor, the light, the much clearer and louder voice, a subjectively much better build quality (in comparison, the SC5 feels like you’re holding a Temu or Wish product compared to a real product in the Nest), and the generally more predictable point at which it starts to trigger – with the Nest I knew if I vaped in my hallway where it lived, I was going to get an alert, or if I opened the bathroom door immediately after a shower without ventilating, I was going to get an alert … and if I smoked out the house while cooking I was going to get an alert. Now, I’m not really sure what it takes to set it off, and I know that for sure I’ve received one completely false alarm on my phone while I was away, so I don’t have any idea what the conditions were that generated that.
So, it seems to be an alright product. I know it does respond to cooking eventually, so I’m pretty certain that it will respond if I am actually in danger, and although I do like that it doesn’t respond to vaping in my hallway unlike the Nest, I definitely do not like that it has at least once responded to completely unknown conditions that could not possibly have included anything smoke or vapor like.
And what I dislike MOST about it is comparing it to the things that the Nest was unique at, because all those features, it is either completely lacking, or is extremely pale in comparison to.
The only thing the SC5 has in common with the Nest Protect is the mounting plate. It does not integrate into the Nest system and does not have any of the features of the Nest. It is a talking smoke alarm at it’s barest. Avoid.
That was my thought. No product on the market uses the same sensor architecture that the Nest used. Nest for us had 2 total alerts in 6 years. Burnt hair in the bathroom from a curling iron which was actually a solid alert. No amount of burnt food, over toasted bagels, or anything else caused such alarms. I don’t care about any other feature. I hate random residual LEDs for me they aren’t necessary, but due to ceiling heights I need something that can be silenced or tested without getting a ladder. If they had nest accuracy, then I wouldn’t care because it was so rare. But moving into territory of inferior hardware, now I am back to trying to figure out which product can endure. So far, from what I can tell in coding, that the Kidde 30CUAR-w has local api access (no cloud) that allows for test, hush, and alarm direct to HA, which would be perfect even if it had false alarms. Problem is, there is only one other thread mentioning this and nothing in that thread is conclusive that it works.