Nest's Smoke Detector Is Being Recalled

Google's $3.2 billion purchase of Nest is not looking great right now.

Nest is recalling its internet-connected smoke detectors, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The smoke and carbon monoxide detector called, the "Protect" is struggling with a glitch that can stop the alarm from sounding.

One of the big features for the Nest is that you can wave at it, and it will silence. Traditional smoke detectors are a pain to silence when they're accidentally set off by, say, smoke when you're cooking, or steam from a shower. You have to grab a broom and hit a button, or wave at them to disperse the smoke. With a Nest, you were supposed to be able to just wave at it.

However, the Nest Protect would misinterpret people waving their hands and turn off if there was a real fire. Nest has halted sales of the Protect for a few weeks now while it dealt with the problem.

A recall, in this case, doesn't mean everyone has to turn their Protect back in. Nest can fix the problem with a software update.

"Consumers who have not connected their Nest Protect devices to their wireless network and linked them to a Nest account should immediately do so," says the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "The devices will automatically receive the update that disables the Nest Wave feature. Customers should confirm that their devices have been updated by going to Nest Sense on their Nest account mobile or web application and ensuring that the button for Nest Wave is off and grayed out."