Nearly two months after issuing a sales stop of the Nest Protect connected smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, the product is being recalled. The recall, issued through the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, affects all 440,000 Nest Protects out there, and owners are eligible for either a repair of the unit (in the form of a software update) or a refund.
The recall formalizes the refund process, whereas previously Nest had opted to disable the "Protect Wave" feature they'd found to cause an unacceptable risk via a software update, as well as stopping sales of further units. Nest found during follow-on testing that the feature, which allows a person to wave at an activated alarm to disable it in the event of innocuous activation (e.g. smoke from cooking), was found to be possible to inadvertently activate during actually serious conditions. Realizing that, Nest immediately stopped sales and within 24 hours issued the update.
That was back in early April. The US CPSC recall allows owners of a Nest Protect smoke alarm to now apply for a refund, though they could still just download the update to disable the Protect Wave and carry on. Granted, Protect Wave was something of a flagship feature for the connected smoke alarm, though there is still more that it could offer. Either way, the recall is a continuing blow for Nest.
On a more positive note, 440,000 is many more than we would have expected — though the product's sales in Best Buy and Home Depot, as well as through Amazon.com certainly didn't hurt.
If you own a Nest Protect and want more information on how to apply the update or apply for a refund, check the source link below.
Source: US Consumer Protection Safety Commission; Via: GigaOm
