It is wonderful to live at a time when technology is used to help people become safer at home. And smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are an example of devices used to keep homes safe. However, for those who are using older detectors, they have to be home to hear the alarm and do something about it.
So what happens if a fire breaks out at home and you are at the office? Needless to say, the alarms would be all for naught. Thankfully, there are smart and connected smoke and carbon monoxide alarm monitors now that do the listening for you, and then tell you about it via a mobile app.
A good example of such smart device is the Leeo Smart Alert Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Monitor.
Main features of the Leeo Smart Alert
- Gives you the local emergency phone numbers
- Calls your family and friends when you’re busy
- Plays with color!
- Easy to install and set up
- Keeps track of temperature and humidity as well
- IFTTT recipes
- What you would like about the Leeo Smart Alert Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Monitor
- Some little things that make the Leeo Smart Alert better
- What could be better
- Alternatives to and the last say on Leeo Smart Alert Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Monitor
First things first: the Leeo Smart Alert Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Monitor is not a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Taking away its smart features and connectedness, it functions more as a nightlight.
What it does, apart from lighting your way at night, is listen to the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that you already have installed.
It will monitor the alarms that you use and will alert you when these go off.
If non-smart light  bulbs and  electric fans have smart sockets  to give them  the ability  to be  controlled via  your smartphone, the  Leeo  Smart  Alert makes  your  traditional  non-smart carbon  monoxide  and  smoke  detectors  into  smart  devices.
Alerts are sent to your phones with a push notification first and the system will also call you.
What other Leeo Smart Alert features should you know about?
Gives you the local emergency phone numbers
When the alarm does sound, you will get notified on your smartphone. You will have the option of listening to the alarm or calling for help.
You no longer have to remember emergency phone numbers because the mobile app will give it to you.
So, all you have to do is to press the Call for Help button or Call 911 button, depending on where you live. You can also choose to dismiss the alert.
Calls your family and friends when you’re busy
In the event that you are unable to dismiss the alert yourself or if you fail to notice the alerts on your phone, the mobile app will also call your family or close friends so that they could respond to the alerts in your stead.
Plays with color!
You will no longer have to stumble through the dark at night. The nightlight provides you with ample illumination and you can use the mobile app to change its colors. You can choose one from more than 16 million colors.
Furthermore, you can change the colors even when you are away. You can also adjust the light setting on the Leeo itself.
Easy to install and set up
The Leeo Smart Alert is very easy to set up. You only have to find an outlet to plug it in and then connect it to your mobile app. After you have paired it with your smartphone, you would need to enter your address.
You are then prompted to test your carbon monoxide and smoke detector to make sure that the Leeo Smart Alert can hear it. The Leeo Smart Alert can hear an alarm within 75 feet.
Keeps track of temperature and humidity as well
The mobile app also shows you temperature and humidity readings in the area where the Leeo is. You can also see a history of both readings for the past 24 hours or the past seven days.
IFTTT recipes
Leeo works with IFTTT recipes, helping you automate things around your home. For instance, there are IFTTT recipes that work with your thermostat, that check weather reports, and that work with smart lights.
For instance you can set your thermostat to 50 if the Leeo hears a carbon monoxide alarm. This is very helpful because it will turn down your furnace. You can also turn on your smart lights when it hears an alarm.
Moreover, you can change the color of your nightlight if it’s going to rain, or add a temperature or humidity reading to a Google spreadsheet. You can also have it change colors whenever you receive a message on social media or whenever a friend tags you in a photo on Facebook.
And if you are the type who relies more on e-mail, you can have your Leeo send you an e-mail when it hears an alarm via IFTTT recipes. A complete list of sample IFTTT recipes are here: https://ifttt.com/leeo.
What you would like about the Leeo Smart Alert Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Monitor
The Leeo Smart Alert is very affordable (For the latest prices and discounts, check here), making it a very good deal for something that makes your home safer from fire and other dangers even when you are out of the house.
Leeo Smart Alert is a good idea if you have a large house and you already have an old non-smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed. You can just plug in a Leeo with 75 feet of these alarms and get notified of any alarms even when you are not in the house.
The alternative is replacing your current smoke and carbon monoxide alarms with smart ones, such as the Nest Protect, but that would mean replacing perfectly working smoke alarms with something that costs a good deal of money (For the latest prices and discounts, check here).
The IFTTT integration is also a good idea because it does not only extend the functionality of your Leeo Smart Alert monitor, but also lets it work with other things and platforms that are not usually associated with smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide alerts, such as social media platforms and lights.
And if you are one of those people who are technophobic, installing and setting up your Leeo should not be a problem as it is very easy to do.
Some little things that make the Leeo Smart Alert better:
- When you are notified of an alarm, you can verify it first by listening to a recording of the alarm. This will help you know if the alarm was really triggered, or if the Leeo picked up some other sound. You can verify false alerts even if you are away from home.
- If you are busy, your friends and family can verify and act on your behalf.
- It gives you easy access to local emergency phone numbers. You can just push the call button for emergency assistance.
- It gives you temperature and humidity readings, as well.
- Even if you plug it into a wall socket, it is small enough so that you can still use adjacent sockets.
- There is no monthly charge. Unlike other services, you do not have to pay a monthly fee to be safer.
- Visual alerts. When an alarm is triggered, the lights on your Leeo flashes red. This is very helpful for instances when you momentarily step out of the house and forget your smartphone inside. If you cannot hear the alarm, there is still a chance that you can be alerted when you see it from outside the window or glass doors. This particular feature helps keep hearing impaired family members safe.
What could be better
For now, the Leeo Smart Alert is only for use within the United States as it requires a US residence address and a 10-digit phone number. It also does not provide support for international customers.
Also, when you try to select a color for your nightlight, the mobile app allows you to choose a color from a color spectrum, but it uses an icon that is too big and this makes it more difficult for you to choose the precise shade of red, blue, or whatever color you want.
Nevertheless, this is not a deal-breaker because you can still choose from the nearest available shade of color you prefer.
Furthermore, you would experience some lags when trying to adjust the color of the nightlight. For instance, if you want to capture the perfect shade of red, you would notice that there is a significant lag time from the time you choose the color on the mobile app and the time the light actually changes colors.
Also, the device is powered by plugging it directly into a power source. Just in case the power goes out before the alarms are triggered, your Leeo Smart Alert would not be able to hear it and notify you.
Lastly, it is only compatible with IFTTT, and there are no other home automation platforms and integrations available for Leeo.
Alternatives to and the last say on Leeo Smart Alert Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Monitor
If you are in the market for a smoke and carbon monoxide monitor, then you might want to go with a pure smoke and carbon monoxide detector such as Nest Protect. Nest Protect is powered by batteries and it can also be plugged in with battery backup.
It also has a voice alarm and a mobile app that can help you monitor sensor failure. It is also a pure smoke detector rather than just being a listener, which is what the Leeo really is.
However, if you have perfectly working smoke alarms, then Leeo gives you a more affordable alternative. If you are not impressed with Leeo, you can take a look at Kidde RemoteLync Monitor. Kiddo RemoteLync is very responsive to alarms and it also works with IFTTT.
It is also priced similarly to the Leeo. However, Kidde does not have the changing lights that Leeo has. Meanwhile, Centralite Smoke Listener works the same way, but has Zigbee compatibility and has a backup battery for power outages.
Still, at its price (For the latest prices and discounts, check here), Leeo Smart Alert Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Monitor is a solid contender for smart listeners with enough features and reliable performance to make it stand out.
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