Editors' note, June 24, 2015: Roost's Kickstarter campaign from the fall of 2014 was successful, and today the company announced the start of preorders of the battery on Amazon. The product has been updated to coincide with the launch and the piece is updated to reflect the changes.
Stuffing Wi-Fi capability into a 9V battery, the Roost Smart Battery can be put into any smoke detector. When the alarm sounds, it'll send you a push notification, wherever you are. You'll also be notified when the battery starts running low, allowing you to avoid the typical chirping, though Roost doesn't expect that to happen often, claiming the battery can last up to five years.
The setup seems simple enough. Download the app, connect the battery to your router, and replace your existing battery. Once the smoke detector sounds, you'll get a push notification and be able to dial emergency services or a preprogrammed emergency contact right from the iOS and Android app. Because you can name each battery via the app, you'll also know which smoke detector is sounding.
Ready for launch
Roost underwent a successful Kickstarter campaign last fall. Today, you can preorder the batteries onAmazon. Individual units will retail for $35 and a pack of two will cost $65. It'll be available in the United States, Canada, and the European Union (UK pricing will convert to about £22), with an expected shipping date of September.
The campaign helped Roost finish the prototype. I had concerns that the company could squeeze Wi-Fi smarts and five years of battery life into the promised 9V form. The finished product touts a new coat of paint, but it certainly looks like Roost pulled it off. Better yet, after the five-year lifespan of the battery ends, you no longer have to replace the whole unit.
A battery within a battery
One of my biggest gripes about the initially promised product was the thought of replacing the whole thing when the battery died. Apparently, many of Roost's users had the same concern, and the company addressed it. The bottom of the unit -- the piece below the blue line -- now snaps off and can swap out for a new power source. You can buy this replacement pack from Roost for $15, a nice savings over the $35 cost of a whole new battery.
Roost's CEO and cofounder, Roel Peeters, also emphasized to me that the smoke detector should be a "shared device" with your family, like your appliances or your television, and not an "individual device" such as a cell phone. To that end, you can add additional monitors to any Roost battery, so your spouse and children can be notified of an alarm on their own phones.
The competition
The US-only $100 Leeo Smart Alert Nightlight walks the line between the simpler option from Roost and the wholesale device replacement of Nest. A connected color-changing light, Leeo plugs into your wall outlet and listens for the frequency of any alarm, sending you push notifications and calling you should one sound.Even with a replaceable battery, Roost will face plenty of competition. The $99, £89 Nest Protect offers similar Wi-Fi capabilities and remote monitoring, but it also detects both CO and smoke. The Roost Battery can swap into a smoke detector, or a carbon monoxide detector, but you'll need to buy individual batteries for each. With the ever-growing Works with Nest program, the Nest Protect can also be a part of a larger smart-home setup.
The outlook
Roost's design offers a counterpoint to the wholesale replacements offered by Nest and Leeo. It might not have the name recognition of the former or the ability to listen for multiple alarms like the latter, but instead of investing in an entirely new device, Roost wants to help make your existing smoke detector better. If it works, Roost will have provided an interesting solution for retrofitting old technology, and adding app functionality to any number of devices could soon be as simple as replacing the battery.
[via CNET]
