Smart Home · Head-to-head
First Alert SC5 Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm vs X-Sense XP0A-iR Wi-Fi Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The First Alert SC5 is the most complete smart smoke-and-CO alarm for most homes, especially if you use the Google Home app, and it comes in both battery and hardwired versions. The X-Sense XP0A-iR is the value runner-up: standalone Wi-Fi with voice alerts and phone notifications, with no hub to buy.
First Alert SC5 Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Buy itThe de facto successor to the old Google smart alarm, with phone alerts and Google Home compatibility.
- Detects both smoke and carbon monoxide and works with the First Alert app and the Google Home app, with voice alerts that name the danger and location
- Sold in both battery and hardwired versions, so it fits renters and wired homes
- Interconnects with compatible alarms, sends phone alerts, and uses voice alerts with a heads-up warning
- You are buying into the Google Home ecosystem - the best features assume you use that app
- Premium price, especially once you cover a whole house
X-Sense XP0A-iR Wi-Fi Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Buy itStandalone Wi-Fi with voice alerts and phone notifications - the value pick that needs no hub.
- Connects to Wi-Fi and pushes phone alerts on its own - no separate base station or bridge required
- Photoelectric smoke sensor and electrochemical CO sensor, with a voice alarm that announces the type of hazard
- Replaceable battery keeps maintenance simple
- Lives in X-Sense's own app rather than plugging into Google Home or Alexa routines
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, and the brand has less name recognition than First Alert or Kidde
- X-Sense's own page contradicts itself on interconnection, so confirm with X-Sense before counting on linked alarms
Side by side
The 7 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| First Alert SC5 Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm Our pick | X-Sense XP0A-iR Wi-Fi Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone already running a Google/Nest home who wants smart alerts that work with Google Home. | Value hunters and non-ecosystem homes that want app alerts without buying into a smart-home platform. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
| Detects | Smoke + CO | Smoke + CO |
| Smart platform | Google Home app | X-Sense app (standalone) |
| Power | Battery or hardwired versions | Replaceable battery, standalone Wi-Fi |
| Phone alerts + room ID | Yes, via the First Alert or Google Home app | Yes, push alerts + spoken location |
| Interconnect (all sound together) | Yes, with compatible alarms | Unclear: maker page lists 'Interconnected Alarm' but files it under 'No Alarm Interconnection' |
| Install friendliness | Easy (battery model) | Very easy - no hub |
| Replace-by lifespan | Per label | Per label |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the First Alert SC5 Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm if
anyone already running a Google/Nest home who wants smart alerts that work with Google Home.
Know before buying: you are buying into the Google Home ecosystem - the best features assume you use that app.
Pick the X-Sense XP0A-iR Wi-Fi Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm if
value hunters and non-ecosystem homes that want app alerts without buying into a smart-home platform.
Know before buying: lives in X-Sense's own app rather than plugging into Google Home or Alexa routines.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the First Alert SC5 Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm - The de facto successor to the old Google smart alarm, with phone alerts and Google Home compatibility. Choose the X-Sense XP0A-iR Wi-Fi Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm instead if value hunters and non-ecosystem homes that want app alerts without buying into a smart-home platform.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).