A second generation Nest Protect has been introduced today, as Nest announced sweeping updates to its connected home devices.

The second-gen Nest Protect comes with added sensors, to make it better at detecting fast and slow burning fires. Using what Nest is calling a Split-Spectrum Sensor to enhance the new device, it has two sensors to detect different sized particles of smoke.

The new Nest Protect will come with an App Silence feature. This will let you silence your smoke alarm from your phone incase you have a false alarm - such as a smoking grill or burning toast. 

The new Nest Protect has a microphone and speaker, so it can test not only it's internal functions, but it can now also do a sound check too, to make sure the speaker is working.

The aim is to go beyond the industry standards and make Nest Protect as safe as possible.

The new Nest Protect is 11 per cent thinner. It will be $99 and able to order from today in the US. In the UK it will be £89.

Elsewhere, the Nest Learning Thermostat is going to be better at keeping you safe. Nest Protect, if it detects high levels of carbon monoxide, can tell your Nest Learning Thermostat to shut down your heating.

The same applies to smoke - if Nest Protect detects smoke, it can tell Nest to shut off fans to stop it circulating the smoke that you might then suffocate on.

Notifications will be sent out for emergency temperatures too, so if the temperature drops low, your heating can turn on so that your pipes don't freeze.

Nest Protect is going to become self aware, testing itself, so that you know it's working, as many fires aren't detected by smoke alarms because they aren't working properly. 

These features will be rolled out as a software update to existing first- and second-generation Nest devices.