Maybe others have vaulted ceilings in huge mansions, but a standing on a chair has been enough for me. It's hardly a difficult task, and certainly easier than removing the battery or putting tape over the speaker which appeared to be the alternatives suggested above.
When a smoke detector starts falsely making noise in the middle of the night, you have to get out of bed, turn on a light, get a chair, or maybe a stepladder... and maybe that stepladder is on another level, so you have to carry it up a flight of stairs and try not to bang the walls... it's a huge irritation.
Similarly, when there's one in the kitchen and it goes off constantly every time you make toast, it's a major ongoing annoyance.
Many people will respond to these situations by removing the batteries, covering the speaker with tape, or other things that lessen the functionality of the device in the event of an actual emergency.
Therefore, a properly-functioning wave-to-disarm feature (and other irritation-mitigation mechanisms) are not just conveniences; they literally save lives.
> Therefore, a properly-functioning wave-to-disarm feature (and other irritation-mitigation mechanisms) are not just conveniences; they literally save lives.
I'd be interested to know how well these things line up, you're expecting a big overlap in people who will disable their smoke alarms because it's too much hassle and people who will go out and buy an expensive and fancy one. So you're looking for someone who really cares about their fire alarm but is stupid enough to completely disable one.
However, a non-functioning disable feature could be either phenomenally annoying or hugely dangerous. I don't want to worry that my smoke alarm has turned off just because my dog ran past it or because of a bug. We're also talking about a device which can have its settings updated remotely, what if an update bricks it or turns back on something I feel is unsafe?
> When a smoke detector starts falsely making noise in the middle of the night
I'm not sure I've ever had this happen, would not getting a decent smoke alarm solve this?
> Similarly, when there's one in the kitchen
I've never had a smoke alarm in the kitchen. In the hall next to the kitchen, yes, but not in the kitchen. That's across 9 houses/flats, the last time I set off one from cooking was about 8 years ago. I'm happy dealing with a once-a-decade annoyance.