Nest Thermostat E is a more affordable way to control your home's temperature
Earlier this year, my local energy company emailed me with an offer I couldn't refuse -- a big discount on a Nest Thermostat. While I had never really cared much about such a product -- I was OK getting up from my chair to control my home's temperature -- the price was too enticing. And so, I installed the product and linked it to my Amazon Echo. With the power of my voice, I can now control both my air conditioning and heating. It is amazing. The energy company has even issued me a check for allowing them to control it during a few weeks in the summer. Yeah, Nest is actually making me money!
Understandably, not everyone wants to spend an arm and a leg to get an energy-saving "smart" thermostat. Thankfully, today, the Google-owned Nest announces a new lower-priced "E" model. This affordable variant should be attractive to more thrifty spenders. It features a "frosted" screen, which could look even more classy than the pricier model, although that will ultimately be a matter of personal preference.
Nest reveals Cam IQ, an AI-powered 4K security camera with facial recognition
Google-owned Nest has unveiled the latest addition to its range of smart products -- the Nest Cam IQ. The new security camera not only boasts a 4K video sensor, but builds upon the motion detection feature offered by other similar cameras by adding facial recognition.
What this means is that the Nest Cam IQ is able to send out personalized alerts when it detects the presence of a particular person -- such as when your kids arrive home from school -- but it can also send out warnings when an unrecognized person is spotted. There's even Night Vision so it functions as a nighttime security camera.
Nest introduces Eco Temperatures to its learning thermostat
Nest has become a popular choice for those getting their feet wet in the new world of home automation. A thermostat that thinks for you, learning your habits and adjusting the temperature in your home accordingly, sounds great. It's not always perfect, but it improves over time as it gathers more and more information.
Now the company is aiming to push this feature further, welcome news for those who have found the process a bit off with temperatures adjusting by themselves, sometimes at inopportune times.
Nest wants to give you a free thermostat -- if you live in Chicago
Nest is one of the big names in the world of home automation. It brings a lot to your home, linking up with other products in the domicile, but it isn't perfect at first -- it takes a bit of time to learn your habits and what you want.
The drawback is, of course, cost. The thermostat is not particularly cheap. But for the folks who have wanted one and not yet pulled the purchase trigger, there's a deal to be had. That is, providing you live in a certain location.
Nest expands views for Farsight on its thermostats
When Nest first launched its thermostat it had very clear views of what people wanted to see. You can view the current temperature in your home as well as the target temperature. Clicking it can show the outside temperature and humidity, among other things.
With the third generation, the company released Farsight. The thermostat lights up when it sees you, basically motion detection. It shows you all the relevant information then goes dark again, presumably to save a bit of power.
Nest makes Thread networking protocol open source -- names it 'OpenThread'
Some people still have the perception of open source being for hobbyists and Linux enthusiasts. I can understand this wrong viewpoint, however. After all, Microsoft has long had a stranglehold on both home and business workstation computing. That company has historically been a closed-source champion. Over time, open source ideology has matured, being embraced by many major companies -- the Windows-maker included.
Today, the Google-owned Nest makes a big announcement. Its 'Thread' networking protocol is now open source. Dubbed 'OpenThread', the source code is now available on GitHub. Will it see a large scale adoption?
It's lights out as Nest shuts down Revolv
There have been occasional complaints with the IoT. Things don't always work as planned – lights that fail to come on or go off, a door that won't unlock and other minor annoyances. A bigger concern has been security, as these systems continue to display vulnerability. But, what if a device just suddenly stops working, and not through mechanical error, but because the company just chose to reach into your home and kill it?
Well, that's exactly what's about to happen with Revolv, an IoT hub that was purchased by Nest, which in turn is owned by Google. Officially, Revolv is considered a Nest company, though.
Nest beefs up its Android Wear app with new features
We've talked plenty about Nest around here. The company makes a smart thermostat and other devices that hope to improve your home and your life. Whether they succeed or not is individual opinion. However, a thermostat that can detect your location and adjust the temperature accordingly can certainly be a money saver.
You can control things right from the app on your smartphone, and do so from anywhere in the world. But what about your wrist? Well, Nest has an app for that and now it's gaining some new features.
Nest introduces family accounts and a new way to track your activity
Nest, a company now owned by Google's parent Alphabet, makes products that home automation enthusiasts sometimes salivate over. What began with a thermostat has expanded somewhat to include such things as smoke detectors.
One drawback with the system was the way Nest's app works. If you have a family then controlling things could be a problem, and that's something Nest has set out to solve by introducing Family Accounts.
Setting up Nest to work with Wink home automation hub
We have previously written about setting up lights with the Wink home automation hub – there are a number of bulbs that work including GE Link and Cree. We have also provided a tutorial for installing the Nest thermostat.
Now we're looking at linking the two together. Wink can be paired with Amazon Echo, which means you can control your heating and cooling by voice. For now, let's just worry about the first part and we'll get to Alexa later.
The Nest thermostat arrives on Wink and Amazon Echo
It seems to be a big day for Amazon Echo, as Alexa has found two new friends to pal around with, the Tap and the Dot. No, it's not Morse Code, it's devices that compliment that previous item that may be sitting in your home. But, that wasn't all of the news.
Today Wink, who makes a home automation hub that we've talked about before and which is in contact with Alexa, announces that users can now control Nest.
How to: Installing the Nest thermostat
Nest debuted and became a darling of the home automation crowd, seemingly overnight. There's good reasons for that, as the company offered a unique and well-built system that is fairly simple for a homeowner to install. It also learns user habits and can adjust the temperature accordingly. The screen has a motion sensor and comes to life when you walk up to it, while remain dark the rest of the time.
The installation may seem confusing at first, but really it's fairly basic once you get past all of the technical talk and just pay attention to the parts that matter. We're going to install in on a fairly basic two wire system, as it is only going to be controlling heat. My home, for some unknown reason, has a separate air conditioning system, but given that I never use it, it really doesn't matter.
Nest announces new software with major updates
Nest is one of the darlings of today's connected home, bringing integration with multiple devices such as Amazon Echo and Harmony remotes (at least some models). Now the device maker is rolling out an update to add a bit more to your experience with it.
The company is launching major enhancements to the thermostat and this will be available for all generations of the device.
Nest Thermostat moves ahead to third generation
The Nest Learning Thermostat has become quite popular, at least in the tech community. It learns from a user's habits and can be remotely accessed via an app on a phone or tablet. In fact, it can even be controlled using a Harmony Ultimate Home remote control.
Now the product has edged forward into its third generation, bringing a slimmer and sleeker design, as well as being "more beautiful", at least according to Nest.
Nest Learning Thermostat gets new security update
The Internet of Things can be a blessing and a curse. We all want devices that work for us, and home automation has become big business. Lights, among many other things, can be set or simply controlled from a phone or tablet, and thermostats are going that way as well.
The problem is security, as IoT devices can have all sorts of problems that people haven't faced before. Nest can change your home's temperature on its own and a hacker could, potentially, do the same. That's part of what this update is designed to address, though there are other features as well.
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