thermostat
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Software bug forced Nest thermostats offline
A Nest software update in December came with a hidden surprise: a bug that drains the thermostat's battery and ultimately deactivates the device. Users were caught by surprise, and in the case of The New York Times writer Nick Bilton, he woke up to a cold home when his Nest switched off in the middle of the night. The Google-owned company's co-founder, Matt Rogers, confirmed to NYT that the cause was a software glitch that didn't manifest itself until January. The complaints posted on Twitter and on Nest's own forum support that statement.
Almond WiFi routers now control Nest gear in your home
Securifi's Almond routers just got much, much more useful if you use one of them as the center of your smart home. Both the base Almond and the Almond+ now talk directly to Nest's thermostat and Protect smoke detector, giving you network-savvy controls that Nest alone can't offer. Thanks to equally new WiFi triggers, you can have the thermostat adjust the temperature the moment your phone connects to your home network. The routers will even "broker" between two connected smartphones -- if you like it hot but your partner wants it cooler, you'll get a temperature in between the two.
Nest's latest thermostat comes to the UK with hot water controls
A month after its US launch, Nest's third-generation thermostat has arrived in Britain. The hardware might look familiar, but it has a few extra tricks that separate it from previous versions and even its counterpart across the pond. For starters, Nest has given the circular design a nice little spec bump; compared to its predecessor, the thermostat has a larger (2.08 inches), brighter and pixel-dense (229ppi) display, making it easier to scroll through the interface with sleep-deprived eyes. The device's entire body is also slightly thinner, meaning it should look just a smidge more attractive in a hallway or living room.
ComEd wants to put a million smart thermostats in Illinois homes
ComEd, the largest power provider in Illinois, wants to give its customers a hand in switching over to smart thermostats like those from Nest and Ecobee. The idea is to get a million of them installed within the next five years, according to The Washington Post. The utilities company is offering $120 rebates to its customers who buy the gizmos and the Environmental Protection Agency tells WaPo that it's the "largest effort of its kind" in the country. ComEd likens the push to switch to the connected thermostats to the not-that-long-ago transition to compact fluorescent bulbs in terms of energy savings. Should the program be a success, it could drop total carbon dioxide emissions in the state by 709,000 metric tons and save folks up to $131 per year on their gas and electricity bills.
Meet Hive's gorgeous new thermostat and smart home devices
Google's Nest, Honeywell, Netatmo, Tado and others have made heating our abodes that bit simpler, but a smart thermostat does not a smart home make. British Gas' Hive launched its take on the smart thermostat two years ago -- and now, 200,000 installs later, it's time for a sequel. This time around, though, Hive doesn't just want to make your heating smarter, but the rest of your home as well. In addition to its brand-new £249 thermostat, the Hive brand will include soon smart plugs, a whole host of motion sensors and eventually, lightbulbs too.
Nest's smart thermostat will warn if your pipes are going to freeze
Nest didn't just show off its first self-branded home monitoring camera and a revamped smoke detector at its big event. The home automation firm also gave its Learning Thermostat an update that, if you like, will warn you if the temperature falls outside of a preferred range. You'll know if it gets so cold that the pipes are likely to freeze, or if it's scorching enough that your pet will pass out. The climate controller also works in closer harmony with the Protect. It'll show carbon dioxide and smoke alarms that you might otherwise miss, and can shut off your air conditioning or heating to prevent smoke from spreading. It'll take about two weeks for Nest to push the thermostat upgrade to your home, but you can grab the necessary mobile app revamp (which unifies control for Nest's devices) as of today.
First Utility tempts new energy customers with free smart thermostat
There's a thin line between a flourishing product category and an oversaturated one. The smart thermostat racket is fast approaching critical mass, and energy providers across the UK have begun offering hi-tech heating controls to their customers through in-house products, rebrands and various partnerships. Today, it's First Utility's turn. The energy merchant will now give anyone signing up to its three-year, fixed-rate tariff a free Cosy smart thermostat plus installation. Born from a successful Kickstarter campaign, Cosy has a familiar feature set, with programmable schedules and remote heating and hot water control via smartphone apps. Obviously the cost of the tariff should be your primary concern, but if it makes sense, a free Cosy might be handy if you haven't already got five smart thermostats at home.
Surviving a British winter with a not-so-smart thermostat
Just under a year ago, I had British Gas' Hive smart thermostat bolted on to my home's existing aged central heating system. The easiest thing to do would have been to just review it there and then, but if I'm being honest, it makes more sense to talk about a device like this when you've used it through a rough British winter. Having now endured one in my drafty, freezing cold Victorian house, I think it's the perfect time to start discussing it.
Withings' sleep helper now uses Nest's thermostat to keep you cool
Withings' Aura sleep system can only do so much to help you rest by itself. Wouldn't it be nice if it could keep the climate just right, too? It can now -- the Aura just got support for Nest's learning thermostat. When they're linked up, the Nest will maintain an ideal temperature for sleep (around 64F to 68F, or 18C to 20C) once you're unconscious, and revert back to its earlier settings once you've woken up. It's a simple addition, and it won't be cheap at about $550 for the pair. Still, that cost might be justified if you frequently jolt awake because you're freezing or roasting.
Tado taps energy provider SSE to help push its smart thermostat
Not content with the retail partner Tado drafted in to help flog its smart thermostat last year, the company today announced yet another tie-in, this time with energy provider SSE. Any customer of SSE, or its other business guises Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro and SWALEC, can now buy a second-generation Tado thermostat directly from their energy merchant for £199. Until March 26th (or for the first 300 patrons), installation is free, though it'll set you back £90 after this promotional period. You can also rent one of the clever thermostats for £5 a month if you'd prefer, with installation costing £40 in this scenario. Tado will no doubt shift a couple more units with its new friend's help; but with so many competing products and similar alliances around, we reckon Tado having an official Windows Phone app probably does more for the company than any fresh partnership might.
Netatmo drafts in EDF Energy to help sell its smart thermostat
Brits who want their heating systems to be a little more high-tech are now officially spoilt for choice, with a bunch of smart thermostat options jostling for their attention. The makers of these devices are well aware of the competition they face, which is why most have courted retail partners to add some extra marketing muscle. The latest to establish such a relationship is Netatmo, and though the outfit is a bit late to the game given it only launched its smart thermostat in the UK in September, today it's announced its new high-profile BFF is EDF Energy. Under the partnership, the energy provider will sell and install the thermostat, as well as become the primary port of call for customer support. Unlike npower's tie-up with Nest, EDF is offering this service to anyone, not just its own customer base.
Use Google Now to control your Nest thermostat
After signs of the proverbial switch flipping surfaced this weekend, Google Now's Nest integration is live. You'll need to authorize both the Google app and its voice control separately, but once you do, a simple "change the temperature to 74 degrees" is all you'll need to make the adjustment. What's more, a new card will show up letting you know when the Nest is hard at work to make your abode comfy during that evening commute. In fact, it'll make the adjustment automatically based on your phone's location. The new feature plays nice Google's software on both Android and iOS, so smart thermostat owners can opt with either one. If you run into issues, Nest has a handy guide that should help.
Google Now is almost ready to control your Nest thermostat
Remember how Nest promised that you'd one day use Google Now to control your thermostat? That day is very nearly here. Droid-Life has discovered that the search tool is responding to temperature requests, and will show you a Google Now card when the thermostat is cooling or heating your home. However, you can't actually use this feature yet -- you need to authorize your Google account to make this work, and the necessary website isn't completely ready. Even so, it's clear that you'll soon be commanding your climate using little more than your voice.
iOS users: Nest Thermostat update on the way
The popular Nest Thermostat will see a significant software upgrade within the week. The system, popular with iOS users who can control it from their iPhones or iPads, will see improvements to its auto-schedule software, a new Quick View option, and enhanced system test features. Nest says the Auto-Schedule software can "...help you save up to 6% more on your heating and cooling bills by learning new schedules quickly and adapting to changes better. So when your schedule shifts – like when summer's over and the kids are back at school – Nest can now catch on faster that the temperature adjustments you're making are part of a new pattern rather than just one-off changes." Quick View is a major GUI change. Pushing the thermostat ring will now display weather, indoor temperatures and humidity. You will also get a summary of energy used the previous day, and the next change to the schedule. Finally, a System Test will walk you through your attached hardware and check functionality. The update will be pushed from the Nest servers automatically. There will also be updates to the iOS Nest applications to support the changes. Nest says other new features are on the way. The company is getting pushed by competitors like Honeywell. I'd love to see the Nest use my iPhone to figure out if I am near home or not, so it can set the auto-away function using geo-fencing, rather than using the motion sensing feature of the Nest to see if I am home.
Nest's smart thermostat now shows much more info at a glance
For all of the things Nest's smart thermostat has learned to do, its interface hasn't made a lot of progress; you frequently have to dig to see more than just the basics. You'll have a much easier time of it after today, though. Nest is now rolling out a version 4.3 update that includes Quick View, a reworked interface that gives you more info at a glance. Push in the ring and you can quickly check both the outdoor temperature and humidity before you leave home -- handy if you're unsure about bringing your jacket. Spinning the ring, meanwhile, shows you a summary of everything associated with a given category. You can see the next scheduled temperature change, fan settings and other nice-to-know facts without wading into the menus.
Nest can now talk to Pebble and other home automation products
Nest's thermostat and smoke detector now works with more third-party home automation products, the first fruits of the developer program that the Google-owned company launched in June. First in the list is something you're likely familiar with: Pebble smartwatches, which you can now use to control and check the temperature in your home. Next? A voice-controlled home manager called ivee, which lets you know when a peak energy event starts and ends, as well as lets you use spoken commands to adjust the temperature for you. Then there's Life360, an app that monitors where family members or friends are on a map (with their consent), which automatically adjusts the temp when the last resident in the house leaves or when the first one comes home.
Tado adds physical controls to its second-gen smart thermostat
Smart thermostat maker Tado landed itself a new retail partner in the UK a little over a month ago, but with so much competition in the market, you need to keep on kicking if you want to stay above water. In an effort to do just that, Tado's ready to show off its second-generation connected thermostat, which adds physical controls to the main unit. Previously, the company's hardware has simply been about connecting heating and hot water systems to the internet, thus allowing users to issue commands from web-based and mobile apps. With this next iteration, however, the box that replaces your existing thermostat is no longer just a conduit. The addition of physical controls means you can now check the temperature, adjust it, and cycle through various operational modes on the unit itself -- making it more like, you know, an actual thermostat. You can control hot water from the new thermostat, too, should you have a compatible boiler setup.
Honeywell brings its £139 smart thermostat to the UK
While Honeywell might be synonymous with home thermostats, upstarts like Google's Nest have forced the company to remain on its toes. It showed US consumers that it could deliver a self-aware thermostat earlier this year, but in the UK, its connected options are relatively limited. That's changing somewhat today, with the company bringing a new low-cost solution to Britain. The Single Zone Thermostat, which has already enjoyed success across Europe, is designed to add smart features to your existing heating setup, like smartphone controls and remote scheduling. It's no Lyric or Nest, but thanks to an accompanying "internet gateway," the thermostat can sufficiently automate your home without the need for extensive and expensive upgrades. It connects to Honeywell's evoHome smart zoning system, too, letting you add another point of control in one of up to 12 rooms. Together, the Single Zone Thermostat and internet gateway will set you back £139 when it launches later this month -- a more affordable option for those who want advanced control over their home heating but don't want to pay through the nose for it.
npower now offering free Nest thermostats with its new energy tariff
And so the battle for smart thermostat supremacy wages on. No sooner have we welcomed another warrior to the battlefield than energy provider npower's decided to start giving Nest thermostats away for free. As you may remember, Nest struck up a partnership with npower earlier this year, getting a direct line to the latter's customer base in much the same way British Gas and Scottish Power are leveraging their own. Now, to get a Nest installed for free, you need to be an npower customer (duh). Not just any old customer, though, but one signed up to the new "Intelligent Control - October 2016" gas and electricity tariff. Basically, it's a "dual-fuel" plan that promises a fixed price until -- you guessed it -- October 2016. Deciding whether the tariff is right for you should obviously be your primary concern, but know there's a Nest thrown in to sweeten the deal. npower wasn't exactly ripping customers off with its previous offer of a Nest plus installation for £99 (on a different tariff), but hey, free's free.
Netatmo's smart thermostat joins the crowded UK market
Over the short space of a year, Brits have gone from fiddling with mechanical boiler dials to having a glut of smart thermostat options to choose from. Today we can add yet another to that list with the launch of the Netatmo Thermostat in the UK (and a couple other European markets). Better known for its connected weather station, Netatmo's Philippe Starck-designed thermostat boasts many features common to fancy, smart heating systems. You can control temperature using Android, iOS, Windows Phone and web apps, for example, as well as set up heating schedules with military precision.
