Nest to open developer program for Learning Thermostat, future products
Nest Labs CEO and former Apple executive Tony Fadell announced on Wednesday that his company will be launching an application programming interface (API) that developers can use to integrate their apps with the Nest Learning Thermostat and future smart home devices.
The new developer program, which was announced at the CEDIA Expo in Denver, Colo., promises to bring a new level of interactivity to the Nest smart thermostat, both with apps and connectivity with hardware from other vendors.
Now in its second generation, the Nest Learning Thermostat still does not communicate with other "smart home" products like lights, fans and window shades, notes TechCrunch. This lack of interoperability means users have to access device functions from the first-party app and can't tie in connected hardware already installed in their house.
According to cofounder Matt Rogers, who is also Nest's VP of engineering, the goal was to first create a solid device before opening a developer program and releasing an accompanying API. Now that the product has been somewhat established, Rogers said the company is "getting ready to open [its] doors" to third-party developers.
While the depth of the API remains unclear, Rogers hinted at some of the functionality in a post on Nest's blog:
According to Nest's blog, the developers will get access to the API sometime in 2014.
The new developer program, which was announced at the CEDIA Expo in Denver, Colo., promises to bring a new level of interactivity to the Nest smart thermostat, both with apps and connectivity with hardware from other vendors.
Now in its second generation, the Nest Learning Thermostat still does not communicate with other "smart home" products like lights, fans and window shades, notes TechCrunch. This lack of interoperability means users have to access device functions from the first-party app and can't tie in connected hardware already installed in their house.
According to cofounder Matt Rogers, who is also Nest's VP of engineering, the goal was to first create a solid device before opening a developer program and releasing an accompanying API. Now that the product has been somewhat established, Rogers said the company is "getting ready to open [its] doors" to third-party developers.
While the depth of the API remains unclear, Rogers hinted at some of the functionality in a post on Nest's blog:
In addition to the Nest Learning Thermostat, the API will grant developers access to "future products." A report on Tuesday claimed Nest Labs is developing a smoke detector called "Protect," though details regarding the device's capabilities are largely unknown.What if Auto-Away could turn off your lights? What if your dryer knew not to run when energy prices were high? What if your robot vacuum knew when you were gone and cleaned up before you got home?
According to Nest's blog, the developers will get access to the API sometime in 2014.
Comments
What I need is a device that let's me track: water, gas, electricity on an hourly basis.
You know what would be awesome? A doorbell! You could change the tune with the season or whenever you get tired of the same old sound. Use your smartphone to turn it off altogether when you want to get some sleep.
Just have a Mac at home handling all this automation. Picks a doorbell from your iTunes Library or iOS’ alarm/ringtone presets. Have the Mac turn your house into something actually intelligent.
You know, like people in the ‘50s knew we’d have 13 years ago because back then people weren’t lazy morons unwilling to move forward.
The thermostat is useless to me.
What I need is a device that let's me track: water, gas, electricity on an hourly basis.
You would probably have to look at a higher end solution from Savant Systems or someone at that level. I don't know of any small budget systems that do water, gas, electricity. Let us know what you find out.
The thermostat is useless to me.
What I need is a device that let's me track: water, gas, electricity on an hourly basis.
First you have to find a system that has the necessary sensors, then it's a matter if the automation software interfaces with them. Savant has different amp rating sensors depending on what power you've got. I didn't see anything for water or gas, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. With Savant, they are a 100% Apple solution where the main software runs on something like a Mac Mini, and you get a decent sized switch to plug all kinds of sensors into. I've seen and talked to various people out there and Savant is a VERY respectable company and the thing about their s/w is that it's supposed to be a lot easier to program vs something like Crestron (which is the biggest, but they support iOS, Android, and CE devices), but I think their main system runs on a PC. There are about 5 companies that do this like Control 4(I've heard only medocre reports on those systems), Crestron which are supposed to be good but difficult to program compared to others, Savant, and a few others. But they do cool stuff. It's just dependant on what you want to and how much CASH you want to spend, but these are all typically professionally installed by trained people. I've been told Savant can get things up and running a lot cheaper, so you might want to call a Savant Dealer or Savant directly. I think they start in the neighborhood of $500 and then go up from there, but a lot of it is in the sensors, switches, and the rest of the equipment you may want to control (home theater, lighting, window treatment, etc.)
https://www.owlintuition.com
Support iBeacon/Bluetooth
Use MVC architecture
Use C/ObjectiveC language
You know what would be awesome? A doorbell! You could change the tune with the season or whenever you get tired of the same old sound. Use your smartphone to turn it off altogether when you want to get some sleep.
How about a doorbell with a built in or linked camera and mic that not only rings a tone in your house, but also sends a picture and places a video call to your iOS device (sure would be nice if FaceTime was an open standard) so you can check and talk to whoever's ringing your bell while you're out. Could help stop the opportunistic burglars, who ring to check if anyone's in.
The thermostat is useless to me.
What I need is a device that let's me track: water, gas, electricity on an hourly basis.
Well, thanks for sharing. [/s]
Problem (for me anyway) with the Nest was that it just didn't learn very well. It didn't have a good idea of when we were home or away--either that or it just wasn't very smart. It would leave the A/C off for extended periods of time--until we woke up to the fact that we were perspiring for some odd reason. Other times it would turn the A/C on when it wasn't necessary.
We are very happy with our Honeywell Prestige 2.0 thermostat, though, which is easier to use, more controllable, and not much more complicated to install. (Lots of support videos on youtube. A professional installer isn't really needed.)