Nest Learning Thermostat gets update, learns to compensate for sunlight
Nest, makers of the popular Learning Thermostat, have pushed out an update for their device, adding the ability for the thermostat to adjust its behavior to sunlight, as well as other new features.
Owners of first or second-generation Nest devices, if they have their thermostats hooked up to Wi-Fi, will automatically receive the version 3.5 update in the next few days, according to a post on the Nest blog. That update will allow the thermostat to use its built-in light sensor to detect when it is in direct sunlight and to adjust its temperature settings accordingly. The feature, dubbed Sunblock, will turn on after at least one day of Nest being in direct sunlight.
The update also brings the ability to set Nest to run a fan all night and turn off in the morning or to run to any other user specifications, thanks to Advanced Fan Control. Other new features include Cool to Dry, in which Nest uses its humidity sensor to detect humidity levels and turn on the air conditioner when needed; Enhanced Auto-Away, which allows the thermostat to better understand your schedule; and Auto-Tune, which finds opportunities to save energy and helps users take advantage of them. Specific information on each of the new features is available on Nest's site.
Nest also announced that it would be updating the Nest Mobile app for iOS and Android. Those updates are aimed at making changing the temperature more natural, more like turning the ring on the Nest itself. The updates will also bring the ability for Nest to message users when they need to change their filters or perform some other action.
Monday's announcements are in keeping with what Nest founder Matt Rogers recently said with regard to keeping the device fresh and increasingly capable. Since thermostats are meant to be put in a home and to last for years, the company will be looking to expand capabilities not through continual hardware updates, but instead through regular software updates.
"We don't expect people to buy a new Nest every year," Rogers said in February. "It's not like a smartphone. We don't expect our users to do that. These things should stay for five or ten years, so we're relying a lot on software updates, going forward. We're going to have hardware updates, but a lot of our changes are going to come through software."
Owners of first or second-generation Nest devices, if they have their thermostats hooked up to Wi-Fi, will automatically receive the version 3.5 update in the next few days, according to a post on the Nest blog. That update will allow the thermostat to use its built-in light sensor to detect when it is in direct sunlight and to adjust its temperature settings accordingly. The feature, dubbed Sunblock, will turn on after at least one day of Nest being in direct sunlight.
The update also brings the ability to set Nest to run a fan all night and turn off in the morning or to run to any other user specifications, thanks to Advanced Fan Control. Other new features include Cool to Dry, in which Nest uses its humidity sensor to detect humidity levels and turn on the air conditioner when needed; Enhanced Auto-Away, which allows the thermostat to better understand your schedule; and Auto-Tune, which finds opportunities to save energy and helps users take advantage of them. Specific information on each of the new features is available on Nest's site.
Nest also announced that it would be updating the Nest Mobile app for iOS and Android. Those updates are aimed at making changing the temperature more natural, more like turning the ring on the Nest itself. The updates will also bring the ability for Nest to message users when they need to change their filters or perform some other action.
Monday's announcements are in keeping with what Nest founder Matt Rogers recently said with regard to keeping the device fresh and increasingly capable. Since thermostats are meant to be put in a home and to last for years, the company will be looking to expand capabilities not through continual hardware updates, but instead through regular software updates.
"We don't expect people to buy a new Nest every year," Rogers said in February. "It's not like a smartphone. We don't expect our users to do that. These things should stay for five or ten years, so we're relying a lot on software updates, going forward. We're going to have hardware updates, but a lot of our changes are going to come through software."
Comments
Bought two first gen units (upstairs/downstairs) from Amazon for $179 each a month or so ago for our heatpump. They're pretty nifty little devices and I've been training the hell out of them to maximize power savings. I had regular Honeywell 7-day programmable remotes before, but they were so cumbersome to use that I rarely bothered tweaking the settings.
Now my lazy ass can adjust the temperature from my iPhone, my laptop or wherever.
I'm thoroughly surprised that there isn't a strong competitor to NEST by now.
Thermostats are a commodity item, and adding wi-fi is fairly cheap.
You could keep the rectangular edge of most thermostats and hide the dials and buttons behind the sides. It would still make for an attractive faceplate.
Or you could even add weather station functionality for a pittance.
Why does NEST still have the high-end thermo market to itself in 2013?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank777
I'm thoroughly surprised that there isn't a strong competitor to NEST by now.
Thermostats are a commodity item, and adding wi-fi is fairly cheap.
You could keep the rectangular edge of most thermostats and hide the dials and buttons behind the sides. It would still make for an attractive faceplate.
Or you could even add weather station functionality for a pittance.
Why does NEST still have the high-end thermo market to itself in 2013?
Perhaps some people like quality. The company's Apple linage is clear from the packaging to the quality of materials.Further, the integration of software and hardware makes it a first rate product.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bottleworks
Their strongest competitor is themselves. Their product is having a huge failure rates. They also admit that they have problems. Their only solution, at this time, is to refund the customer's money. A company can't stay in business too long doing that.
1st gen and early 1st gen had lots of issues. The 2nd gen and later 1st gen have been substantially (as in lots) more reliable from what I have read.
I used a Nest (1.0) last year and dumped it after 3 months to go with a Honeywell Prestige 2.0, which IMHO is far easier to use. I use it with the optional Redlink Internet gateway. I can monitor the temperature+humidity outside my house (not at some unknown location elsewhere in my zip code) and can incorporate multiple temperature/humidity sensors throughout my home. Honeywell has had humidity control using the AC for a long time; and the Prestige can control a humidifier if you have one. For controlling the thermostat, Honeywell has a far better iOS app than Nest's.
The Nest intelligent learning failed miserably in my home environment--it was a real PITA. The Prestige color touch screen is very easy to navigate all functions. Don't be dissuaded by Honeywell's attempt to attract business for professional installers; if you've already got 5 wires for heat and A/C control, the Prestige is really no more difficult to install than a Nest and plenty of resources are available on the Internet to help you if you need. (The same applies to nearly all thermostats. After all, the wiring for heating and cooling hasn't changed all that much over the years.) On the other hand, if you've got the bucks, hire a professional installer and get the most sophisticated yet easiest to use system available. You can really go wild (and wonderful) with Honeywell's models and accessories.
Honeywell also has other thermostats that are Z-wave controllable (integrable into a MiCasaVerde whole-home automation system) but aren't quite as pretty or easy to use.
Even if I strongly prefer the Honeywell Prestige, I do think it's good to have the competition from Nest. (Even if you've not been aware of it, Nest does have strong competition, including companies like Honeywell that have been in the business far longer and that have patent portfolios Nest has to work around.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven N.
1st gen and early 1st gen had lots of issues. The 2nd gen and later 1st gen have been substantially (as in lots) more reliable from what I have read.
My first gen model came with a 5-year warranty (the 2nd gen only has a 2-year warranty), so I'm happy. No problems yet [knock on wood].
2nd gen Nest user. These other devices that some think are competitors are like comparing an iPhone5 to an old blackberry. My nest is amazing. The iPhone app duplicating the nest screen couldn't be simpler. My house has a more uniform temperature thanks to the Nest intelligence. The Nest is perfect in every way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bill42
2nd gen Nest user. These other devices that some think are competitors are like comparing an iPhone5 to an old blackberry. My nest is amazing. The iPhone app duplicating the nest screen couldn't be simpler. My house has a more uniform temperature thanks to the Nest intelligence. The Nest is perfect in every way.
I agree; Nest is in a class by itself IMHO.
Nest = iPhone
"Intelligent" Programmable Remotes = Android phones
Traditional Programmable Thermostats = featurephones
I never heard that before. MIne is a first generation and it has never had a single issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank777
I'm thoroughly surprised that there isn't a strong competitor to NEST by now.
Thermostats are a commodity item, and adding wi-fi is fairly cheap.
You could keep the rectangular edge of most thermostats and hide the dials and buttons behind the sides. It would still make for an attractive faceplate.
Or you could even add weather station functionality for a pittance.
Why does NEST still have the high-end thermo market to itself in 2013?
Nest is the TiVo of thermostats. There are lots of other out there. It's just that they do what they do the best.
Love the unit so far -- had it ~ 6 mo. so far -- they still need ComEd Electric & Nicor Gas integration in the midwest!
It also seems dumb there is no way to manually check for firmware updates -- it has to wait for a push...
I actually agree with you.
Introducing the Samsung Galaxy T Thermostat. With 2", 3", 4", or 5" diameter displays. It's also coincidentally circular with an orange backlit display and a black ring along the edge.
My Nests easily justified their cost when I started doing the numbers on the energy bills. So far I'm seeing about 12-15% savings on average, more in the winter than the summer. Spending $500 for that kind of ROI was easily better than replacing my windows ($7K investment) or my aging HVAC system ($5K-$7K investment). I estimated they would pay for themselves within 18 months and that had pretty much borne out.
Before the Nests I had Honeywell programmable thermostats. I was excited to get them, but I literally called my HVAC guy to install them since I had no idea how to do it right and Honeywell did nothing to de-mystify what those silly little wires did. Nest explains everything, making the whole process painless. And when one Nest didn't work upon installation, tech support correctly surmised that the available common wire wasn't actually connected to anything at the HVAC unit. Sure enough, disconnecting it from the Nest fixed it.
But my biggest problem with the Honeywells was the UI and inflexibility of the scheduling program. I had the owners' manual next to my bedside take for a couple of weeks before i finally gave up and locked the units on a single temperature? Why? First, I'd have to teach my wife how to use it, and she's not as tech savvy as me and has limited patience for such things. Second, my kids could easily screw with it, especially my special needs son. If I wanted some special programming, like leaving for vacation or temp set points during the day, I couldn't do it.
With the Nest, I had nearly all the flexibility I wanted out of the box and with the new advanced fan control in v3.5, they pretty much have solved any nitpick I could ever have. With the Nest's classic UI, my mother or any babysitter can easily change the temp without having to figure the things out first. And I love that they are thinking of stuff I'd never considered. V3.5 compensates for direct sunlight throwing off the temp gauge? Really? That's ultra cool...not a problem for me personally but I imagine it's a big deal in some homes.
And Cspro, I hope that the Prestige unit from Honeywell is working for you. But Honeywell lost me when the previous gen units lacked of great industrial design (ironic since the Honeywell round was one of the great designs of the 20th century), limited and inflexible programming, and just plain lack of imagination.