Google nest Thermostat - Review
Heating! The number one most argued over thing in the home. No matter how big or small your home is, we can all agree its nice to be efficient and save money where needed. Since heating your home can be a real money burner (no pun intended) it would be nice to have sort of way to heat your home with the added smart touch. For example, you are coming back from a long trip and your house usually is cold, no problem, just go onto your nest app and set the heating to be on for an hour when you leave the airport. It's really that easy!
Nest Labs was founded in 2010 by 2 former Apple engineers and later brought by Google in 2013 to tie together Googles smart home system. Nest first product was the Nest thermostat, created to help make heating simple and easier to understand while being smart. Since the first Nest thermostat, they have introduced 3 more models. Today I'm going to be reviewing the Nest thermostat E (UK) The setup might differ per unit and household wires in countries, so I would recommend following the guide in the setup on the app. If you are really struggling to install your thermostat, Nest offer a Pro installer to come to your home and install it for you (charge included) The Nest E thermostat prices around £149 at many retailers!
The Nest E comes with a heat link and thermostat in the box. The heat link is what you are going to connect to your heating system. Its a grey box that does all the work. This will control the temperature and even show you in the app what the temperature is in that room with the built-in thermometer! The thermostat is familiar and looks similar to the normal Nest thermostat except its frosted glass design and stand (so no wall mounting) but it can be moved into any room for convenience. After installing the heat link you then follow the steps to connect the thermostat to the heat link. you can place the thermostat anywhere in your home as it plugs in by USB. I recommend placing it in a different room to the heat sync so you can see the temperatures of 2 different room as the thermostat also has a built-in thermometer. On the thermostat you can see the humidity of the room as well, this is a great feature if you struggle with dampness.
Schedules work as you would expect, easily setup different times of the day what temperature you would like and if you want your system to be on or off. You can control all functions by the thermostat and the app. The app will give you a clearer understanding of everything and you will probably end up using that or voice commands anyway.
Speaking of voice commands, the nest works with Google assistant or Amazons Alexa. You will get more control from Google assistant for the obvious reason that they own Nest. Both systems allow you to control the system with voice or via touchscreen assistants. HomeKit support out of the box is a no, but if you purchase a Sterling Hub you can connect your thermostat and all of Nest products into HomeKit including, doorbells, cams and security systems. This gives you all the functionality of the nest app and even lets you tie your heating into scenes. I have an automation set up via the Eve app (Eve adds more scene options for HomeKit) So when my apartment drops below 19c the heating will kick in. HomeKit really adds functionality with the Sterling Hub. Fingers crossed Google will add native support in the future!
I've had the Nest thermostat now for over 3 months and I'm in love. It works great and helps me take control of the energy used in my home. I can easily see how long it's going to take to heat up my home and even recommends schedules for me. I have even found myself checking the thermostat built-in thermometer during summer so I can flick on the fans if I need to cool the place down. Its a great buy and if you are in the Apple echo system I do recommend going with the Sterling Hub for the extra support.
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