Nest Labs to Start Sharing Data from Thermostat Users with Google
Nest Labs is taking the next step in its quest to become a hub for the “smart home”, by opening up to other gadgets and services access its learning thermostat and smoke detector software for the first time. You’ll remember back in January of this year when Google purchased the famous thermostat company for $3.2 billion there was much speculation as to what Google was planning. Well, their plans have been revealed today…maybe not all of their plans yet but…
With the long-awaited developer program Nest is launching today, other apps and devices will be able to access what Nest detects through its sensors, including readings on temperature and settings that show if a person is away from their home for long periods. These services will even be able to talk to one another via Nest as the hub. Nest founder and former Apple executive Tony Fadell has kept Nest Labs on leader list of the so-called “Smart Home Revolution” [if there is such a thing]. Just last week Nest bought DropCam for $555 million. DropCam sells relatively low-cost ($150-200) video cameras for home monitoring as well as a cloud based recording capability. With DropCam, Google and Nest now have the ability to message users directly to their smartphones and mine the data for their own marketing purposes.
“Eventually, the plan is for us to work together to reinvent products that will help shape the future of the conscious home and bring our shared vision to more and more people around the world,” Nest co-founder Matt Rogers said in a company blog post.
Planning and testing has been underway for a while now, according to Nest, to integrate the smart thermostat with wearable fitness tech such as Jawbone, Google Now and Mercedes-Benz. The plan is to learn about a user’s routine and notify them of “important information”. Whatever that means. Marketing statements have been decided on and surely will be broadcast far and wide as product launches hit the consumer front soon. According to Nest: “create a more conscious and thoughtful home.” is the initial focus. Que the conspiracy theories and an equally robust counterattack from companies like Honeywell with their Lyric Thermostat.
If you’re getting the idea that the professional contractor has been left out of the loop on all of Nest’s plans then you’re right. Since their inception Nest has marketed to the end user, involving contractors behind a thinly veiled installer network. Even Certified Professionals cannot compete against the big box stores selling the smart stats so the program has been less than lucrative for many involved. It seems to have started with DIY and its my opinion that it will continue on that path.
For the time being I’ll be watching as Nest and the hundreds of product developers come to market in hope of revolutionizing our homes. I’d really like to hear what you have to say about this latest news, please comment below!
Eric Aune
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