What is it?
Nest Labs is a home automation company that designs and manufactures programmable thermostats, smoke detectors and a security camera. The company, founded by two ex-Apple employees Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, is focused on making “simple, human, delightful things”. Their aim is to create the “thoughtful home” – a home that takes care of the people inside it and the world around it. The idea was to take the technology they had been creating – technology that powers things like your smartphone – and embed it inside important yet unloved products.
At the end of the day, if you look at our product you’ll see a reflection of the people who made it. – Tony Fadell
Nest uses the Nest Weave protocol. Confusingly, Nest’s Weave is NOT the same thing as Google’s Weave. Developed by Nest and previously used in only Nest products, Nest Weave provides direct device-to-device communication securely and reliably across networks in the home, including Wi-Fi and Thread.
Google acquired Nest in January 2014. In July 2014 Nest Labs announced a new working group with Samsung and others called the Thread Group promoting the Thread networking protocol and certification of Thread products.
Nest Products
Nest introduced its first product, the Learning Thermostat, in 2011, followed by the Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector in 2013. In June 2015, they announced their third product, the Nest Cam, an upgraded and rebranded security camera based on the Dropcam Pro (having previously acquired Dropcam in 2014).
There’s a growing list of other brands products that now work with Nest via Nest APIs and Nest Weave (look for the “Works with Nest” logo). The list is growing daily, but already includes Philips Hue lighting, Whirlpool washers and Yale’s Linus smart lock.
Benefits
With Apple founders and Google ownership it’s a powerful combination. Nest Weave is secure, robust and reliable and some of the biggest and most important brands in the home have committed to using it in their products. Nest products with their sleek and minimal look will appeal to those with an eye for design.
Downsides
Google has so far left Nest to run as its own company, capitalising on the strong brand it has built up in recent times – but will Google’s separate attempt to create the ‘home of the future’ with Project Brillo and Google Weave confuse the market and the consumer?
