Nest Home Automation

Home automation is now going to a whole new level. Nest, Which started as a Kickstarter project, sells smart thermostats, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide alarms. Now, you may be wondering, what is so different about these thermostats and detectors from the ones we have been using for as long as we can remember in our homes? First off, the Nest thermostat is programmable, and it has the ability to quickly learn what temperatures you like. When you are away, it will automatically lower the temperature in your house, and it can be controlled from virtually anywhere. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection. From their accounts, users can look at and change the thermostats schedule , as well as see how much energy you are using. Impressed? We are just getting started.

The smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are just as impressive, if not more. The detectors will always keep you informed about potential risks, and it will do it without being annoying. The detectors have a human voice and politely let you know if anything out of the norm is happening. If you wave in front of the detector, it gets the hint and stops talking. Much better than the piercing beep noise from our old detectors, huh? Additionally, the detectors have the knowledge to tell exactly which room the smoke is coming from. What if you aren't home? Don't worry, Nest has got you covered. If the detectors go off and you are away, it will automatically send a message to your smartphone.

Nest has only had their home automation products on the market since 2011, but they have achieved massive success, especially since they have just been bought out by Google. The masterminds behind Nest, Tony Fadell and Matt Rodgers, who previously were a couple of the earliest engineers at Apple, recognized the potential of the market they were targeting. The new Google employees did not hesitate to tap the home automation market, which is said to be as large as $48 billion by 2018.

 What does this mean for our future as a society? And what was Google's reasoning behind this purchase? First, these new smart products created by nest confirm that we are headed into an age where just about everything will be connected to the internet. This connecting of devices to the internet is called "the internet of things", and it has major implications for the rest of our lives. The positive side of this development is that, in terms of Nest's thermostat and detectors, our lives will be made easier and less stressful. With products like these, we will be safer. The downside is the possible and eventual increase in consumer data that is being captured and stored by tech behemoths such as Google. Google has said that data is the most valuable commodity on earth, and through products like these, they will collect even more from us than ever before. However, only time will if they will be able to use the data gained from Nest's products, since Nest has a strict privacy policy. Either way, Google is intent on being the future of anything connected online, whether it be smartphones, cars, and now homes.