BUILD THE ULTIMATE CONNECTED HOME
NEST CAN MAKE YOUR HOME SAFER, MORE SECURE, MORE COMFORTABLE AND EVEN CHEAPER TO RUN
In case you didn’t know, Nest is an Alphabet-owned company, making it part of the same family as the almighty Google. Since its debut overseas, Nest has made the Nest Protect key pieces of home tech to create an ecosystem of essential gadgets. Nest Protect ($189) is a smoke and carbon monoxide detector, and is joined by an indoor security camera (Nest Cam Indoor, $319) and, most recently, an outdoor security camera (Nest Cam Outdoor, $319). Another item in the family, Nest Thermostat, won’t be released in Australia just yet, but the inital trio of products are cementing their place in the connected home revolution.
Each product has its individual merits but things get really exciting when you use Nest as a complete package and tie it into other Nest-compatible tech. Within the Nest app you can check the status of each device on a single screen, which is great, but the neat thing about the ecosystem is that whenever you add a device to it, that device automatically connects up and works harmoniously. For example, if the Nest Protect detects a high concentration of carbon monoxide, it will tell your Nest-connected stereo to lower the volume, and direct you to the alarm. Clever and potentially life-saving.
Although Nest only has three pieces of tech at available in Australia at present, Works with Nest enables heaps of other home tech to connect to its ecosystem, including Google Home, Philips Hue lighting, robot vacuums and more. As long as third-party brands carry the Works with Nest logo, you’re guaranteed they will do just that.
Out of the box, new Nest customers will receive one month’s free trial of Nest Aware, which gives you extra features such as 10- or 30-day video history, activity zones and intelligent alerts. If you wish to continue using Nest Aware after the trial period has ended, you’ll need to pay a subscription fee (from $14 a month). Overleaf, we explore some of the cool things Nest can do, as well as show you how you can set it up to enjoy the perfect connected home experience.