Nest Full of New

2019 UPDATE:

Four years later, our Nest is still going strong and keeping our home comfortable. It has learned the temperatures we prefer and knows when we’re typically out of the house. It adjusts around the time we get up each day and when we arrive home. During those awkward season changes, we often set it at a high and low range so that it activates either the heat or the air as needed. The Nest is also able to send us messages about the health of our system – like when we should check our furnace or blower. We can ask it for usage and performance reports.

One feature we’ve really taken advantage of it the Nest’s compatibility with our Home network and other smart devices, making it even more seamless in our lives.

It’s friendly blue light greets us every time we come into the family room and we’re certainly happy with the control we have – even while we’re away from home.

 

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

My husband is a stickler for saving money around the house – turning off lights, saving water, not being wasteful, you know what I mean. I do want to save money, but he’s much more vigilant that I am. Because of this, we go back and forth about the thermostat all the time. I’m always warm and he’s usually chilly.

When I first learned about the Nest learning thermostat, I thought it was a really cool concept, but I didn’t really understand how it would figure out what we like and how to keep both of us content and comfortable. You can imagine my excitement when Best Buy asked if I’d like to check one out, along with a great Netgear router.

The Nest came well-packaged in a slick box that immediately intimidated me. I’m a middle-aged woman who is married to a very non-technical, similarly middle-aged man. What was I thinking? Peeking in the box, however, I didn’t find a million pieces, wires and gadgets. I was pleasantly surprised to see a the Nest sitting in there looking back at me – very friendly and simple. *exhale* So far so good.

The instructions for installation were very well-written. I had to look at my existing thermostat to make sure the Nest would be compatible. If not, I would have to call an electrician. Luckily, I was good to go!

I shut of the power and swapped out the wires (hubby held the flashlight!) and everything popped into place. It was so easy!  The Nest immediately woke up and started connecting and going through the set-up process.

It found my router and then asked me some questions.

It ran some tests by asking me to tell it if the air conditioner was on. Then it turned the heater on and off.  Within a week, the Nest learning thermostat starts programming itself. It learns your habits and adjusts automatically, regulating your home’s temperature based on your schedule – which can save you energy and money.  When you’re not at home (the “Away” mode), it will automatically switch to an energy-efficient temperature. In independent studies, the Nest saved an average of 10-12% on heating and 15% on cooling bills.

Nest provides your energy usage, tracking how much you’ve used and provides tips that will help you conserve. Make an energy-saving temperature adjustment and the Nest Leaf will notify you immediately.

Before we knew it, we were enjoying the brilliant blue of our new Nest. This is the new 3rd generation version, which is thinner, sleeker in design, and allows for a bigger, crisper display than the prior 2nd generation version. (Blue for cooling. An orange light will indicate heating.)

The Nest application on my smart phone was just as easy to set up and now I can adjust the temperature from anywhere! To get the most out of your Nest, connect to your existing home’s Wi Fi network and download the free app from iTunes or GooglePlay – this allow you to manage your home’s temp from your smartphone, tablet or laptop, even when you’re miles away

Never come home to a cold house. You can easily turn down the temp when traveling, or set it to warm up your home before you come home.

 

There are some really cool features included with the Nest:

How does it work?

• Auto-Away – The Nest Thermostat automatically turns itself down when you’re away to avoid heating or cooling an empty home.
• Energy History – See when heating and cooling were on and what affected your energy use.
• Safety Alerts – Get an alert on your phone or tablet if your home gets dangerously hot or cold.
• Farsight – When Nest Thermostat spots you across the room, it lights up beautifully to show you the temperature you’ve set or the time.
• Auto-Schedule – No more confusing programming. It learns the temperatures you like and programs itself.
• Remote Control – Connect the Nest Thermostat to Wi-Fi to change the temperature from your phone, tablet or laptop.
• Nest Leaf – You’ll see the Leaf when you choose a temperature that saves energy. It guides you in the right direction.
• Early-on – Nest learns how your home warms up and keeps an eye on the weather to get you the temperature you want when you want it.

The Netgear router was just as easy to install and set up. When I received my router, I opened it and completed the basic unboxing and set up first. The instructions are available in video form by visiting http://www.geeksquad.com/tech-tips/netgear-nighthawk and clicking on video. The information is also included in the quick start guide included in the box. When I finished that portion, I went to GeekSquad.com and clicked “chat with an agent” to complete your setup with Geek Squad. You get a coupon code for this and it’s a really spiffy new feature. The rep that helped my was very knowledgeable, patient and answered all of my questions. They made sure everything worked and even shared some extras features of the Netgear router.

Netgear® Nighthawk™ DST Router and DST Adapter with Geek Squad included – new and exclusively at Best Buy:

This is a brand new router that was exclusively developed between Netgear, an industry leader in the networking world, and Best Buy, to help provide consumers with an easy, all-in-one solution to support their home’s connected devices. As the number of Wi-Fi dependent products increase in a home – the average US household has 7 “connected devices” – from smart phones (often several in a home), to tablets, to laptops, to computers, and Wi-Fi printers, this puts a strain on the home’s network, especially the router. With the interest in online gaming and 4k TVs, connected devices such as smart thermostats, plus the need to stream shows from Netflix or hulu, it places even more demands on the network. Many households may experience slow Wi-Fi, dropped calls, or experience “dead zones” – which could be improved upon with an “AC” router, Wi-Fi extenders and expert help.

The AC1900 comes with one DST, or “Dead Spot Terminator,” adapter – to eliminate your Wi-Fi dead zones; place it in an area where you get little/no reception, to improve Wi-Fi access. Additional adapters can be purchased for other dead zones. We put this in the Man Cave – a huge dead spot in our home. My husband can not take his laptop downstairs and connect to the internet with no problem!

I really like seeing how the Nest is figuring things out and making smart decisions for us. It even told us when it was able to begin customizing our temperature.  It looks nice on the wall and doesn’t stay lit up like I thought it would. It goes dark and will pop back on when it senses motion nearby or when the air/heat comes on. It even tells us the outside temperature.  Love it!

Nest also works with Nest products, such as the Nest Cam and Protect, and other home automation devices. This high-performance router was built to support 10+ connected devices – you can also prioritize devices for streaming videos or music, and included advanced features for lag-free gaming

Best Buy makes it easy with this new high performance Wi-Fi router, which includes a Wi-Fi extender and Geek Squad Set Up and Support via phone & web, for one full year.

The Geek Squad service via phone & web allows customers to call or get help 24/7 whenever they want, vs. the need to schedule an appointment.

Nest’s mission is to create a home that’s thoughtful – one that takes care of itself and the people inside it. The company focuses on simple, beautiful and delightful hardware, software and services. The Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Energy Services keep you comfortable and address home energy consumption. The Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm helps keep you safe and Nest Safety Rewards lets you save money through participating home insurance providers, while Nest Cam keeps an eye on what matters most in your home. Nest products are sold in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands and are installed in more than 190 countries. The Nest Learning Thermostat has helped save approximately four billion kWh of energy to date. Through the Works with Nest program, third-party products can securely connect with Nest devices to make homes safer, more energy efficient, and more aware. For more information, visit www.nest.com.

Ready to get your own? You can find more information on the Nest, new Netgear exclusive router, and the awesome GeekSquad Protection