When you think “smart homes”, you often picture the push-button future world of George Jetson. Yet the increasing availability of connected devices that talk to each other through your home network means more homes are becoming smarter every day.
Geek Squad Agent Woodworth and myself spoke to the Chicago Tribune about the “Internet of Things”, which includes devices like smart thermostats, networked lights, and garage door openers with smartphone apps, and how they’re making your home smarter one connected appliance at a time.
We also talked about getting the most from your home network you’ll need as the backbone for all of your devices, including your smartphones, gaming systems and those smart appliances.
Play Audio – WTAM 1100 Newsradio – Tech Tuesday – July 1st, 2014
The connected home is getting more connected at Best Buy thanks to a new developer toolkit announced by Nest Labs ahead of last week’s Google I/O conference.
The Nest programmer’s kit will help “smart devices” from other companies interact with both current and future Nest smart home devices. Several companies, including Chamberlain, Jawbone and others have announced they will be building support for the Nest API into their existing and future products.
Nest has two devices available today at your local Best Buy:
Nest Learning Thermostat – This smart device replaces your regular thermostat and connects to your home’s WiFi network to allow you to control your heating or cooling through any compatible smartphone or tablet, even while away from home. As you adjust the temperature to fit your needs, the device learns about your preferences and creates an automatic schedule for your heat or AC that can be customized for your tastes. The Nest Learning Thermostat also helps conserve energy by adjusting it’s temperature to be efficient while you’re away, and notifies you when an adjustment can help with energy conservation.
Nest Protect – This WiFi connected device monitors for smoke and carbon monoxide, and can help alert your family through voice alarms and warning messages sent directly to your smartphone or tablet. Combined with apps like IFTTT, any warnings of smoke or carbon monoxide can be sent via SMS to a friend or neighbor to help them check on your family and home.
Examples of Nest compatible devices that are available at your local Best Buy include:
Chamberlain MyQ Garage – This universal device works with your existing garage door opener to allow you to control your garage door anywhere using its built-in WiFi capabilities and an app on your smartphone. With the upcoming Nest support, the MyQ app will allow control of the home temperature settings, and the company hopes in the future to have the MyQ alert the Nest Learning Thermostat when you’ve left the house to help keep your heating and cooling as efficient as possible.
Harmony Ultimate Remote – This Logitech programmable remote already can control up to 15 devices with a touchscreen interface, but the company wants to allow you to control your heating and cooling from the couch as well.
Jawbone UP24 – This wearable fitness band helps to monitor your movement to give you an accurate view of your daily exercise and calories burned. It also can help you monitor your sleeping patterns to get the best rest possible. With that technology, Jawbone hopes to have the device help alert the Nest Thermostat when you’re waking up, so that it can switch from an energy efficient mode to set the temperature just the way you want it when you get out of bed.
The connected home of tomorrow is already getting very communicative today!