Nest is one of the leading names in the world of interconnected smart home devices, offering an unprecedented level of cross-device compatibility and providing the ability to automate everything from security to heating your home.
For a few years now, Nest have been one of the major players in the smart home device market with the range including everything from security cameras and video doorbell systems to, of course, smart thermostats.
In this guide we’ve taken a look at the entire range of Nest devices to provide you with the essential information and lowdown on each device within the family of Nest smart home devices to help you find the perfect devices for your needs and for your home.
Whether you’re totally new to the world of connected home technology or are a smart home veteran, our guide to the best Nest smart home devices is here to guide you through the ins and outs of some of the best equipment in the business.
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Nest Smart Home Devices – The Basics
Owned by Alphabet (think Google), Nest Labs and their range of Nest smart home devices are designed and built around the concept of compatibility for ensuring that other devices in your smart home ecosystem will work right out of the box with any connected Nest tech without the need for a third-party integration such as IFTTT.
As of 2019, Google announced that they would be pulling the ‘Works with Nest’ platform that Nest devices had operated on beforehand, meaning that while all Nest devices would still continue to function as before, all operations would now be covered by a Google connected account, not a Nest one.
Since the launch of the brand’s first smart device – the original Nest Learning Thermostat – in 2011, Nest Labs have steadily grown the product offering and have risen to become one of the leading names in smart home technology.
Meet the Family – Nest Smart Home Devices
Nest got into the smart home business way back in 2010 making them somewhat of a veteran in the fast-paced connected home automation game and the brand’s flagship launch product, the Nest Learning Thermostat is still one of their best-selling devices.
Whether you’re looking for one of the best smart thermostats for automating the job of keeping your home feeling just right, or want to bring some of the best smart home security devices into your home’s connected ecosystem, the growing range of Nest smart home devices with their legendary performance and compatibility are always going to be a good place to start.
Nest Learning Thermostat
Featuring a 229 ppi display, the latest generation of the Nest Thermostat is designed to take total control over the smart temperature management of your home for the perfect automated environment.
The range of Nest smart home devices excel at both automation and compatibility out of the box and in this regard, the Nest Thermostat (earlier iterations were known as ‘Learning Thermostats’) is perfectly suited to take control of your home heating if you’re looking for a smart thermostat solution which will monitor and manage the temperature with minimal input, as well as offering unrivaled compatibility with other devices in your smart home ecosystem for automating device triggers.
Utilizing what the device calls ‘Farsight’ technology, the Nest Thermostat’s display knows when you’re nearby and once it detects you, will automatically light up to show you everything from weather and time to of course, the current temperature and levels of your home heating.
In terms of control, the latest iteration of the Nest Thermostat allows you to interface with your smart home heating controller in a number of connected ways ranging from app and voice control (the system is compatible with Amazon’s Alexa range of voice controllers), through to adjusting the settings of your home temperature on the device itself.
Learn More About the Nest Learning Thermostat Here
Nest Learning Thermostat E
Following on from the success of the brand’s original Learning Thermostat, the Learning Thermostat E brings the essential elements of Nest’s flagship device into a minimalist body to deliver a solution which is both simple and smart.
The Nest Learning Thermostat E is designed to carry out the core elements of the smart temperature controller element of a home automation setup, turning down the temperature when it knows you’re away from home.
Of course, an essential functionality element of any smart thermostat is the ability to control remotely and the Learning Thermostat E is now exception, allowing you to monitor and control the device from anywhere.
The minimalist design aesthetic is also undoubtedly a key feature of the Learning Thermostat E in its own right and subtle visual interface features such as an auto-fade display – which reacts when you approach or walk away from the device – go to making this one of the best looking (and performing) smart thermostats on the market today.
With the potential to save up to 10 to 12 % on yearly heating bills and as much as 15% on cooling, the financial benefits of the Nest Learning Thermostat E round off a thermostat that’s both a technologically and economically smart choice when it comes to controlling the environment within the home.
Learn More About the Nest Learning Thermostat E Here
Nest Sensor Thermostat
Working as an extension (and alongside) one of Nest’s Learning Thermostat devices, the Nest Sensor helps micro-manage the temperature in individual rooms where you place it/them, allowing you to adjust the temperature to get it right where you want it on a room by room basis.
Within the app, installing a couple of the Nest Sensor Thermostats around your home will allow you to tell your main Nest temperature controller the specific temperature to aim for.
In terms of connectivity, the Nest Sensor Thermostat devices utilize a wireless Bluetooth LE connection with up to 50 feet range. Pair this with a long-life CR2 3V battery and you end up with an easy placement sensor system that can be quickly moved and reinstalled with minimal effort.
Currently, the latest generations of Nest’s smart thermostat devices (including the Nest 3rd Generation Learning Thermostat and the Nest Learning Thermostat E) are compatible with the Nest Sensor and up to six sensor modules can be paired with the parent device meaning you can deliver a specific temperature profile across even the largest homes.
Learn More About the Nest Sensor Thermostat Devices Here
Nest Cam Indoor Security Camera
The indoor security camera from Nest is designed to detect motion and sound and report back to you through a paired phone, email or, smartwatch.
What this means in practice of course is a ready-to-go smart indoor security device which will relay a live view of whatever it sees in your home as well as storing up to 3 hours of event history for free.
The Nest Cam Indoor is a great choice if you’re looking for a smart home security camera to monitor the interior of your home while also making an excellent option for use in a nursery as a smart baby monitor when you’re not in the room.
Two-way communication is built into the Nest Cam Indoor which means not only can you see who’s there, but can also speak to and hear them through your phone – perfect for communicating with the babysitter or even with pets when you’re away from home.
While continuous cloud recording is included with the Nest Cam Indoor, this and some of the more advanced features of the device (customizable activity zones, person alerts etc) are part of a premium package which can be purchased separately although you still get a 30 day free trial once set up.
Learn More About the Nest Cam Indoor Security Camera Here
Nest Cam Outdoor Security Camera
The Nest Cam Outdoor is the weatherproof sibling of the Nest Cam Indoor and represents the durable external smart camera offering within the family of Nest smart home devices.
If you’re looking to implement a comprehensive smart security setup in and around your home, then a reliable and hard-wearing outdoor smart camera is an essential element to the system.
Providing a 130° Wide-angle view, the Nest Cam Outdoor captures visual footage in 1080p at any time of the day or night thanks to an in-built night vision capability from the inclusion of 8 infrared LEDs.
As with the Indoor, the Nest Cam Outdoor sends a phone or email alert whenever the device picks up activity in its field of view as well as allowing for two-way talk and listen capability for communicating with anyone outside your home such as the delivery guy or neighbors.
Durability and a weatherproof design are the ace card up the sleeve of the Nest Cam Outdoor, and like many of the best smart home security cameras for use in external conditions, it’s built to survive the elements.
Learn More About the Nest Cam Outdoor Security Camera Here
Nest Protect Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Quite simply, the Nest Protect is one of the best smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for the money.
Utilizing a split-spectrum sensor, the Nest Protect is able to detect both slow and fast burning fires and will immediately tell you specifically what it’s detected (and where) through your phone as well as directly from the device itself.
Voice alarms and phone alerts cover everything from smoke and carbon monoxide detections, through to sensor failure and low-battery notifications.
You know that annoying thing with smoke alarms when you burn the toast and have to hit the stop button? Nest Protect features App Silence meaning you can silence the alarm using your phone from within the Nest App.
The Nest Protect is available in both a battery-powered and wired flavor and features a 10-year product lifetime thanks to its long life sensors.
Learn More About the Nest Protect Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Here
Works With Nest (now with Google)
When it comes to building a fully automated smart home, undoubtedly the critical factor in ensuring that all of your gear is able to communicate effectively and get on with each other in a seamless way is by ensuring maximum device compatibility right from the start.
The ‘Works With Nest’ platform was one of the best examples of this in a smart home range and the Nest smart home devices from the brand once all delivered this compatibility right out of the box.
Following Google’s announcement to pull the Works With Nest platform in 2019, owners of Nest devices now need to migrate to (or setup) a Google account to utilize the functionality of any Nest smart devices.
So long as you have no issues with Google specifically, this will hardly be a deal breaker for many as the move over to the big G will actually provide more efficiency when it comes to integrating different devices across a wider smart home ecosystem.
When it comes to compatibility therefore, things are still going to be just as straight forward as before. For legacy Nest owners who had built integrations (particularly with systems like IFTTT) around the ‘Works With Nest’ platform, the biggest downside of this move by Google is that these systems will likely need to be updated prior to migrating their Nest devices across to a Google account.
Such integrations can be achieved with other devices using various smart hub systems and/or combinations of IFTTT applets to trigger responses from other equipment, having the ability to have this happen without any additional setup is a real bonus when it comes to ease of setup and use right from the start and this is one of the aces that the Nest devices have always had up their sleeve.
If you want the lighting in your home to automatically react when your Nest Protect detects smoke or carbon monoxide in the air, choosing a set of smart light bulbs that offer Google compatibility as standard will allow this with minimal steps once the bulbs are screwed in.
The Best Nest Smart Home Devices
Philips Hue Light and Color Ambiance Starter Kit
The great thing about the way Philips Hue connects with Nest is that it does away with the requirement for third party integrations such as IFTTT to trigger your lights to do something as a result of changes in your connected Nest smart home devices.
By connecting Hue to your Nest setup, you can get your lighting to carry out some pretty great tasks such as flashing if there’s a problem (that your smoke detector picks up for example) or turning lights on and off when you leave or enter the house.
If you’re looking for a smart lighting solution that’s built with cross-device compatibility in mind and that works right out of the box with Nest smart devices as well as a whole load of other systems, then the Philips Hue range of bulbs and lamps is one of the quickest and simplest ways to you up and running with one of the best smart light systems out there.
Learn More About the Philips Hue Light and Color Ambiance Starter Kit Here
