In October, a new company called Nest announced the release of a new type of learning thermostat that learns your patterns, knows when you’re away from home, and can update itself and be controlled from a remote computer or smartphone.
I ordered my Nest on October 26th, a few days after pre-ordering started. Demand was high, and within a few days, the pre-order link on the Nest homepage was replaced by a waiting list. I received my Nest on December 2nd, just over a month after ordering.
The Nest comes in a simple box made with mostly recyclable packaging. Inside the box is the Nest thermostat, thermostat base, usage guide and installation guide, mounting screws, screwdriver and mounting kit.
The thermostat itself is sleek and minimalistic in appearance. The steel casing reflects the color of the surrounding wall, so it blends with just about any wall color.
A Unique Look
The center of the thermostat is a color LCD screen. There are no visible buttons on the unit itself; the only method of control is the face of the Nest itself. Turning the face of the Nest allows you to set the temperature as well as navigate through the various menus. Pushing the face of the Nest selects and confirms various settings, just like clicking a mouse button.
The Nest has been called the iPod of thermostats, a fitting description since the two founders of Nest, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, are former Apple employees who were involved with hardware and software development on the first several generations of iPods and iPhones.
I’ll install the Nest tomorrow, and will document a quick run-through, with pictures, of the installation.
In the mean time, check out my Flickr gallery for more photos.