There have been sealed times in my life in which I ’ve seen some new technical school product and immediately fall in love . Or lustfulness . Whatever you want to call it , I had to have it . The Apple IIe in my kindergarten stratum all those many geezerhood ago . A Sony Discman . A Palm Treo 750 . The Logitech Harmony Companion world-wide remote control . ( Ireally miss that last one . )
I do n’t know if the Nest Thermostat falls into that same category , but it ’s close — if only because I ’m honest-to-god enough to have go in homes whose thermostats used quicksilver tilt switch to turn things off and on . Those beige boxes were painful in so many ways . So when theoriginal Nest Thermostat come out in late 2011 , I knew I ’d get one at some point .
More than a decade later , we ’re now at the quaternary coevals of the Nest Thermostat . Much has changed , even if the basic functionality stay the same — it still controls your home heating and chill system .
I need to introduce this review with a pretty big caution , though : every menage is different . Every HVAC apparatus is different , and what you have can change pretty greatly count on where you live . I ’m in Florida , which fundamentally has four seasons that are varying degrees of raging and humid . ( And three of those seasons last a total of 14 Day . ) You might not have such problems . And we do heat pump here . On the other hand , I ’ve never had to live with a radiator of any sort . So what you ’re about to read is my canonical take on the late Nest Thermostat as it survive and breathes in my family . Your edge cases may — and will — be dissimilar .
But one affair will remain invariant : Damn , this thing looks beautiful .
About this review
I ’ve been using the 4th - genesis Nest Thermostat as sent for reappraisal from Google , and it ’s been on my paries for more than a month . I ’m not newfangled to the Nest ecosystem . This fourth - gen model replaced a second - gen model on my rampart , and I had a first - gen before that .
I also have a Nest Protect smoke alarm , and various Nest television camera and doorbells and locks and other affair that connect into the Nest ecosystem . I ’ve also been using all this long before and long afterGoogle buy Nestand finally started mix the products into the Google Home app . That ’ll play a jolly with child part in this review , actually .
The setup
HVAC unit are ( to me , anyway ) at the same time unproblematic and daunting . I essentially know how they work . And at the same time I have no idea how they work . I ’ve got a matter on the bulwark that controls another thing in a water closet somewhere , and also a thing outside that has a big fan and makes a little bit of stochasticity .
That matter on the wall that see how hot and how dusty ( and at the same time , how humid ) my house is at any given time is called the thermoregulator . dewy-eyed enough . open up it up and you ’ll find a clump of downcast - electromotive force wires that go … somewhere . Probably back to the thing in the cupboard , good ? ( And at this point I ’ll apologize to any HVAC pro for my language . )
Setting up the later Nest Thermostat is as easy as it ’s ever been .
That ’s what a Nest Thermostat is undertake . You ’ll take the wires off the old thermoregulator , take it off the wall , and replace it with the new Nest hotness . In hypothesis , it ’s pretty simple . Nest has always done an excellent line of work at take the air you through the summons . And , actually , beforeyou even purchase a thermoregulator . I ca n’t stress enough how authoritative it is to useNest ’s compatibility chequer . Because if your system but is n’t compatible — possibly it ’s too former , or just too different — then everything else is moot and you should spare your money .
But assume you ’re good to go and have a scheme that ’ll work on , it ’s time to set thing up . There are two ways I need to address apparatus here . First , a short version for those familiar with Nest , Google Home , and just sassy plate stuff and nonsense in general . Then one for everyone else , for those who might need a little spare reassurance .
For those familiar with the Google Home ecosystem and Nest
If you already have a Nest Thermostat , this is perish to be somewhat simple . If you do n’t , but you have other devices that work inside the Google Home app , you also should sense decently at ( apologies ) abode .
It took me maybe 10 minutes to take down my old secondly - gen Nest Thermostat and put back it with this novel fourth - gen . You ’ll note the faux - slate backer plate on my paries — I ’ve had it for year . Amazon is lousy with them . This new thermostat also comes with a tiresome plastic backing shell , if you need one , as well as command mount hardware like screws and anchors . ( The Day of a Nest - branded screwdriver included in the boxful are , lamentably , long go bad . ) Or if your rampart allow , you may go flat in .
I took a fast picture of the wire in my old Nest setup , kill might to my HVAC unit , then stripped everything down . The ride holes in the Modern thermoregulator matched closely enough , so I did n’t even bother using the new screws or anchors . I plug all the wire into the unexampled thermostat — and doubly - checked affair , since this raw good example actually has more options for wires than the old ones . ( That ’s a good thing ! )
Then I connect everything through the Google Home app — just like any other gadget from the past couple of years — and everything was up and running . dewy-eyed .
For those new to Google Home and Nest
If you ’ve never used a Nest Thermostat before or are a youngling in the room of sassy home products , you ’re in for a ride . And there are a couple of ways you may proceed :
If you ’re relatively well-to-do with family improvement - type labor , installing a Nest Thermostat is a comparatively simple-minded one . Nest has always had a really honorable setup cognitive operation , and that continues in this quaternary - generation gimmick .
begin by taking your prison term unboxing everything , and actually record through the teaching . You ’ll note how thin they are . That ’s because you ’ll get the full walkthrough in the Google Home app .
I ’d also recommendreading through Google ’s backup DoC , which also take the air you through every step of the process — admit with some great telecasting .
The hard part of the whole process is mount everything on the bulwark properly — take your metre ! — and matching the wire to the right shoes . Assuming you ’ve done that right field , your Nest Thermostat should power on once you tie in it to the base on the wall . ( If you want to cheat a little , you’re able to charge it via USB - C before cling it on the paries , which actually is a little helpful because there ’s a QR code on the thermoregulator itself that you ’ll need to rake . )
Just take your meter and read through the education .
That ’ll get you going in the Google Home app . From there you ’ll set up virtual rooms in the app , which you ’ll need to close to match where things are in your home , just so you could keep it all straight . You ’ll then go through the process of set up up the thermostat itself , along with schedules and minimum and maximal temperatures .
One part to give a little attention to is set up your telephone set to service as a chemical mechanism to determine if you ’re at domicile , or aside from home . The thermoregulator then adjusts things accordingly . If nobody ’s around , it wo n’t heat or cool the family . But if you ’re home , it will . It ’s a handy feature .
Again , take your time . Read the words . ascertain the videos . ( former single basically have the same hardware install process . ) And do n’t be afraid to ask someone for help if you call for it . And if all else fails , a reputable HVAC caller can help . ( Though that , of track , will cost a little bit of money . )
Against the competition
Big change No. 1
This brings us to the first of the two prominent changes in this fourth - generation Nest Thermostat . It no longer requires — or even uses — the legacy Nest app . At all . That ’s both upright and bad .
It ’s good because Google has been consolidate all of its smart nursing home products in the Google Home app for a while . So putting the newfangled Thermostat there makes entire sense .
It ’s maybe a little less beneficial because the Google Home app is n’t as elegant as the Nest app — in design as well as in the style it functions . It works , and most everything is there , but it ’s not a sweetheart .
This also signify that I now have one machine — and one gimmick only — that requires the old Nest app . That ’s theNest Protect smoke alarm . My advice at this full point would be to have anyone else who live in your home just kill their Nest app and let you deal with it . ( Assuming you ’re the keeper of all the nerd things at rest home . )
The gorgeous new design
I ’ve fail this far without gushing over the unexampled design . rifle is the silver ring that turned around the outside of the older Nest Thermostat . It ’s been supercede by a bit of black magic that has you turn the entire case of the Thermostat to adjust the temperature or make your way through the exploiter interface .
This quaternary - gen model is available in three vividness : dressed silver , svelte Au ( which is perhaps more brown than yellow ) , and thenone - more - blackpolished obsidian , which is what I had Google send over . It ’s gorgeous . For as advanced as the previous versions of the Nest Thermostat were , this is something completely different . Less industrial and more futurist . It feel a little weird talking about a thermostat in the same way we might the latest phone , but here we are .
The entire thing is just shy of 4 inches in diam and stick about a little more than 1 in . The show itself , though , is just 2.7 inches . So it does n’t take up the entire expression , but that ’s fine . Depending on what earpiece you carry around on the daily , you might really be a little disappointed in the blind at first . It ’s a 600×600 LCD presentation , or not as good as what ’s in my iPhone 15 Pro . And I ’ll let in , I was a little thwarted at first . And then I cue myself that I was complaining about the 2.7 - inch display on a thermostat . I fetch over it pretty quick .
The raw presentation also domiciliate a “ Soli ” sensor . That in and of itself is n’t new — it ’s what ’s baked inside thesecond - generation Nest Hubfor a feature of speech called Motion Sense that it traverse your sleep and recognise gesture . In this context , though , it ’s used to fall up the video display when it sees you coming .
The temperature sensor
Along with this completely new design is a new , second - generation external temperature sensing element . It ’s a minuscule puck - similar gadget , about the size of an Oreo . Double Stuf . ( Which is the only acceptable answer . ) Stick it on a desk , or a actor’s assistant , or wherever . Just maybe not a windowsill , since that ’ll get exceptionally hot or insensate . There ’s a petty nick on the back if you desire to affix it to a bulwark via a ass or lure .
You do n’t have to use the sensor if you do n’t want , but it ’s a handy little machine if you have a way that ’s always too hot or too cold , but you want to be able to cool it or heat it appropriately . Two of my home ’s three bedchamber have that problem , really . ( Thanks , 1980s expression ! ) So I stashed the Robin Goodfellow in the worst - offending room and make trusted I do n’t boil / freeze the somebody there at the disbursement of everyone else .
One feature film you might want to consider is only using the detector at a certain clock time of day , which is a affair you may do .
The sensor comes with a removable CR2 bombardment , which probably is n’t something you have lie around . I ca n’t tell you how long it ’ll last , but Google says it should be good for up to three years .
you may have up to six detector in a home base . I seem to have lost my first - genesis sensor , but Google tells me the OG will work with this new Nest Thermostat , too . If you need additional second - gen sensor , you cansnag one for $ 40 , or three for $ 99 .
Big change No. 2
Here ’s another cool melioration that gets its on section : Farsight . Again , it ’s not a new feature of speech . Nest Thermostats have always awakened to show you selective information once they realize you ’re within view . But this bigger full - screen display come with some new toy .
You now have four Farsight options from which to choose . And I ’m not too lofty of a nerd as to say that this mayhap has been the hardest part of the whole new Nest experience : pick which option to use . As of this writing , there are four .
It ’s maybe a small silly , but I ’m kind of disappointed . But I do n’t know what I expected . Temperature seems kind of boring , albeit authoritative . I really wanted to use weather all the time , but there was something extremely unnerving about watch temperature in the high 90 on my thermostat , which has always shown the indoor temperature . And I do n’t need another clock in my life story ( or in that room ) , though those certainly are usable and depend just fine and might well work for you .
There also is some lower-ranking information that will pour down up as you get closer . But I ’ve found it to be so small that I ca n’t really see if unless I ’m purposefully in front of the thermostat and not just walking by .
In the end , I ’ve settled on the temperature choice and decided this is just a problem with my brain , and not something that Nest did badly . It ’ll be interesting to see if any other options come out , though . ( Hurray for thermostats that get software update over the air ! )
Using the Nest Thermostat
OK , the bread and butter . you’re able to use the Nest Thermostat as much or as little as you want . Again , every nursing home is unlike , as is everyone ’s tolerance for heat and cold . But this Nest Thermostat — like all that came before it — really want to take over for you . It does n’t want you to have to worry your pretty little head about the temperature . In fact , it run low so far as to mechanically plant a docket .
you may actively manage the Nest Thermostat , or just let it do its affair .
I ’m still strike and neglect on this . But I do n’t consider that a big strike against the Nest Thermostat . My usance case has always been a little unearthly because I work from home . I do n’t mind if things are a picayune hot during the day in the summertime , or cold during the day in the winter . It ’s just me at home , and I ’ll be a shade uncomfortable in the name of saving a few bucks on my electric broadsheet .
That said , the Google Home app handles schedule so much better than the legacy Nest app . ( Those who know , know . ) There ’s no more fat - fingering individual temperatures at case-by-case times on individual days . By default , the app sets two scheduled “ events ” : Comfort and Sleep . Those are triggered by meter .
You do n’t actually have to ever touch on the thermostat on the wall , if you do n’t want to . It work great with a phone or tablet . It works great via voice , though unlike , say , an Ecobee , it does n’t do so instantly through the thermoregulator itself . More on that in a second .
There is a lot to explore in the Nest Thermostat , though . Press the glass face to get into the extensive menu system , then splay to scroll through the option . That pretty much works the same as before , though I receive myself seek to press in specific places on the filmdom , as if it were a speech sound ’s touch screen . It ’s not . There are a lot of options useable in the mount section , too .
Especially important is the option that will lock the thermostat — that ’s handy if you have kids , or if you plan on putting this thermostat in a public property .
Big change No. 3
Perhaps the most important part about any Nest Thermostat is that it ’s a smart thermoregulator . That is , it connects to the net . That ’s how it talk to Google . That ’s how it does a lot of what it does .
This fourth - multiplication model also includes a chic home plate communications protocol calledMatter . It ’s not the first Nest Thermostat to include that — the2020 - yr theoretical account got Matter supportvia a package update in 2023 .
If you ’re raw to Nest , or if like me you ’re descend from an adaptation from before 2020 , this is a big raft because it allows the Nest Thermostat to function natively withApple ’s HomeKit system . And that means I no longer have to use a bridge military service like Home Assistant ( plus a picayune hackery ) to connect my thermoregulator to HomeKit . And because it ’s now in HomeKit , you’re able to utilise your phonation to have Siri control the Nest Thermostat .
If you only habituate Google products , coolheaded . Everything already work on just as expected . So long as your Google devices are all on the same Google account , they ’ll blab to each other just fine . Control it with a Nest Hub using the screen or your voice . Same function for a telephone set . OrGoogle TV . Anything that has Google Assistant orGeminior whatever Google wants to rename things to this week .
But Matter keep is significant for anything outside the Google ecosystem .
Should you buy it?
A flagship Nest thermostat is not an cheap machine . This one retail for $ 280 as of this writing . That ’s $ 30 more than the former generation , though this new framework comes with the extraneous temperature sensor . How long it ’ll take you to recoup that money via any sort of monthly delivery on your galvanising flyer reckon on your use .
Nearly $ 300 ( before revenue enhancement ) to hold in your HVAC remotely is a heap of cash . That take to be said .
But so does this : This fourth - gen Nest Thermostat is gorgeous . I ca n’t say that enough . It look great on a paries . Maybe too nice , actually . ( My fake - slate plate help a pot . ) The setup process is still very well done — extremely helpful for beginners , and easily skipped for those who have been here before .
The inclusion body of Matter is of import , and should be expected in a gimmick of this caliber in 2024 . You do n’t need to jazz the Matter name — just know that it ’s what lets equipment from different manufacturer play nice with each other .
I do n’t think I ’d urge tossing a dead effective Nest Thermostat for this one , unless you have $ 300 to burn and can present the old one to a new home . It ’s just not necessary . And if you just want a thermostat that allows for remote control , you could get one for less than this — including from Nest itself .
But if you ’re in the market for a raw impudent thermoregulator and want to play in the Nest infinite , I ca n’t urge this fourth - gen Nest Thermostat enough .
