Nest Thermostat - Smart Thermostat for Home - Programmable Wifi Thermostat - Snow

I recently installed the Google Nest Thermostat in my home, and while it has proven to be a reliable and efficient device overall, there were a few initial setbacks that required professional assistance. Here's my review based on my experience: Installation and Setup: 3/5 The installation process for the Google Nest Thermostat was relatively straightforward, thanks to the instructional video provided. However, I encountered difficulties during the setup that only resulted in the fan turning on rather than the complete functioning of my AC system. As a result, I had to seek professional help to rectify the issue. It would have been helpful if the setup instructions were more comprehensive and addressed potential troubleshooting scenarios. Performance and Functionality: 4/5 Once the installation and setup issues were resolved, the Google Nest Thermostat performed admirably. It effectively regulated the temperature in both my upstairs and downstairs areas, providing a comfortable environment throughout my home. The thermostat's ability to learn and adapt to my preferences over time was a notable feature that enhanced its functionality. Connectivity and Internet Dependency: 3/5 One aspect that proved to be a challenge was the dependency of the Google Nest Thermostat on a stable internet connection. In instances when my internet was down, the device experienced numerous issues. It would have been beneficial if the thermostat had more robust offline capabilities to ensure uninterrupted operation even without an internet connection. User-Friendliness and Interface: 4/5 The user interface of the Google Nest Thermostat is intuitive and easy to navigate. The device offers a sleek and modern design, with a clear display that provides relevant information at a glance. Controlling the thermostat through the mobile app was convenient and straightforward, allowing me to adjust settings remotely. Energy Efficiency: 4/5 One of the key advantages of the Google Nest Thermostat is its energy-saving capabilities. By automatically adjusting the temperature based on occupancy and learning from my usage patterns, it helped optimize energy consumption in my home. This feature not only benefits the environment but also saves money on energy bills in the long run. Conclusion: Overall, the Google Nest Thermostat is a reliable smart home device that effectively regulates temperature and offers energy-saving benefits. However, the initial installation and setup process proved to be more challenging than anticipated, requiring professional assistance. Additionally, the device's dependence on a stable internet connection may present issues during internet outages. Despite these hiccups, once properly installed and connected, the thermostat performs admirably and provides an intuitive user experience.

We replaced our old thermostat with this Google Nest Thermostat and couldn’t be happier. Setup was way easier than expected — I had it installed in about 30 minutes with the help of the app guiding me through each step. The Google Home app makes controlling the temperature a breeze, even when I’m away from home. The thermostat looks clean and modern on the wall, and the interface is intuitive. I especially love that it learns our habits and helps create an energy-efficient schedule — I’ve definitely noticed our HVAC isn’t running as much during times we don’t need it. It’s great being able to adjust the temperature from my phone or even with voice control through Google Assistant. It’s a noticeable upgrade from a traditional programmable thermostat — higher comfort, less hassle, and potential energy savings. If there’s one thing to keep in mind, just double-check compatibility with your HVAC system before buying, but once it’s installed, this thing works beautifully.

UPDATE: Nest Accuracy Just spent 40 minutes chatting with some at the Google store regarding the accuracy of their Nest thermostat product. Asked what I thought was a pretty straightforward question - how accurate is the temperature and humidity data shown in my Nest app? Just installed a new AprilAire whole house humidifier and wanted to quantify the change. Well, it seems there isn’t much documentation available… Was told that they thought the temperature was accurate to 1% - and the same applied to its humidity setting. Pointed out that 1% was probably not an issue at 50% humidity, but would be miles off at a 10% environment. They did offer to sell me another one, I guess to benchmark it to my existing Nest (which might or might not be refurbished), but I declined. Shame consumer products not getting the support they deserve - especially one that directly impacts household environmental quality. Bottom line: Is this thermostat accurate - don’t know. If you’re like me, and would like to know what you’re getting into before you start a project, Nest thermostat installation will be frustrating. Picking one out to begin with is confusing - C wire, no C wire, etc - hooking up fairly straight forward, the tough part is getting the thing to eventually work… There is literally nothing in the box that helps sort any of this out - you will learn/fail as you go along with the on line set up and thousands of YouTube tutorials. Google saves $1 per unit by not including directions and leaves it up to the Nest “community” to walk you through it. Hopefully. After diagnosing we had a wiring issue (wire broke trying to jockeying it into the baseplate) we ended up with a persistent E294 error code. Again, Google saves money by not having any on line live chat or call center and we ended up getting by with one of the YouTube “experts” advice (disconnect and set up again) which finally worked after a couple hours effort. The most telling sign that Google underplays how easy this is to install is how quickly they route you to an installation company to make your headaches go away. The end result is a fancy set back thermometer (which we already had) that connects to your phone, spies on your activity, and encourages you to let your power company decide how comfortable you are going to be. The only benefit I see in this device is potentially easier programming - and seeing and adjusting comfort levels away from home. Spouse works from home, so setback features fairly minimal during the day, but knowing that system was not running properly (which recently happened when out of town) is nice. UPDATE: Much like the Ring doorbell we recently installed, Nest makes it impossible (so far) to easily add a second user to their account. Trying to add myself as a second user, the Nest said there was something wrong with the thermostat and would require yet another factory reset - which I am not ready to do as it has already taken over two hours just to get it working in the first place. Signing in as my spouse, can finally see the pretty basic control panel for the Nest thermostat. Don’t see any system health features (like battery life) or any programming suggestions (like eco mode) that would add value to this product. Without a sizable rebate from our electric utility, probably would have never purchased this product and waste several hours installing and troubleshooting. Support is nearly nonexistent and/or unreliable sourced. UPDATE 2: After battling with the Nest for a week, decided we had to invest more $$$ in a remote temperature sensor. Our Nest is stationed in corner of dining room and therefore sees little traffic to activate it. Having a warm Summer, was getting tired of Nest going Eco on us and letting house get into the 77-78 degree range, especially since it was set to 74. After fiddling around with the remote sensor, it eventually dawned on us that we had just purchased an early generation Nest, built several years ago, which would not recognize any sensor we tried to pair it with. We, wrongly assumed in this case, a brand new Google Nest would be, brand new (latest generation). Had the pleasure of paying $6 to return this useless accessory.

My old thermostat was one of those ancient dial ones that had been in my house since probably the 80s. No programming, no scheduling, just a dial you turned to set the temperature. I was constantly adjusting it manually - turning it down when I left for work, back up when I got home, down at night, up in the morning. It was annoying and I was definitely wasting energy heating an empty house all day. Finally decided to upgrade to a smart thermostat and went with the Nest after researching a bunch of options. Installation took me maybe 30 minutes. I turned off the power to my HVAC system at the breaker, unscrewed the old thermostat, took a picture of how the wires were connected for reference, then connected the same wires to the Nest base. The instructions were super clear and the Nest app walks you through the whole process step by step. I mounted the Nest in my hallway where the old thermostat was. The base attaches to the wall with screws and the thermostat display just clicks onto it magnetically. Looks way more modern than that old beige dial thermostat. The display is sleek and the screen shows the current temp clearly from across the room. The setup through the app was straightforward. Connected it to my WiFi, told it what type of heating system I have, and it started learning my schedule immediately. The whole "learning" thing actually works - after like a week of me adjusting it manually when I wanted, it started automatically adjusting to match my patterns. Now it lowers the temp when I leave for work and warms the house back up before I get home. I can control it from my phone from anywhere which is super convenient. If I'm gonna be home late I can tell it to keep the heat lower for longer. If I'm coming home early I can warm the house up before I arrive. Also great for when I'm traveling - I can keep the heat way down while I'm gone and not waste money heating an empty house. The energy savings have been significant. I installed this in November right as heating season started and my first full month my gas bill was like $30 lower than the same month the previous year. Part of that is the automatic scheduling - the house isn't being heated when nobody's home. The Nest also shows you energy history and gives you little leaf icons when you're running efficiently which is a nice motivator to not crank the heat unnecessarily. The motion sensor is a cool feature. If the Nest detects someone's home when it thought the house would be empty, it adjusts accordingly. So like if I'm sick and stay home from work, it doesn't keep the house cold all day thinking nobody's there. It adapts to actual occupancy. The temperature control is more accurate than my old thermostat too. My old one would overshoot by like 3-4 degrees and then the heat would kick off, making the house cycle between too hot and too cold. The Nest keeps things much more consistent. The house stays right around the set temperature without those annoying swings. I integrated it with my Google Home setup and can control it with voice commands which is nice when my hands are full or I'm in bed and don't want to get up. "Hey Google, set the thermostat to 70" and it just works. Can also ask it what the current temperature is. The Away mode is smart about knowing when you're actually gone. It uses your phone's location and the motion sensor to figure out if anyone's home. I don't have to remember to manually set it to away mode when I leave, it just knows and adjusts automatically to save energy. One thing I was worried about was it looking out of place since my house is kind of traditional/older style, but the Nest actually looks pretty sleek and modern without being too techy or standing out awkwardly. The circular design and the charcoal color work well with my hallway decor. The screen is really responsive and has this nice interface where you just turn the outer ring to adjust temperature. Way more satisfying than pecking at buttons on a programmable thermostat. The display shows you how long until it reaches your target temp which is useful for planning. It also shows weather forecasts on the display when you're not actively using it, which is a nice touch. I glance at it in the morning to see what the day's weather looks like before I leave for work. The monthly energy reports the app sends are actually interesting. Shows you how much energy you used compared to previous months and what factors affected your usage. Makes you more aware of your heating habits and how to be more efficient. Installation wise, the only thing to be aware of is you need a C-wire for power. My house had one already but if yours doesn't, Nest makes an adapter you can install at your furnace. Might add 15 minutes to install time but the instructions cover it. After 4 months of use this has paid for itself and then some with the energy savings. My heating bills have consistently been $25-35 lower each month compared to last year. Over a heating season that adds up to hundreds of dollars saved, and the thermostat will last for years. If you're still using an old manual thermostat or even an old programmable one that you never actually programmed, upgrade to this. The convenience of phone control and automatic scheduling alone is worth it, and the energy savings make it basically free over time. Installation is easy enough for anyone with basic DIY skills.

Ok this was an adventure. I originally bought one of these thinking I did not need an adapter Ended up returning it because I could not figure out how to install it without an adapter and the YouTube videos on adapters are mostly a horror show. A few weeks later I talked to my heating guy and he explained the adapters to me. A small cube gets installed for each zone by the furnace in the basement. Then a different small device splits the two wires into 3 up by the thermostat. You end up with a common wire plus your original 2 wires. This second piece tucks nicely into the wall behind the thermostat and is not visible. Long story short, You don't have to have visible wires on older heating systems but you may have to hire someone to install adapters depending on how handy you are ( figure about 100 dollars per zone for labor and the adapters ). I have five of them. The "Home" app from google works well and I can control the thermostats and set up schedules on my phone , tablet or PC. It integrates with google speakers as long as the speakers are added to the home app. An extension from the home app lets you integrate the thermostats with Alexa. You can change the temperature and inquire about the temperature in any zone. You can name the zones in the home app. Only problem I've had is that the batteries in one unit ( charged by the c-wire ) ran down because one of the batteries was not seated properly. Popped the cover off. Reinstalled the batteries. It was good to go. The home app showed me the problem and sent me an alert on my phone. Happy with this product and glad I installed them. Tip: On some holidays and Black Friday you can buy them for 75-80 dollars each.

I was looking for a basic, smart thermostat for our cabin so I could monitor the temperature over the winter in the event of heating issues or someone kicking the door in and it freezing inside; and also, because we turn the heat way down while not there, I could turn it back up on the way there and have it already warm when we arrive. As I read reviews on this thermostat, which I kept going back to when I reviewed others, it seemed like most complaints were about needing a "c" wire to the thermostat and Google not disclosing that. I can't speak to that as I'm not sure it's absolutely necessary, I knew nothing of wiring a thermostat to a furnace. I went into it though assuming I needed a "c" wire and researched different ways to do it. There were other complaints like displayed temperature inaccuracies, but at the end of the day I went with the basic Google Nest in sand color (looks pink to me). I'm glad I spent the time researching ahead of time and, so far, glad I didn't listen to the "don't buy this product" reviews. Does exactly what I want it to do, easy to use, displays perfectly accurate temperature, and was easy to install (again, glad I researched quite a bit and was prepared). Now for my install experience: Just for the record, my cabin furnace is heat only, so I only really needed 2 low voltage wires from the thermostat to the furnace. The existing cable had 3 wires however, one of which (the green one) was not hooked up at either end. FYI, take the advice of the "how to" videos and take a picture of the wire locations on the old thermostat before removing them, and make sure the furnace breaker is off too. The green wire, as I researched, is usually for operating the furnace fan separate from when it's on for heating or cooling, something I, and probably most people, don't use. The white and red wires were hooked to their corresponding letter coded (R&W) spaces on the thermostat and furnace. I had purchased a plug-in 24v transformer with a long set of wires, based on my previous research, to use as the "c" wire, which I learned supplies power to the thermostat. I intended on plugging it into a nearby outlet, running the wire alongside some doorframe trim, which would hide the wire, and into the wall behind the new thermostat. This, I think, would have worked just fine. I also learned though, from watching another "how-to" video just before I started the project, that all furnaces have a 24v connection space along with where all the other thermostat wires would go. So I just hooked the unused green wire to the "c", or 24v, spot on the furnace and to the "c" connector on the Nest thermostat. *The Nest comes with wire identifying stickers and I did label this wire on both ends to indicate it's now the power wire. Once the wiring was done, turned the breaker back on and followed the install directions from the Google Home app. The only minor issues I had was that the display was in Celsius, not Fahrenheit, and it took me awhile to figure out that this needed to be changed via the phone app, not the thermostat. There may be a way, but I couldn't figure that out. Also, was a little nervous because of the previous reviews I read when the initial temperature displayed about 4-5 degrees above the actual temperature, but by the time I cleaned everything up, it was right on. In Google's defense, it did indicate it takes a little bit to adjust itself. Very happy with it and glad I picked this one-so far anyhow.

I bought this when it went on sale and also discovered that PG&E offers a $50 rebate. This made it a no brainer to replace the lousy Honeywell thermostat I've been wanting to replace for a while. It's works good, was easy to install, and does a better job than the Honeywell it replaced. No issues with WiFi connection or app servers being flaky or down. I like that it also has trends showing how long it runs during each day, a nice addition would be temperature and humidity trends too. Some things to be aware of: 1. Google owns Nest, so this "Nest" thermostat will only work with the Google Home app and not the Nest app. I have another Nest device that only works on the Nest app. It is annoying as I would prefer they work in either one app or the other or have the option to move both into one app, but it's not world ending. I found the Home app to be just fine, but a couple of things like where to access and edit the schedules could be more intuitive. 2. You can remove your existing thermostat, note the way it is wired, and check to make sure this is compatible with what you have on their website before you buy it. 3. This will only support 2-stage heat OR 2-stage cooling, not both. If your system has both this isn't going to provide you with ideal results and I suggest buying something else. 4. The installation manual is using the Home app to scan the QR code on the thermostat. It does a decent job stepping through the installation process and will even connect the thermostat to your WiFi for you. However I did run into an issue with the wiring diagram it provided with my 2-stage gas heating, I answered "yes" to "does your thermostat have two sets of labels" or something along those words, and it mismatched the labeling on the 2-stage heat wire. I went back to the question and said "no" and the wire label was then correct. This was more of an annoyance to me, but I could see this potentially causing unnecessary headaches for someone unfamiliar with thermostat wiring. 5. Make sure you have the C-wire, or if you don't have it get the C-wire adapter kit they offer. From some of the reviews if you don't you're going to have a bad time. Mine has the C-wire as most newer HVAC units do so wasn't a concern for me. 6. It was actually very easy to add other household members in to allow them access to the thermostat in the Home app and have it track if they are home or not for it to automatically go into Eco Mode if it detects everyone is gone. I haven't yet enabled this feature so I can't say how well it works yet.

Ok so i don't put smart devices in my personal home, but have them in other locations. . I got this simply because amazon would deliver it in 2 hours and a cold front was coming this week and knew my elderly mom who can't see the old style small lcd well and gets confused on auto, cool heat, fan on off, mode , so i knew i'd be getting phone calls about coming over to fix whatever control got messed up. Get the ecobee. no contest. So let me hit you with my review of this (keep in mind i didn't even read about it, there was amazons, ecobee the old standby but more $, honeywell , emerson, then the other brands and nest. I wanted this to be quick so i figured it's ecobee which i have in other places or this one. I would have tried the amazon one but it seemed new. Wyze has good apps but they're a services (cloud,etc) company they'll be upselling you. With google device you know they're all sucking every last bit of privacy out of you but anyways the review: 1) the *swipe* to change setting is horrible, it's some over engineered eye candy at the sake of simplicity and efficiency. That's my bad, as soon as i installed it i said oh oh she'll never figure this out and frankly i wouldn't even want to use it. Big tip don't buy this for the elderly the swipe thing besides being overly stupid, will probably be hard for them to understand. Wait i swipe then i tap side whole thing is ludicrous....buttons...they're simple and work. Anyways luckily the app was easier for her to figure out which brings me to 2) the app, it's just generally crappy, it has that crappy feel of a huge company producing something, works, complete, but not really special or specially crappy, somewhere in between. I have somehow between her phone and mine ended up with multiple locations and double thermostats on mine. Hers had a missing cool icon when you'd go to heat. I'm sure that's something with her phone but just sayin...ecobee app is smooth, smooth setup, polished. 3) the app setup, ok do i use the nest app? it's a nest device right? no you use google home, silly but ok, how do i control via web? oh you login to nest. Ok is this google or nest. Anyways you get the drift. The app is newb city, needs an expert mode. By the time you buy this you should have already looked at your thermostat wiring understood if you have a c wire (it's not hard open the thermostat and look most of them are hinged, read the doc), probably first 5 google hits will explain it. Anyways you should have already done this. There's a long string of setup screens to skip if you're not a newbie, i didn't at a glance see expert mode to skip all that (take a picture of your wiring, etc,etc). It may be possible to setup it up via the stat itself but i don't think so as upon powering it up it said use the app which is just going to walk you through a bunch of questions like "you didn't connect this to your welder outlet right?", i didn't bother checking closely got crap to do. ecobee you can set wifi,etc everything right there, done, then get on to important stuff. Apps get tiresome discovering bluetooth, scanning network, login to google, let me know your location, blah blah blah ecobee if you don't want to fart with that, will walk you trough the screen then you can put in the wifi there. 4) it's google nuff said. You get nothing but an over the top feeling of privacy invasion everything from the app scanning your network to multiple opt in screens (which that seemed to check out ok...opt in not opt out), to emails to explore the rest of the google ecosystem. For web ui you need to (i know i know you just set this up with google home) but now you login to nest. (presumably, unfortunately i got home and decided i'd rather not have the app on my phone but can't login to nest until i'm back over there as I need to see the nest screen to be able to key in some comfirmation to login to nest ui). Frankly i'd have sent it back but cold front arrives tomorrow. It'll work for now I'll replace it later. Edit: so it's 7 months later. Themostat was showing "offline" in app. Go over there "offline" no wifi, ok well it was on wifi 4 hours earlier. ok restart "offline", now keep in mind unlike ecobee you can't do jack on the therm itself. So back to the 3rd rate, app. So get this, after couple restarts, it says you must "remove" and "reinstall" the thermostat in the app, like from scratch....now keep in mind it's on the wall. Now you gotta remove it to scan the barcode because hey it's been 6 months and if it doesn't work out you'll do this repeatidly including telling it what wires are what. W...T....F....so after go through all that the thing won't blow cool air and yes i specified the wires correctly and keep in mind it had been installed 7 months. Anyways i'll cut to the chase, jerked it off the wall ran down to HD got basic honeywell plain jane 25 dollar thermostat, in business 5 minutes later. My original review instincts were correct, horrible product. Go ecobee, emerson, wyze has good apps but they're really about the upsell. Spring the the ecobee but i have 3 properties, i put dumb stuff in all of them and rely on separate wifi thermometers to tell me temps so it doesn't turn into clustermesses like this.