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Nest Will Now Work With Your Door Locks, Light Bulbs and More

Posted by samzenpus on from the joining-the-party dept.

An anonymous reader writes with news about 15 new brand partnerships Nest announced today. "When Google purchased Nest Labs – the maker of Internet-connected thermostats and smoke detectors – the search engine giant saw the potential to create a software platform for controlling the myriad everyday devices and gadgets in consumers' homes, a central hub for the so-called "Internet of things." This vision took a major step towards becoming reality Monday morning, when Nest announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that 15 new partners were joining its "Works with Nest" developer program. Soon, everything from washing machines to light bulbs will be connected with the Nest platform."

32 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. Internet of Hype ... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A bunch of people with money they need to part with. The rest of us will continue to not give a crap.

    I neither trust, nor do I want this ecosystem of interconnected crap which puts my house on the internet so that I can access it via my fscking cell phone.

    So, buy into this, suckers. Get your house hacked, or your personal habits sold, or whatever.

    I'm going to continue to assume that most of the vendors jumping on this are a) interested in the analytics data for advertising, and b) grossly incompetent/indifferent to security. I trust neither the intention nor the competence of these companies.

    Get off my damned lawn with your pointless gizmos. I have a key and a programmable thermostat which isn't connected to the interweb.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:Internet of Hype ... by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 2, Insightful

      >I neither trust, nor do I want this ecosystem of interconnected crap which puts my house on the internet so that I can access it via my fscking cell phone.

      If a hacker wants to pwn my thermostat, that's probably the least of my problems.
      However being able to set the thermostat with my phone is excellent.

      If there are other excellent internet connected gizmos for which control by smartphone is excellent, I'll be buying them. But I don't see the door lock being one of those things due to the more significant security issue.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    2. Re:Internet of Hype ... by jklovanc · · Score: 4, Interesting

      But I don't see the door lock being one of those things due to the more significant security issue.

      Letting a repair people in remotely could be very convenient. That way you don't have to be at home to let them in.

    3. Re:Internet of Hype ... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Hey, in all honesty, you are free to conclude I'm a crank. That's OK, my wife would agree with you.

      But after 20 years in the tech industry, and 30+ years playing with technology ... this is just another new bit of hype, which stands at least a 50/50 chance of utterly failing, and which provides little compelling need for 99% of us.

      Go ahead, fetishize technology, lament how we don't have flying cars, and walk around all pie eyed and dreamy about the awesome future. I've seen enough to assume it never turns out as rosy as promised, and comes with a new bag of shit most people didn't think of.

      I'm not saying "stop liking what I don't like", because I don't give a rats ass what you like.

      I am saying that, like Microsoft's Smart Home they've been hawking for 15-20 years ... this is overhyped technology which will never see the light of day for most people, and which is purely in the domain of people who have surplus money they wish to part with. It's the epitome of first world problems, and should be treated as such.

      For the most part, I consider most forms of futurists to be deluded people who think The Next Big Thing is going to change all of our lives. And in 20 years will be laughed at in by going through old issues of Popular Mechanics.

      Of course, these days, nobody will have a stack of old blogs, so they won't even remember it.

      Once you've seen a bunch of "Next Big Things" become last years "Dumb Fucking Idea", it becomes a default position. :-P

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    4. Re:Internet of Hype ... by jklovanc · · Score: 2

      I can do that with my current (non internet) code entry door lock.

      That works except when one forgets to set the temporary code.

    5. Re:Internet of Hype ... by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 2

      >I'm curious what the value of this is. How valuable is on-demand remote thermostat changing?

      The value is in being able to set it from bed, rather than getting up, stumbling downstairs, fiddling with the knobs and stumbling back up the stairs to bed.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    6. Re:Internet of Hype ... by timelorde · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'm the programmable thermostat at home; my wife is the controller...

    7. Re:Internet of Hype ... by Firethorn · · Score: 2

      Or you tell it to activate when you're leaving work early or such. Heck, I could see an application keeping track of you and warming your place up(or cooling it down) when you get within a certain radius of your house.

      I have a programmable thermostat. It's a pain in the butt to program, and I'd love to have a 'I'm home' button rather than having to press the temp+ button numerous times.

      --
      I don't read AC A human right
    8. Re:Internet of Hype ... by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Nope. It's a thermostat. It works. It's $100 one time and you stick it on your wall.

      No, you're kind of missing the point.

      See, we already all have those now. Nest doesn't really bring anything new here until you connect it to the internet.

      What I'm saying is the entire Nest platform, with it's interweb connnnectivity, and sending all of your data to Google ... that's the thing I expect/hope to fail.

      Let's not confuse the reality (phone controlled thermostats) with the strawman (smart homes riddled with security flaws).

      I can almost guarantee you that Nest has a security flaw in it. That the mechanism by which you can control your thermostat with a cell phone will have a security flaws in it. And that the companies who make things for this ecosystem will create crap with security flaws in it.

      If you think it is either possible or likely these things don't have security holes in them, you probably haven't been paying attention. Because companies who make internet connected devices are either indifferent or incompetent when it comes to security.

      There is no straw man here.

      This is technology, which is piggy backing on smart phones and the internet, providing marketing and analytics data to the mother ship, and which almost certainly will be demonstrated to be exploitable.

      I think the entire premise of the Nest ecosystem is of dubious value, and of even less reliable security.

      I think having a Nest thermostat means you already have a "smart" home riddled with security flaws. And every connection point to that doubles the ways in which it can be exploited. And, it makes sure Google has access to information from inside your home it never had before.

      I'll pass on the entire technology. Because, as I initially said, I trust neither the intentions, integrity, or ability to implement security of anybody involved in this.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    9. Re:Internet of Hype ... by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Connecting it to the internet makes it even more

      Stupid.

      Sorry, but no. Having my house connected to the internet doesn't sound like it has any upsides to me.

      Having it providing all of that information to Google and who knows who else ... well, that's kind of my point. I don't want a thermostat and technology infrastructure in my house whose privacy policy can be rewritten any time they like.

      I'll give you a privacy policy: no internet connections to crap like thermostats and washing machines; No security problems, and no problems which originate from Google et al being bigger assholes than they admit to.

      I'm not prepared to provide my location information to Google so that it knows I'm not home. Fuck that.

      If I'm on the tinfoil hat end of the spectrum ... WTF would I add connectivity to my house for random appliances and enable more tracking for?

      I'm staunchly against that kind of crap. I have no interest in that kind of crap. I'm actively avoiding that kind of crap. Nest is precisely that kind of crap in my opinion, and therefore not trustworthy.

      Most of us recognize you're as get-off-my-lawn of a regular as Slashdot has

      LOL ... that's the nicest thing anybody has said to me so far this year. ;-)

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    10. Re:Internet of Hype ... by cusco · · Score: 2

      To me, "Works with NEST" means "trivially hackable". I have trouble believing that they've come up with a more secure control system than the security and access control companies, and those can be intercepted. Is Nest going to investigate when your house goes offline like a professional security provider will? No.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    11. Re:Internet of Hype ... by nblender · · Score: 2

      I have a cottage. We keep it at 57F when we're away. When we're there, it's 72F during the day and goes down to 68F at night.

      The problem is, it takes a while to bring the house from 57F to 72F when we arrive in the middle of the day... The furnace is good and the air temp is brought up pretty quickly, but there's a lot of heat mass in a house so it takes a while before the floors are toasty, the toilet seat is not ice cold, the couch cushions are warm, etc... So I have a remotely accessible thermostat (RCS TR60) that I can send commands to via some crafty python and a cellular modem. I set it to 72F in the morning and by the time we arrive, the house is toasty warm and ready to use.

      Sometimes I forget to re-set the thermostat to 'away' before we leave. It's nice to be able to set it down to 57F remotely too...

      The additional benefit is I can remotely monitor the temperature and furnace runtime to get an idea if something's wrong, like my pipes are about to freeze because the furnace blower has kacked; or a bird has broken a window and now the furnace is running pretty much continuously (that happened)...

      Maybe it's an isolated use case, but we appreciate it. And because the code is mine, it's not all cloud-connected and vulnerable.

    12. Re:Internet of Hype ... by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 2

      >Almost all multi-story houses that I'm familiar with have separate thermostats per floor
      Not my 3 story house.

      > a thermostat downstairs isn't going to be even remotely accurate for the temperature upstairs
      Yes. I'm very aware of this.

      When I have plenty of disposable cash, I will pay a person in overalls to make it wonderful, but until that time, I'll make do with my $100 nest and an android phone.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    13. Re:Internet of Hype ... by jonhorvath · · Score: 2

      I've developed using my own Internet connected thermostat using Open Z-Wave. Honestly, it has been the most fun I had with computers and programming since the early Internet days during the 90's. I suspect much of the hype is from developers finding a enjoyable use of their skills in creating interesting and useful products.

      The ultimate goal is not to have a thermostat that can be set from a smart phone. A fully connected house with intelligent alogrithms can acomplish some very cool activities. As an example, all my lights would automatically turn off when I go asleep at night. Transmitting these activites through the Internet/Cloud, is my biggest concern with all these new home automation gadgets.

    14. Re:Internet of Hype ... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      If you turn the thermostat up too high, you will be likely to start a fire.

      Pure BS. Even if someone was retarded/insane enough to build such a product, no store would sell it, no contractor would install it, no insurance company would allow it, and government regulators would ban it.

      I also think you are full of crap about new homes in Seattle using electric heat. That makes no sense at all, unless you mean electric powered heat pumps, which are a completely different thing, and not at all like what you described.

  2. Is the NSA/FBI/Local Police on that partnership? by RingDev · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Nest Will Now Work With Your Door Locks, Light Bulbs and More"

    So anyone who can access your Nest network can now determine your living habits and unlock doors on demand?

    I'm not typically a paranoid libertarian, but really, there are some things I'm 100% fine with handling on a closed network or with my own two hands.

    -Rick

    --
    "Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
  3. Will it load my washer for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If not, then what's the point?

  4. Sony employees are installing Nest in their homes by gurps_npc · · Score: 3, Funny
    Sony has decided to offer free Nest installation and is paying for all of it's employees to have it done.

    What could possibly go wrong?

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
  5. Re:But... by wolrahnaes · · Score: 5, Interesting

    At least the first generation of Nest units have Zigbee radios, but they've never been enabled as far as I can find. I have no idea whether the second generation units kept the extra radio.

    --
    I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
  6. Re:I want this, why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Oh, it can be both.

    I'm just waiting for the day when some internet thugs not just encrypt your data, but hold your whole house for ransom until you pay up.

  7. Get ready... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "You will be able to unlock your front door after viewing this short ad."

  8. Backdoor.. by jppiiroinen · · Score: 5, Funny

    ..got just a new meaning.

    1. Re:Backdoor.. by drpimp · · Score: 2

      I am pretty sure that was the original meaning.

      --
      -- Brought to you by Carl's JR
    2. Re:Backdoor.. by drpimp · · Score: 2

      LOL. Or even the "Backdoor of Things" ... so many connotations on that one.

      --
      -- Brought to you by Carl's JR
  9. Re:Coming Soon! by Minwee · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Get murdered in your own house by -- you guessed it! -- the house itself!

    Doors... Locked. Check.

    Lights... Off. Check.

    Nest Protect(tm) Carbon Monoxide detector... Silenced. Check.

    Ventilation fans... Off. Check.

    Gas stove... On. Check.

    Now just wait six hours before undoing all of those, erase a few logs and then wonder how such a tragic accident could have taken place. And you didn't even need to call a SWAT team.

  10. Re:Is the NSA/FBI/Local Police on that partnership by itzly · · Score: 2

    So you think someones going to hack your wifi when they could just instead just chuck a rock through a window and climb in

    One of these things makes a lot of noise, the other one makes you look like you own the place.

  11. Re:Coming Soon! by toonces33 · · Score: 2

    Open the fridge door, HAL.

    I am sorry, Dave, but I am afraid that I cannot do that.

  12. In a vacation home I could see it.. by toonces33 · · Score: 2

    I suppose you could tweak the HVAC when you are on your way there so that it is comfy when you get there.

    But other than that it seems kind of pointless. Yet something else to twiddle with just to say you can do it, and then curse the thing when something goes wrong.

  13. Here's the insight by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It never ceases to amaze me how "stop liking what I don't like" posts get moderated to +5 Insightful.

    Where is the insight here? Other than the clear insight into the poster's fear of experimental, new technologies and applications.

    The insight is that this is a subscription model without subscription value. It's an MBA thing, and comes from studying the model without the context in which it is successful.

    Companies see the subscription model as a cash revenue source, and there are several successful examples currently working: NetFlix, iTunes, internet service, phone service, and so on. Get your customers to sign up and sit back and watch the money roll in.

    The problem is when the subscription model doesn't give ongoing service. Fitness monitors comes to mind - you purchase the unit to measure your daily activity level, but you *have* to use their online service to see your results. You can't [easily] download the data to your local computer, and the interface is obscured or encrypted to prevent the user from intercepting it.

    There's no reason for the online subscription, except that it makes money for the company. People eventually realize this and stop using the service and the devices fade into obscurity. See CueCat for an example: This *might* have been useful and *might* have defined a paradigm for website tie-ins in print media, except that the User has to register with zip code, gender, and E-mail address, and the vendor has to purchase a code. Little or no functionality and registration required.

    Companies are drooling over this IOT stuff because they see it as a subscription model and they can sell the user info for even more money, but they don't realize that there is no real value being given in exchange for the subscription. There's really little value in being able to turn your furnace up/down remotely, or unlock your door remotely, or start your dishwasher remotely... and absolutely no reason to do this under a subscription model.

    Joel Spolsky's term for this is "feeble business idea". The attractiveness of the model outweighs the impracticality of the solution.

  14. Re:But... by almeida · · Score: 2

    Yes, the thermostats still have ZigBee radios. The first ones were TI chips while the new ones are Silicon Labs (formerly Ember) chips. The smoke alarms have them too.

  15. Re:Is the NSA/FBI/Local Police on that partnership by RingDev · · Score: 2

    I agree with you entirely from the point of view of a person attempting to break in to rob the place. This isn't a big deal for that.

    My concern is two fold. Given police tactics for extracting incriminating evidence, even from innocent individuals (Here's a great video on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...), and the courts in our country largely siding with the State and Federal governments in 4th amendment disputes, how long would it be before your Nest data is used in a court of law, or in the planning of a no-knock raid, or in a warrantless fishing exercise to find people meeting a profile?

    Is sacrificing your privacy worth the benefit to society? For example, if I know exactly when everyone opens/closes a door and turns on/off lights, I could identify the point in time that individuals arrive home. Now if I know a murder occurred at 1:00am, and that most murders occur within 5 miles of the perpetrator's residence I could look through all of the arrivals at homes within 5 miles between 1:00am and 2:00am and have a nice little batch of suspects to contact. Never mind that Jimmy was at the bar and Nancy works 2nd shift, they're going to get picked up, taken down town, and interrogated by an officer skilled in getting them to admit to things.

    -Rick

    --
    "Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
  16. I wouldn't trust them... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And for good reason. A coworker of mine bought one of these thermostats and last year around Christmas he was awakened in the middle of the night by his furnace blower running full blast. (Air conditioning mode)
      Nest had pushed out an update and caused his unit to crash. It took a week for them to get things straightened out again and required replacement of the thermostat.
    Over the holidays this year while he was out of town, they pushed out another update. Now his thermostat keeps going to sleep, dropping off the wifi and he can't access it from the internet anymore.
    Pissed doesn't even begin to describe his attitude towards Nest.