PATREONItems tagged with Nest
Smart home appliances and internet of things (IoT) devices are becoming part of daily life for many. You may even have one of these devices near you right now and it's likely connected to the internet in some way. While the product category may offer some innovative solutions, some products on the market currently fail horribly when it comes to security. UK publication Which? bought 11 different smart doorbells from Amazon and eBay and found that they all failed simple security tests. This means if you have one of these devices, you could be at risk for attacks from nefarious intruders. You would think (and would want) the thing securing your home to be secure over the network, but that just...
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Google is launching a new thermostat for home users, and it's the company's cheapest offering yet. Nest revolutionized what was seemingly a stagnant and rather boring market when it launched its original Learning Thermostat back in 2011, and Google clearly saw the potential when it bought the company in 2014. Nest has been fully absorbed into Google now, and the expansion of the Nest-branded family continues with the arrive of the newest Nest Thermostat. The Nest Thermostat is a new, low-cost offering that is priced at just $129.99, making it $40 cheaper than the Nest Thermostat E. It's also $120 less than the flagship third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat. Google is promoting an easy setup...
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Nest has announced that it's rolling out new multi-room audio controls. The company says that users can already manually group devices in order to play the same music on various speakers at the same time. The new multi-room control allows users to dynamically group multiple cast-enabled Devices such as speakers, smart displays, and Chromecasts in real-time to fill multiple rooms with music or podcasts. The multi-room control works with all of the user's favorite audio apps, including YouTube Music, Pandora, and Spotify. Users can add or remove devices throughout the home when more than one Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker or Smart Display is available by tapping the icon in the bottom left...
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A rather strange bug has reared its ugly head that could impact those who are removing some Google Assistant devices from their network. One of the first things that many people do when getting rid of a Google Assistant device is to revoke the device's access to a Google account. However, some users have discovered that revoking access to Google Assistant devices can wreak havoc on a smart home set up, potentially deleting everything in its wake. The issue was first seen by users of the TiVo streaming dongle that were revoking access to their Google account for the device. Once access was terminated for the TiVo streaming dongle, the users noticed their Nest devices had been de-linked from their...
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Back in early May, we heard rumors that Google was looking to perform a complete redesign of the Android TV user interface (UI), and lower hardware requirements for OEMs to better compete with Roku. According to the previous reporting, Google was looking to make the UI more conducive to discoverability for movies and TV shows. One of the first new devices to debut with the new Android TV UI has now leaked thanks to the fine folks over at XDA-Developers. Developed under the codename Sabrina, Google's new Android TV device takes on the form of a dongle that plugs into the back of your television. And unlike previous Chromecast devices that rely solely on a smartphone to control,...
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Google has announced that it is temporarily (and automatically) reducing the video recording quality for its family of Nest cameras. Google is taking this step to reduce the amount of bandwidth required in an attempt to lessen the strain on ISPs, and the internet in general. Demand for bandwidth is booming with people all around the country (and around the globe) being forced to work from home due to the coronavirus. The change is temporary, and only the quality and bandwidth settings will be adjusted. Google says that other user-configured settings will remain the same and will work normally. It's unclear what the default quality setting will be, but presumably somewhere in the middle of the...
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Google's Nest family of smart home devices are quite popular due to their vast capabilities and ease of use. A number of these products depend on Google's cloud services to provide livestreaming and video recording functionality, but customers were let down in a big way yesterday. The company performed what should have been a routine "scheduled storage server software update," but things "didn’t go as intended." Google isn't giving details on what exactly went wrong, but the fallout was immense for customers that own a Nest Hello Doorbell, Nest Cam, Nest Cam IQ, and the Nest Hub Max. During a 17-hour period on Monday, camera functions on those aforementioned devices were knocked offline....
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Google has announced that it will be making its Nest Thermostat smarter by adding new features to the device. Specifically, it has begun testing a new feature that is designed to alert homeowners to issues with the heating and cooling system. The feature will learn how to identify unusual patterns related to the HVAC system in the home and alert the owner to potential issues. HVAC alerts are based on information like the thermostat's historical data and current weather. The thermostat will detect patterns that might indicate something is wrong, such as the heating system taking longer to heat the home than usual. That could indicate an issue even if the homeowner hasn't noticed the problem. If...
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How far would you go to make your house guests comfortable? Most of us would probably tidy our home, fluff the sofa pillows, and pour a few drinks. However, would you also unplug every smart speaker in your home? Google hardware SVP Rick Osterloh recently remarked that users should warn their guests about smart speakers in their homes. Osterloh was interviewed by BBC News and was asked his opinion about smart speakers and privacy. When he was asked whether users should tell their guests about smart speakers, he stated, “It's quite important for all these technologies to think about all users... we have to consider all stakeholders that might be in proximity. Does the owner of a home need...
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If you own a Nest device, IFTTT has a word of warning: do not migrate your Nest account over to Google unless you are fine with irreversibly disconnecting IFTTT and other 'Works with Nest' integrations. The reason is because Google is discontinuing the Works with Nest program, but still allowing functionality with some third-party applets. That was not always going to be the case. However, Google responded to the "avid feedback" among users, according to IFTTT, and created a path for current Nest users to keep their applets functioning, including IFTTT. "At IFTTT, we believe that every thing works better together and we will continue to advocate for your ownership over how the products, apps,...
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Google is working on being more committed to privacy, and part of that commitment is being sure that Nest and Dropcam users know when they are being recorded. To make that possible, Google has announced a big change to the Nest cameras, Nest Hello, and Dropcam that has left some owners of the devices unhappy. Originally the status light for these devices could be turned off to make the cameras less of a bother at night. Google says that as part of its "commitment to privacy" it promised a "clear visual indicator when your Nest cameras are on and sending video and audio to Nest." Owners of Nest cameras received an email this week telling them of the pending change. The email stated, "When your...
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Did you buy a used Nest Indoor Cam to save a few bucks over purchasing one that is brand new? Normally that would not be a problem, provided you perform a factory reset when setting it up. However, a bug was discovered that could allow the previous owner to tap into the camera's feed, even after the new owner performed a full wipe. Fortunately, Google scrambled to issue a patch to fix the problem. Even though the issue is now fixed, this was a pretty big blunder on Google's part. So, what happened? One of the members of the Wink Users Group on Facebook found that after he sold his Nest camera, he was still able to access images from it, through his Wink account. This was not by means of malicious...
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The Google Home Hub has been on the market for quite some time, and it serves as a central rallying point of sorts for all of your home's smart devices. Last December, some good deals were going around on the Google Home Hub for the holidays that would save $80 on a Home Hub and Nest bundle deal. The Google Home Hub is being renamed to the Google Nest Hub, and it appears that Google is trying to shed all inventory with the old name, which means that are deals to be had on eBay. eBay seller thevaluestoretvs has the Google Home Hub on Buy-it-Now for $84.99 with the listing showing availability left with over 1,100 of them being sold since the deal started. The seller has 3136 ratings and...
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Home smart devices have increasingly become multifunctional and serve consumers through screens, cameras, stereos, and virtual assistants. Google already offers a range of home devices, but its next device appears to follow this multi-use trend. Google accidentally revealed an upcoming product called the Nest Hub Max on its own website. The device will boast a 10-inch screen and improve upon a number of existing features from popular products. Image from Android Police Although the listing has since been taken down, we were able to learn a few things about the Nest Hub Max. The device will include a 10-inch smart display, built-in Nest cameras, and stereo speakers. Users will also be able to...
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Some Nest users have been having problems of late with people gaining access to their accounts and spying on them, using their own security cameras, according to reports. The reason for this in some instances is that the Nest users chose passwords that were ineffective or left at default. Google has sent out emails that were very vague warning users that someone else having their credentials could cause the issues that some other Nest users have reported. That email tried to get users to choose better passwords, but most people didn't bother and chose to ignore the Nest team's guidance. Nest's parent company, Google, is also now taking it a step further and is proactively locking people out of...
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Nest has announced that the Nest Secure home security device has been updated and will now work as a Google Assistant device. That means as users are on their way out the door, they can ask Google Assistant on the Secure device questions just as they would any Google Assitant device with the "Hey, Google" activation phrase. Google lists a number of ways that users could get help from Google Assistant integrated inside the Nest Secure device. Google says that you can ask for traffic information, flight status, or weather forecasts. Google Assistant capability lets you start a Routine to do anything you could do with a standard Google Assistant device. That means when you walk in you could say,...
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Christmas has come and gone, and for a lot of folks out there, that means plenty of gift cards and cash burning a hole in their pockets. With this in mind, Best Buy has a very good deal going on a Google Home Hub and Nest bundle deal that can save you most of the purchase price of the Google Home Hub. The deal allows you to get a Google Home Hub for $80 off the Best Buy sales price if you bundle it with a select Nest device at the time of purchase. Currently, Best Buy is offering the Home Hub in charcoal or chalk colors for $99.99, which is a $49.01 discount from the regular $149.00 price. The Nest devices you can bundle the Google Home Hub include the third-generation Nest Learning...
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Looking for a deal on a Google product? Forget all of the rumors and speculation, the leaks and everything else—Google has officially announced its Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, so you don't have to scour the web looking for clues. The bargains start to go into effect tomorrow, November 16th, with more to follow on November 22 and November 26. To kicks things off, Google on Friday (as in November 16, not Black Friday, which is next week) will be offering a 50 percent discount on a second Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL when purchasing one at full price. If you haven't already, be sure to check out our review of the latest Pixel handsets. In short, they're excellent phones with a killer camera....
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Five years ago, Google in down and acquired Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in what amounted to an all-cash offer. It seems Google hasn't quite figured out how best to leverage its acquisition, which has been shuffled around the organization a couple of times, and is now considering a rebrand of its Nest line of products. It's been an interesting road for Nest since Google took over in 2014. In 2015, Nest operated as its own subsidiary under the corporate Alphabet umbrella. Then earlier this year, Google announced that Nest was "coming home" by rejoining its hardware division. The hope was that by meshing Nest with Google's own hardware team, it would be able to bring more innovative products to the...
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Google's Pixel 3 family was one of the most anticipated smartphone launches of 2018, and as we showed in our hands-on review, it's been worth the wait. However, if you weren't one of the early birds first out of the gate to purchase Google's new Android Pie flagships, there's a new deal going on at Best Buy that might be worth your attention. If you purchase a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL to activate on the Verizon Wireless network at Best Buy, you'll receive a free Nest Cam Indoor Security Camera. There aren't any promotional codes or silly mail-in rebates to mess with; simply add either the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL to your cart, and the Nest Cam will be added automatically. For those keeping...
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Google is rolling out a pair of smart products through its Nest division that it hopes will end up on millions of front doors. The first is Nest Hello, a video doorbell that lets you know who is on the porch, and the other is Nest x Yale Lock, a smart lock that is purportedly "tamper-proof" and makes physical keys a thing of the past. Both products connect to an accompanying Nest app for added functionality. With the Nest Hello, Google is giving itself a competitive solution to Ring, which Amazon paid over $1 billion to acquire last month. Prior to that, Amazon also purchased Blink, a smart camera and video doorbell company. Obviously the front door is a space that Google and Amazon have both...
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The smart home market is on the rise, and Amazon has no intention of helping Google to establish itself through its Nest division. Further proof of that came in a recent conference phone call between Amazon and Nest. During the call, the online retail giant informed Nest that it will not be listing any of its newer smart home products, and that current ones would disappear from the site once existing inventory dries up. Citing "a person familiar with the call," Business Insider says Amazon told Nest that the decision came from the very top, presumably Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, though the chief was never specifically named. Not that it really matters where exactly the mandate came from—the...
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