Falling in step with the growing market for smart home appliances, Nest has launched a new video doorbell, smart lock, and temperature sensor.
The home automation company, which is owned by Google, announced that it will be rolling out the Nest Hello doorbell for $229, the new Nest x Yale doorlock for $249 and the Nest Temperature Sensor starting at $39.
The smart lock and Hello doorbell are already available for sale on the Nest website, the temperature sensor will be available in April 2018. The sensor needs to be set up with one of the latest generation Nest thermostats (Nest Learning Thermostat or Nest Thermostat E)–older versions will not be supported by the device. You can find out if yours will work by using this page.
The temperature sensor works by being placed on a shelf or a wall, where it can monitor the temperature in a given room. It syncs with the main Nest app, through which users set temperatures throughout their house. This allows users to more directly control the temperature of each room, giving homes that don’t already have zoned climate control much more granular control.
Each Nest thermostat connects to a total of six sensors. Up to 18 sensors can be set up around one house. Users can also control which room gets prioritized in heating through the Nest app.
Nest’s launch comes at a time when numerous companies releasing home appliances that are controlled through one’s phone or voice. Last month, Amazon announced that it was acquiring smart doorbell company Ring while Philips recently debuted a new series of outdoor smart lights.
Like rival smart doorbells, the Nest Hello has a camera that shows homeowners a live video feed who’s at their door through the Nest App, with motion sensors that monitor nearby movements and sounds. It has a microphone for communication between guests and homeowners, which can also be used to leave prerecorded messages for visitors.
The Nest x Yale smart lock, which has been in the works between Nest and top lock manufacturer Yale since 2015, can be opened remotely through a secure combination touchpad on the lock itself and through the Nest app on users’ smartphones. It requires the Nest Guard (part of Nest’s Secure alarm system), or Nest Connect (a range extender for the Nest Secure system).
As more and more homeowners start to equip their houses with smart devices, the launch puts Nest head-to-head against major smart appliance competitors such as Amazon and Ecobee.
Real estate agents looking to offer clients ideas for home automation systems they can install before or after a sale now have a whole new set of products to learn about.
