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Google has launched its rumored 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat as part of a broader push to bring Gemini and other AI technologies into your smart home.
The redesigned thermostat has a slimmer “floating” profile with a circular LCD display that’s 60% larger than before. Google makes use of the extra visual space with a previously leaked Dynamic Farsight feature that lets you customize the home screen to show the air quality, temperature, time, or weather.
It’s easier to install and more compatible with HVAC systems thanks to a 12-terminal backplate.
You’ll also get a Nest Temperature Sensor in the box for the first time, so you won’t have to spend extra to focus adjustments on a specific room (such as a child’s bedroom). Up to six sensors can work in concert.
The Nest Learning Thermostat has already had an element of AI, but the 4th-gen adds features that could theoretically save more energy and money. Smart Schedule more quickly generates personal temperature schedules based on activity, such as when you come home and turn up the air conditioning. It now adjusts to account for outdoor weather, spots HVAC trouble early, and brings in outdoor air when it’s healthiest and most efficient.
The updated thermostat is available to pre-order today for $280 in the US, and $380 in Canada. It ships on August 20th. If you need extra temperature sensors, they’re available either $40 US individually or $100 US in a three-unit pack.
This is the first update to the Nest Learning Thermostat in nine years, and it comes as part of a larger smart home initiative that includes both the Google TV Streamer and Gemini AI upgrades.
To start, Nest security cameras and video doorbells will use Gemini to better understand what they see. Instead of merely detecting an animal, for example, they’ll let you know that it’s your dog digging in the garden. A camera activity search in the Home app will even let you ask specific questions, such as whether or not the FedEx truck stopped by.
Gemini will also make it considerably easier to both create automations and get suggestions. You can ask to help your kids remember to put their bikes away when they get home, and the AI will automatically broadcast an announcement when your children arrive in the afternoon.
On Nest speakers and smart displays, Assistant will use Gemini to allow for more natural commands, follow-ups, and generated content.
All the AI upgrades will first come to Nest Aware subscribers as a Public Preview later in the year, with plans to expand over time. You’ll have to wait a while to get Google’s promised experience, although that isn’t a shock given the complexities of generative AI.
