In Part 2 of our Ring vs Nest Ecosystems article, we have the Nest Ecosystem up for scrutiny. Nest is certainly the most aesthetically pleasing ecosystem on the market, but how does it measure up in terms of product lineup, ease of installation, affordability, and its app? Read on to find out.
This article hits on all the important information in the Nest line, and that will be followed by Part 3 which will compare the two, head-to-head!
Our Second Contender: The Nest Ecosystem
Nest got its start in 2011 with the Learning Thermostat, created by former Apple engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, who co-founded the brand. Its sleek design and smart features had consumers hooked, and for those of us in hotter climates, the energy-saving (and money-saving) potential did not go overlooked. 2012 saw a slimmer version of the Nest Learning Thermostat. In 2013 Nest introduced the Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector.
All that was pre-Google. In 2014, Google bought Nest, and things began to shift rapidly. Year by year, the tech giant’s Nest saw more products added to their lineup, and an expansion of the type of smart home products available. Cameras, alarm systems, the Nest Hello Doorbell, Nest x Yale lock, a temperature sensor, and more to this day. This ecosystem has many products that compete directly with Ring’s, is robust, it is aesthetically pleasing, and it is sophisticated.
What Nest Brings to the Arena
Being owned by Google, Nest products integrate with Google Assistant. Nest offers their thermostats, speakers, their Co2 devices, streaming devices, displays, Wi-Fi, doorbells, cameras, a door lock, and accessories. They also have bundles for home security, audio entertainment and video entertainment. Consider, too, that many home theater and home entertainment projectors come with Google Assistant capabilities (and/or Alexa), so you may want to pay extra attention to this if you’re a cinema enthusiast.
Nest Secure is no longer offered, but you can monitor your cameras and doorbell via the Nest app, which has been improved. Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus are now comparable to Ring’s subscription option, with Nest Aware being even more affordable.
The Products
When I say “Nest,” you think “Thermostat.” They basically own the word in smart home tech these days. Sure, there are other fantastic options for smart thermostats, but none quite like Nest’s – of which there are two. There is the Nest Thermostat for $129, and the Nest Learning Thermostat for $249. That’s a steep difference in price, and for good reason. The Nest Thermostat is their entry level thermostat, whereas the Nest Learning Thermostat is their advanced model.
With the Nest Thermostat, you can schedule, conserve when you leave the house, and find more ways to save in the app via Discover. Control the Nest Thermostat from anywhere using the Google Home app. Installation is a breeze, designed to take only 30 minutes to install yourself – no professional required. Its display is mirrored glass inside recycled plastic housing. To adjust, you swipe and tap the side of the thermostat. It works with 85% of systems.
The Nest Learning Thermostat takes things a step further. It’s housed in a metal ring with a hi-res LCD display and dynamic screens, and you turn the dial and press down to adjust. From across the room, you can see data like weather, temperature or time and access settings when you’re approaching. This thermostat programs itself, learning your habits, and helps save on cooling and heating bills. It is also designed to install yourself but takes 60 minutes or less – double the time of the lower cost model.
A handy complement to either thermostat is the Nest Temperature Sensor. Since temperatures differ from room to room, this handy gadget can help you maintain the perfect temperature for each by letting your thermostat know what temperature to set to, and what time to do it. It’s only $39, so start with your hottest, stuffiest rooms and work from there.
Moving on to doorbells, Nest has two – a wired (left) or battery (right) option. The Nest Doorbell (wired) is the smaller of the two and costs $179.99, while the Nest Doorbell (battery) is larger and costs $119.99 now (usually $179.99). The Nest Doorbell (wired) has 3-hour event history with video clips and 2 second previews and extended clips, up to 10 days of video recording, and intelligent alerts. Those include motion, people, packages and even animals. It connects to your existing wires and requires 116-24VAC 10VA min, 50/60Hz. The battery option isn’t as feature laden. It does have 3-hour event history, but only offers video clips, and does not have an option for continuous video recording. It has all the intelligent alerts of its sibling, and uses a rechargeable battery pack with an option to wire (requires 8-24VAC).
Nest has three cameras: Nest Cam (indoor, wired), Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery), Nest Cam with Floodlight. The Nest Cam (indoor, wired) costs a mere $69.99 and can be mounted on a wall, or stand on a flat surface. It has intelligent alerts, ascertaining the difference between human, animal, and vehicle. The Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) gets those same alerts, you can adjust the surface area of motion detection to only get alerts that you want – say, for your driveway and front porch only, and not the cars passing on the street. It’s waterproof and you can get a stand for it if you’d like (sold separately). This camera costs $129.
The Nest Cam Floodlight (wired) has two floodlights on either side of the camera, and they’re adjustable. Through the Google Home app, you can adjust how long it stays on, how sensitive it is, change activity zones, and dial up or down the brightness, as well as create Routines. You can activate the camera with your voice and even speak through it. If it’s an emergency, you can call emergency services with the tap of a button. It records in HDR and has the intelligent alerts included in the other two cameras discussed. The Nest Cam Floodlight (wired) is $199.99.
The Nest Protect is a smart smoke and CO alarm. This alarm thinks before it speaks, and can tell you on your phone where the issue is coming from – as well as silence it. This would have been a welcome addition in my last apartment community, where the smoke alarms were so sensitive, people could barely cook anything without setting theirs off. The Nest Protect has Steam Check, so it doesn’t mistake the steam from your pasta sauce (or your shower) as a threat. If there’s a real danger, you’ll know. For instance, carbon monoxide alerts. You can check the system, its battery, get a full report. It’s precise in its smarts. The technology knows if the fire is a fast or slow burn, using a split-spectrum sensor to detect two wavelengths of light that can tell if it’s a fast-burning or smoldering fire. Personally, I’d get it if I could switch these puppies out.
Wi-Fi comes in three shades for Google – their Google Wifi, Nest Wifi Pro and Nest Wifi Router. The Google Wifi device isn’t compatible with Nest Wifi Pro, so I’ll just mention it’s $99.99, dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz, and leave it at that. The Nest Wifi Pro is $169.99 and is the fastest system they have (comes in four colors), and is Tri-band with enhanced 2.4, 5 and 6 Ghz. The top speed is up to 5.4 Gdps, it covers 2200 sq ft per router (thread border), and has automatic Wi-Fi speed optimization. This self-monitoring, self-diagnosing device automatically fixes common Wi-Fi issues and updates software and security. Its security is WPA3 with encryption and hack protection, and it has parental controls. Matter compatibility is coming soon. The Nest Wifi Pro can be set up with the Google Home app. The $119 Nest Wifi Router has all of that except it does come with a smart speaker built-in, and is dual-band (2.4 and 5 GHz) instead of Tri-band. It is not compatible with the Nest Wifi Pro.
With Nest, you can really build your own security system, purchasing each gadget separately, or opting to choose one of the packages that suits your needs and build out from there. What I personally like about Nest, besides the aesthetically pleasing design of every piece in their collection, is that it is minimalist all the way. Buying a security package doesn’t mean receiving an item you may not use at all. In my last apartment, I had a Nest Learning Thermostat and it was amazing. I loved the design, the ability to fiddle with it from anywhere – whether I was in bed, around my home, or even traveling – and the app was just fine. I used both the Nest app and Google Home, but as I used Alexa for most of my home automation, I found myself in the Nest app more often than Google Home.
Nest has three simple security system packages, and right now, you can save quite a bit on those. They’re simple and you can easily use them to build upon. The Front Door Monitoring Package comes with a Nest Hub (2nd Gen), which is a display, and the Nest Doorbell (battery) for $169.98 down from $279.98. The Outdoor Monitoring Package comes with the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) and a Nest Cam (battery) for the same price. The Total Monitoring Package comes with both the Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell (battery powered for both) and the Nest Hub Max, for $413.98, down from $588.98.
On their own, the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) costs $49.99 (down from $99.99) and the Nest Hub Max costs $174 (down from $229). The difference? Size, for one. The Nest Hub Max is 10 inches, while the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) is 7 inches. Both have touchscreen displays with gesture control (use gestures to control the devices without touching the screen), but the Nest Hub Max has an HD screen, and the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) does not. You can watch YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+ on them, view Google Photos, and can take hands-free audio calls. The Nest Hub Max has a built-in camera for video calls and home monitoring – a feature missing on the lower model. The speakers are better on the Nest Hub Max, with two 0.7-inch tweeters and a 3 inch woofer. The Nest Hub has a single 1.7-inch full range driver. The Nest Hub Max has 2 microphones and the Nest Hub has 3. The Nest Hub has Sleep Sensing – free for a year – which isn’t included on the Nest Hub Max, and it is available in more colors.
There are some intriguing packages to consider for home entertainment should you decide to go all out with Google Assistant and Nest. Their Chromecast with Google TV streaming device comes in two versions, an HD ($19.99, usually $29.99) and a 4K ($39.99, usually $49.99). The $342.99 Home of Entertainment Package includes two Nest audio speakers, a Nest Hub Max, and that 4K Chromecast with Google TV (down from $478.97).
If that’s a little much for your taste, consider the Around the House Package for $213.99 (down from $278.99) that includes a Nest Hub Max and Chromecast with Google TV 4K. Just want to stream? You can get one of the Chromecast with Google TV devices and HBO Max bundle for $54.99 which includes a 3-month Ad-Free HBO Max plan (new subscribers only).
Under the audio category, there are more options for package deals. The Audio Anywhere Package includes two Nest Mini speakers for $49.98, which is a $48.02 savings. Nice. Want something more robust for your sound? The Room-filling Audio Package might be more your scene, with two Nest Audio speakers for $129 ($70.98 savings).
The folks at Google have listened to end users to improve their app, and the app has a higher rating in both the Apple App store and Google Play than Ring’s. Google has added new features, and you could be one of the first to explore them by requesting an invite here. This is, of course, only useful if you already have some smart Google products around your home.
Subscriptions
Nest Aware
Price: $6/month, $60/year
- 30 days of event history
- Intelligent alerts: Familiar faces, smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, glass breaking, e911
- Supports Nest cameras, doorbells, speakers and displays
Nest Aware Plus
Price: $12/month, $120/year
- 60 days of event history
- Up to 10 days of 24/7 video history
- Intelligent alerts: Familiar faces, smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, glass breaking, e911
- Supports Nest cameras, doorbells, speakers and displays
Partnered with Nest
Nest has partnered Yale to create the Nest x Yale Lock. It’s a keyless lock that can be controlled via Google Assistant, using your voice. It also has a keypad and is connected to the Nest app. This gives you alerts when the door is locked or unlocked, lets you create passcodes for friends, family, and anyone you trust to enter your home.
Of course, you can use it to lock or unlock the door from anywhere, but the coolest feature is undoubtedly that when Nest knows you’re away, the door can automatically lock. If you’ve got anyone who is forgetful in the family, you’ll love this feature.
The lock is $249 and comes in four colors: white, oil rubbed bronze, polished brass and black suede. To connect the lock to your nest system, you’ll need Nest Connect or Nest Guard. Nest Connect is $69 and is a Wi-Fi range extender.
The Bottom Line on Nest
Google’s Nest is a sophisticated ecosystem with minimalist charm. It has an extensive product line and versatility for customizing your smart home. The packages offered are simple and allow you to build out your home’s ecosystem without purchasing products you may never use. Though some products may be a steeper cost than Ring’s, the aesthetic and performance, I feel, is worth the price. Nest delivers a stellar product. I like the Nest App, and appreciate that Google has updated their Home app, as I didn’t care to use it before. Its app has a pretty equal rating between iOS and Android. Nest’s subscriptions are reasonable and include desirable features.
Nest is missing lighting, period. The best you can get is through their Nest Cam with Floodlights. That doesn’t mean you can’t have smart lighting with this ecosystem, however. Since it’s all Google, any smart bulb that you have that links to the Google Home app (look for “Works with Google”) can be set up within this ecosystem easily. These don’t require a bridge or hub. Works with Google Assistant smart light bulbs may need a bridge or hub, as well as both the Google Home app and the app of the bulb’s manufacturer.
In Part 3 of this article series, we will compare the Ring and Nest ecosystems side by side so you can come out of this game knowing which is the right choice for your home.
