Martin's Blog

Nest Thermostat (THE thermostat) Part 2

Part 1 of the Nest thermostat blog was so much fun for me so here we go with Part 2.

It has been 8 days since my Nest installation.  The thermostat finished its learning process on day 5.  So far so good - I only had to adjust the Nest a few times since the installation and it really learned and remembered all the temperatures I set it to.

In the past 3 days I only had to adjust it once, which is better than expected.  I feel that it is efficient and convenient.

After several days of learning, the Nest is gradually becoming more accurate in its prediction of how long it would take to meet the temperature setting.  As an example when I change the temperature, Nest now displays how long it is going to take to reach the new set temperature and it is pretty much on spot.  See the picture below.

So basically Nest is telling me that currently it is 74 degrees in the house and I want it at 75.  So it will take 35 mins to reach 75 degrees.  It will keep it at 75 until next scheduled temperature change.

Let’s look at some of the menu options.  Here is a shot of Main Menu when you press the Nest.

When you press the Nest on the red/blue dot it goes to the Heat/Cool/Off selection.

Main Menu/Schedule

Here you can add/change any of the times and temperatures that Nest has learned.  It is very easy to do. 

Main Menu/Energy

Here you can actually see how long you had the Heating or Cooling running for each day for the past week.  Not sure how the Nest determines what’s an “Average” though.

Main Menu/Settings

Under the Setting you will find the following options:

Option of Fan Auto or ON

You can Lock the Nest

Next is the Learning Setting

Brightness

Here you can set the Brightness of the screen to Low, Medium, High or Auto.

Screen On allows you to enable the motion sensor so when you approach the Nest it turns on or you can set it to when you press the Nest it will turn on the screen.

Click Sound

Fahrenheit/Celsius

Name (I like Nest)

Network

Nest Account (for privacy purposes I will not upload the screen shot)

Zip Code

Date and Time

Wiring

Advanced

Technical Info

Legal Info

Reset

We covered all of the options under the Settings

There is one more option under Main Menu I didn’t cover - Away

If you are going on vacation or you know you will be away for a longer period of time, you can manually set your Nest to Away Mode.  In the Away Mode, Nest will ONLY keep your home/business in min/max range you set it initially.

For full explanation on how the Away Mode works click here.

If I had to grade this product I would give it A-

There is always room for improvement.  I really tried hard to find something wrong with this product though.  Nest folks really thought of everything.  Although here are my thoughts/suggestions.

• As I mentioned in Part 1 I would have some sort of plastic “blade” glued on top of packaging.  This “blade” could be used to open the plastic foil with an ease.
• I miss the Time display that was on my old thermostat.  Never thought about it until I uninstalled my old thermostat that I actually regularly checked the time on the thermostat.  I am sure that can be added with a future update.
• Last thing is a filter replacement reminder.  My old thermostat reminded me when it is the time to replace the filter.  Couldn’t find this option on the Nest.

Overall, I love this product and I would absolutely recommended to you all.

My most favorite feature is the remote access and control of the Nest which I will cover in Part 3 together with energy consumption.

By the way, if you want to see if Nest is compatible with your existing HVAC system click here.

Thank you again for reading and “Stay Warm”

Martin

(Source: facebook.com)

Nest Thermostat (THE thermostat)

It was 2007 when we purchased the house and one of the first upgrades on my list was to do home automation.  Since I am A DIY kinda guy and didn’t want to spend too much money on it, I decided to go with Insteon from Smarthome.  I automated everything except for the thermostat.  I live in California and I always wanted to turn on my AC remotely so when I get home the house will be nice and cool (not necessarily the most energy efficient all the time but on a day when it’s triple digits, I NEED it to be cool when I get home). Insteon has an option for the thermostat but I am not a fan of their RF (radio frequency) products.  Never had any luck with them.  Also the $200+ price tag just for a regular  Venstar 7-day programmable thermostat with an adapter was not something I was convinced about.  

Fast forward to October 25, 2011. I saw a Facebook post on DCUBE fan page about the Nest and this video.  I did a quick research about the company and the inventor and had to have it!   The Nest story is great and the product looked awesome.  I even emailed the VP and Founder of Nest to congratulate them.  BTW he never got back to me. :)

On the same day, I placed an order!  Luckily (for me) I did that because I found out five days later that they sold out - no new orders until some time in 2012!  I waited over a month and at long last, my Nest thermostat arrived on December 1, 2011!  Imagine my excitement - those who know me can!!

For the past week I was thinking of selling it on eBay since they are selling for $650-$1000.  Yes, I know, that is crazy!  As a birthday gift to myself, on December 2nd, I had to install it!  So here we go:

This is the packaging it came in:

Very nice, heavy duty packaging that is covered with a clear plastic. An afterthought and suggestion: You thought of pretty much everything but wouldn’t it be nice to include a “plastic” blade that would be taped to the box for easy opening? :).  That way I wouldn’t have to look for knife, key or scissor. (credit goes to my wife Betty)

Side of the box:

Other Side:

Top View:

And once you remove the sleeve:

Now the exciting moment.  Open Sesame.

Notice the mold made specifically for the thermostat’s shape which also has a clear plastic cover for extra protection.  Let’s pick up the Nest.

It feels heavy and quality built.  Even though mostly made out of plastic with a brushed metal ring which is the only moving part and a controller for the unit.  Let’s look at the back side.

On the bottom you got the serial connector that will connect with the base on the wall and on the left we got a mysterious USB connector.  Not sure what this is for but I assume it may play a role in testing and possible access to internal program.  Very nice so far.  Except (that is my personal thing) on the right you will see “Designed in the US, Build in China”).  Come on guys, we need to keep the manufacturing in US.  I bet you could of done it in the US for a little bit more money and you wouldn’t have to deal with copies that probably will be in stock before your product. Ok that’s enough…let’s move on www.facebook.com/nocopies

Underneath the plastic mold you find a very nice literature with instructions booklet.  Here are the pictures:

What’s really neat is that in the instruction booklet has these stickers:

Really cool to see that they even thought of this.  Again, that is why I am so happy and excited to review a thermostat (Nest that is :)).  What makes the product user friendly are the details like this and the ease of operation.

Under all the literature you will find this:

On the left a screwdriver?  Not just a screwdriver…

A super cool screwdriver with 4 bits.  You know that every installer will keep this in their toolbox … genius marketing and a “free” tool.

Then on the right we have the base that will mount on the wall.

Notice the built in level on the unit :)…that is just to make sure that you will install it just right…again … awesome.

They even supplied the screws and anchors:

Let’s move to the bottom of the box.

You will find two plate covers, in case you are too lazy to patch your existing holes you can use these to cover them up.  It also comes with a metal plate for installation over an electrical box.

I am done covering the content of the box.  Let’s go and install the Nest.

This is what I am going to replace with the Nest.

This is where I used the supplied stickers to label the wires.

Now I patched the holes, painted the area and installed the base.

Pushed down the grey buttons and insert the wires as marked and of course check if the base is level :)

Now it’s time to put the cover on :)

Pretty cool stuff! :)

As you can see the built in WiFi picked up my network and its time to set it up.

What I want to point out here is the purple dot on top of the Nest.  There are 2 of them that you CANNOT see with the naked eye.  These are motion sensors so when you walk by the Nest it turns ON to show you the preset and current temperature.  It’s really cool!

That’s right, it updates itself!

Once you get the internet going, you then have to set up the heating and cooling.

Nest actually shows you which cables you connected and what they are!  Until now I never knew what the cables actually were.

Once you finish the setup, this is what the screen looks like.  It will show you what the heat/cool temperatures are set at and the smaller number is the current temperature.

Next what you need to do is go to www.nest.com and create your account so you can access the Nest remotely through your iPad/iPhone App (Droid App coming soon).  The free app is already on iTunes waiting for you.

Here is the screen shot of the web based account info.

It is awesome and simple to use.  From anywhere in the world you can access it via net and fully control your HVAC at home or business.  I am going to stop here.  Next when time allows, I will cover the Apps and Learning experience that my Nest is going through for the next 7 days. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

For now, “Stay Warm”!

Martin

From the Showroom with Martin Siwy – The Bluetooth Zone

At ThermaSol, we love to push the boundaries of technology and design. 

With our new Bluetooth enabled technology, we’ve once again brought innovation to the shower. As I travel around the country to present ThermaSol’s Bluetooth technology, I use a smart device (iPad, iPhone, Droid etc.) to show how easily you are able to leave the system on and stream it at any time. For example, in the shower you can stream news uninterrupted – a feature people really respond to. It’s so easy to connect and to sync, even with multiple people in the house – each person can stream their own music and play list into the shower!

To make the technology even easier for customers to understand, ThermaSol created something we call the Bluetooth Zone for our showrooms. It’s a display item that showrooms can purchase – a 2 foot diameter floor mat that people step on which syncs their device to ThermaSol’s Light & Music system. It has signage to alert customers when they’ve entered the Bluetooth Zone and it explains how they can sync, so that any customer who is browsing in a showroom can test it out themselves right on the spot.

An additional benefit to our showrooms is that any showroom who purchases the mat is then listed on the ThermaSol website as a dealer with the Bluetooth Zone for a demonstration.

If you attended the recent DPHA Conference and Product Showcase, then you saw a ‘live’ example of the Bluetooth Zone. ThermaSol’s booth was unlike any year before; in fact, it was unlike anything the DPHA show has seen. With the help of designer Susan Bacchi and Napoleon At Home, ThermaSol brought show attendees to the “Letting Off Steam Lounge,” a luxurious seating area complete with spa-like food and beverages in a serene, ocean-side inspired themed environment. We invited attendees to come and experience ThermaSol’s newest line of products including our Modern Collection controls and Serenity Light & Music system featuring the Bluetooth Zone experience. Most importantly, they were able to let off some steam after a long day at the show!

If you are interested in learning more about the Bluetooth Zone for your showroom, please contact me.

Martin Siwy
Western Regional Sales Manager

(Source: thermasol.com)

Martin Siwy of ThermaSol® Presented with Two Prestigious Awards at DPHA Annual Conference

Siwy Recognized For Achievement and Unsurpassed Dedication to Plumbing Industry at Key Show

It’s 10 o’clock — Do You Know Where Your Customers Are?

I am scanning business cards of people I saw during my recent travels and I realized that some showrooms (retail businesses) still do NOT have internet access or emails set up for their employees.  This is 2011!

I do not want to offend anyone but…you must realize this is a must to have in order to survive and grow in the future.

I found this article couple of weeks ago and I want to share it with you.  PLEASE read this article by Jim Blasingame from Forbes:

(Source: blogs.forbes.com)