Nest was not our first smart thermostat, but we had two for a while and I was a big defender of the brand early on, as it worked great and played well with HA systems (thanks to some smart plugin authors). We now have only one that has been tied into a pellet stove. But this takeover by Google and killing of the works with Nest program now means Im likely going to get rid of it because it will likely stop playing well with the rest of the system.
I think the lesson here is that I will no longer rely on anything Google, other than perhaps their browser and the fun of Maps and Earth, both of which are just novelties that would have little effect on me if they disappeared. Ive come to the conclusion that Google just doesnt play well with others, and when they buy a company, theres always a significant risk they will kill off the things that made it a good company/product. So yeah, Im out.
Also, to those of you who long argued with me about how cloud-based products were evil (I took the cloud-supporting view), Im much less sure of my past position. I dont think we can get away from cloud-based products for some things in todays world, but actions like this (by Google) do make these products/services seem a lot less reliable. My big fear now is with what could eventually happen to Ecobee, which is my current tstat flavor.
I think the lesson here is that I will no longer rely on anything Google, other than perhaps their browser and the fun of Maps and Earth, both of which are just novelties that would have little effect on me if they disappeared. Ive come to the conclusion that Google just doesnt play well with others, and when they buy a company, theres always a significant risk they will kill off the things that made it a good company/product. So yeah, Im out.
Also, to those of you who long argued with me about how cloud-based products were evil (I took the cloud-supporting view), Im much less sure of my past position. I dont think we can get away from cloud-based products for some things in todays world, but actions like this (by Google) do make these products/services seem a lot less reliable. My big fear now is with what could eventually happen to Ecobee, which is my current tstat flavor.