October 07, 2018

Nest vs Nest E

October 07, 2018/ James Both

We review the features of the Nest vs Nest E thermostat to help you decide which smart thermostat is best for you. The Nest Thermostat Generation 3 has more features and a higher end design than the Nest E thermostat. The Nest E still gets the job done but does not have the same high end look as the Nest Gen 3 thermostat in the looks category in Nest vs Nest E, the Nest is the clear winner. The Nest E is a lower cost vs the Nest Generation 3 thermostat and will still save you energy but do the cost savings justify the plastic design vs the smooth polished high end metal design of the Nest Generation 3 Thermostat.

September 30, 2018

Does the nest thermostat work with google home?

September 30, 2018/ James Both

Does Google Home work with the nest thermostat? Yes, Google Home works with the nest thermostat to provide full voice control of your nest thermostat. With your google home connected to your nest thermostat you set the temperature or change between heating and cooling modes. We teach you how to set up Google Home to control your nest thermostat with your voice. We also teach you the best voice commands for google home to control your nest thermostat. Google Home control works with all Google Home products including the google home mini smart speaker.

September 29, 2018

Does the nest thermostat generation 2 work with Alexa?

September 29, 2018/ James Both

Does Alexa work with the nest generation 2 thermostat? Yes, the nest gen 2 thermostat does work with Amazon Alexa & Google Home. We teach you how to set up the nest thermostat to work with Amazon Alexa so you can have full voice control of your smart thermostat. We also teach you the best Amazon Alexa commands to control your nest generation 2 thermostat.

September 29, 2018

Does Alexa Work With The Nest Thermostat?

September 29, 2018/ James Both

Does Alexa work with the nest generation 3 thermostat? Yes, the nest thermostat does work with Amazon Alexa & Google Home. We teach you how to set up the nest thermostat to work with Amazon Alexa so you can have full voice control of your smart thermostat. We also teach you the best Amazon Alexa commands to control your nest generation 3 thermostat.

September 01, 2018

How should you wire your new home for a Smart Thermostat?

September 01, 2018/ James Both

What wire should you use for your new home to ensure that it will work with the nest thermostat, ecobee thermostats or other smart thermostats? If you are wiring a new home you should always use at least 5 wires if you have a standard HVAC system and 8 wires if you have a heat pump or multi stage heating and cooling. Smart thermostats like the nest thermostat should be wired with 5 wires to ensure that they have constant power to provide the best connection and best thermostat functionality. If you are wiring a new home and your HVAC contractor or Electrician is unsure of how many wires to use, make sure you use the 8 strand wire we recommend in our post to ensure your new home is compatible with a smart thermostat.

August 31, 2018

Does the nest X yale lock work with Amazon Alexa?

August 31, 2018/ James Both

Does the nest smart lock work with alexa? No, the nest x yale smart lock does not currently work with Alexa, but the google home mini does allow for full voice command control of the nest x yale smart lock. We cover all of the nest devices you can connect to alexa and what nest devices don’t work with amazon alexa. Currently the nest thermostat, nest cameras and nest smart doorbell all work with amazon alexa. The nest protect smoke detectors, and nest security system don’t work with alexa.

If you want to have voice control of your nest x yale smart lock you will need to use either a google home device or you can download the google assistant app on your phone for full voice control of the nest x yale smart lock. With voice commands you can lock your nest smart lock or check to see if the nest lock is unlocked or locked.

August 01, 2018

5 Smart home upgrades that will increase the value of your home

August 01, 2018/ James Both

A smart home upgrade is one of the easiest ways to add value to your home and increase the daily enjoyment you get from your home while living in it. We give you five easy DIY smart home upgrades that are sure to be a hit with you and your family. A smart home’s are growing in popularity everyday and more than 72% of millennial home buyers report that they will pay more for a home with smart home features. A smart home upgrade can help your home stand apart from the competition when you go to sell your home or provide you years of smart home living if you choose to upgrade to a smart home.

July 12, 2018

What smart home automation devices do I have in my smart home?

July 12, 2018/ James Both

What smart home devices do I have in my smart home? What smart home devices do I recommend to automate your home and life? I give you the gritty details of all the smart devices I’ve loaded up my home with that have stood the test of time.

July 10, 2018

Control Your Smart Home With Voice: #002-Podcast→

July 10, 2018/ James Both

The second episode of our weekly podcast has launched and is a great place to start if you want to learn how to control your home with voice. You can get the full blog post & smart home podcast here

Take me to the Podcast & How To Start Your Smart Home Blog Post

July 09, 2018

How To Start Your Smart Home: #001-Podcast→

July 09, 2018/ James Both

Our podcast episode has launched. The first episode post is a great place to start if you want to know how to start your smart home and what devices you should start with. You can get the full blog post & smart home podcast here

Take me to the Podcast & How To Start Your Smart Home Blog Post

March 20, 2018

Does the nest thermostat work well for people who travel?

March 20, 2018/ James Both

Yes, it works great! The nest thermostat has a motion sensor in it that helps detect when you are home and turn the thermostat down accordingly to save you energy. You can also manually set the thermostat to away from the thermostat or from your smart phone, you don't really need to do this though because the Nest will automatically figure out that you are gone and adjust your temperature settings to save you energy and money. On the app it lets you know that you have been saving energy while away with a logo of a house and a man walking out the door as shown in the screenshot below. With new upgrades to the app the nest also uses your GPS position to help make the home/away mode more accurate.

March 19, 2018

How to choose a smart thermostat?

March 19, 2018/ James Both

So there are literally dozens of smart thermostats out on the market so how do you choose? We are impartial to the Nest Generation 3 Thermostat but some of you like to analyze every option there is out there. Luckily for you overachievers there is a tool that breaks down the pros and cons of each smart thermostat out on the market today at thermostatwifi.net