Norm! Quirky Challenges Nest with New Thermostat

[mprospero]

A new multi-room thermostat was among the seven new devices Quirky announced for its Wink Smart Home portfolio.

Norm! Quirky Challenges Nest with New Thermostat : Read more

 

[Goto Afterburners]

This and Nest are the most ridiculous inventions I've seen. We literally leave our thermostat on auto and on one temperature...period. Just more junk that the homeowner thinks they need.

 

[Kary K]

I would tend to agree with Goto Afterburners. Internet connectivity might be okay, but even that has downsides. But Nest's learning feature is stupid. As to this device, not having anything on the face is just a bit short of idiotic. And having multiple sensors in a house just means the heating system isn't balanced or well designed. Adding another sensor will just mean the entire house gets hotter or colder.

 

[Element D]

I have a nest and do not think its ridiculous, it's actually nice and efficient. One thing the Nest does that I really enjoy is that unlike a standard thermostat when it shuts off it shuts everything off, the nest will keep the fan going to clear the rest of the remaining cold/hot air out of the vents. I also like (living in Texas, this happens often) being able to turn the air down or heat up on the way home after dramatic temp changes.

 

[Another Mike Smith]

This and Nest are the most ridiculous inventions I've seen. We literally leave our thermostat on auto and on one temperature...period. Just more junk that the homeowner thinks they need.

You don't even turn it off when you go to work, or at night? If you don't mind wasting energy on heating/cooling, then this kind of device is probably not for you.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Wink is a high-profile but imperfect product. It has the problem of requiring always-on internet to work and has no desktop support (Android/iOS only). Wink uses zwave but it doesn't support generic devices, only specific zwave devices. the prices for Wink-compatible devices tend to be 5-10% more expensive than generic equivalents.

There are other, less restrictive zwave devices. I went with a Mi Casa Verde Vera2. It is completely autonomous but can be controlled via the internet if I want, can be controlled locally with any web browser, works with commodity devices, and has plug ins for tons of devices, like Hue.

My house should have had dual-zone heating/cooling but it doesn't so the upstairs is either a furnace or the downstairs is an icebox. So I've got a zwave thermometer in my bedroom and a zwave thermostat I bought at Lowes for Iris. The thermostat has a regular program but the Vera over-rides it based on the remote sensor and a schedule. It is also very, very nice to be able to adjust the house temperature from the bedroom and not run down stairs. I also use it to control my Hue bulbs so I can use one app for all my gadgets.

 

[Kary K]

I have a nest and do not think its ridiculous, it's actually nice and efficient. One thing the Nest does that I really enjoy is that unlike a standard thermostat when it shuts off it shuts everything off, the nest will keep the fan going to clear the rest of the remaining cold/hot air out of the vents. I also like (living in Texas, this happens often) being able to turn the air down or heat up on the way home after dramatic temp changes.

The fan remaining on is a function of the furnace or air conditioner, not the thermostat. Even a $30 thermostat will do that.

 

[Kary K]

This and Nest are the most ridiculous inventions I've seen. We literally leave our thermostat on auto and on one temperature...period. Just more junk that the homeowner thinks they need.

You don't even turn it off when you go to work, or at night? If you don't mind wasting energy on heating/cooling, then this kind of device is probably not for you.

The word "auto" is short for "automatic" and refers to a programmable thermostat that can be set to change the temperature when you are usually at work, or when it us "usually" night time.

 

[Another Mike Smith]

The fan remaining on is a function of the furnace or air conditioner, not the thermostat. Even a $30 thermostat will do that.

Never happened in my house, till I got a Nest. And my previous thermostat was a "smart" programmable unit, but it didn't control the fan separately from the furnace or A/C.

 

[macserv]

"The fan remaining on is a function of the furnace or air conditioner, not the thermostat. Even a $30 thermostat will do that."

"Never happened in my house, till I got a Nest."

It's called AirWave, and it is, indeed, a function of the Nest. When cooling, it keeps the fan on longer than the A/C unit would, continuing to blow air past the still-cold evaporator coil. Over time, the Nest figures out how well this works for your specific home, A/C equipment, and weather conditions. Once it knows this, it will actually turn off the compressor early, and use only the residual coolness in the evaporator to hit your target temperature.

Is a Nest necessary? Of course not. Will it save you time, money, and frustration, and add style to the room? For most people, yes, it will. If you don't have the money, or the will to spend it on a Nest, that's fine. But before posting comments about it being "junk," or "ridiculous," I'd suggest learning about its capabilities.

 

[Another Mike Smith]

"The fan remaining on is a function of the furnace or air conditioner, not the thermostat. Even a $30 thermostat will do that."

"Never happened in my house, till I got a Nest."

Is a Nest necessary? Of course not. Will it save you time, money, and frustration, and add style to the room? For most people, yes, it will. If you don't have the money, or the will to spend it on a Nest, that's fine. But before posting comments about it being "junk," or "ridiculous," I'd suggest learning about its capabilities.

I'm not the one who said it was junk, someone else said that.