The question everyone is asking is which doorbell is the best and what is the difference of Nest Hello Vs Ring!

To make it a fair comparison we used Ring’s latest model the Ring Doorbell 2.

(Note: Ring does have a Pro model but it’s not as popular as their Ring 2)

As you can see specification wise they are very similar.

What are the differences between video doorbells Ring and Nest Hello?

Looking at the specs side by side you can see a few key differences:

1. Size & Design

The first being the Nest Hello size and design. Nest Hello is much thinner and more discreet than the Ring 2. This is mainly due to the fact Ring has a battery in it you can remove and does not require a hard wire like Nest Hello. Ring also comes in a few different finishes to match your design.

2. Video

The second key difference is the video, both are HD however Nest Hello has not gone for 1080p but instead UXGA. This means it has a longer full person view:

You can clearly see the different size when the Ring and Nest video is compared:

(Thanks to Jojo Galang‎ for the photo)

3. Facial Recognition & Subscription

Nest Hello has facial recognition, a pretty interesting feature. To use facial recognition you need a subscription. The subscription cost is slightly higher with Nest Hello than Ring but at this level is negligible.

However Ring did update their user agreement ( see https://smarthomegeeks.co.uk/news/ring-just-announce-facial-recognition/ )

in December to cover facial recognition so hopefully it’s a feature coming!

4. Connectivity

Ring 2 only supports 2.4GHz whilst Nest Hello supports 5GHz. Ring have probably done this by choice as 5GHz is much faster and currently less congested however the range is not as good. Not many users will have a WiFi point right by their front door so it could be argued 5GHz is not the best option.

Nest Hello vs Ring – Conclusion?

At this stage its very hard to tell which is better, as the above clearly shows they are very similar products with small differences.

One big difference we didn’t compare  is the fact one is Google and one Amazon. At present this is not such a big deal however as always we suspect Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa will be integrated more and more with this smart home tech.

If you have already invested in Google smart home tech you might be wise looking at Nest, however if Alexa is your friend have a look at Ring.

When we get our hands on a Hello Nest we will update with anything additional we find!

For further information their websites are:

Nest
Ring

The post Video Doorbell: Nest Hello vs Ring appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

Nest Hello Doorbell was first announced in September 2017 along with a range of smart home products. Its follows the success of the very successful and now Amazon owned Ring Wifi Doorbell.

Spec wise the Nest Hello Doorbell packs a punch:

• HD Video – 3-megapixels
• Wide view – 160 degree field of vision with 4:3 ratio
• HD Talk and listen – basically two way audio
• Person detection – preventing false alerts from cats or clouds
• Facial recognition – subscription required
• Quick Responses – these are pre-recorded replies you can set in the app
• Slimline unit – 117 x 43 x 26mm

In true tech style Nest Hello has already been released in the USA. The UK release date is still TBC however based on previous Nest releases we expect it to be very soon.

Nest Hello costs $229 so we expect a UK price of £150-£170.

We look forward to testing and comparing Nest to Ring as soon as we can! In the meantime here is Nest hello vs ring looking at the specs.

Watch this space for more updates.

The post Nest Hello released in USA appeared first on Smart Home Geeks.

You can buy Nest products from Amazon UK.

That has all just changed with the announced of 3 exciting new products, all of which integrate into the existing Nest App and are coming to the UK.

Nest Secure Alarm system

The Nest Secure Alarm System comes in 3 parts:

• Nest Guard This is the main unit that all the other parts connect too, think of it like it hub.The base station has a backup keypad on the top, for manual disarming, as well as an integrated speaker for the alarm as well as to allow for voice guidance during setup and use. The unit also acts as a motion detector ‘protecting’ the room it is in.  Finally, it comes with an internal backup battery to ensure protection continues if the power is cut, something lacking from most smart home alarms.
• Nest Detect
  
  As with most alarm systems Nest Secure comes with window and door sensors; Nest Detect.  However, unlike most alarm systems that have separate motion sensors and window/door sensor Nest has integrated them into one smart unit. This allows one device to let you know if it has been opened and if motion is detected inside. Nest Secure alarm comes with two Nest Detects with more being able to be purchased separately.
• Nest Tag
  
  It is very clear Nest are targeting traditional alarm owners, as such this system comes with traditional fobs to allow users to arm and disarm without using the app. The system comes with 2 Nest Tags again with additional being able to be purchased separately.

The complete system has a RRP of $499, UK pricing TBC.

It goes on sale in November 2017 in USA with us in the UK expecting it in early 2018.

Cam IQ Outdoor

Nest has recently updated their cameras introducing the IQ range. As part of this announcement they introduced Cam IQ Outdoor. This features integrated Google Assistant as well as face recognition. This allows it to recognise your visitors compared to potential unwanted visitor.

It boasts a 4k sensor with 12x zoom as well as the normal 2-way microphone and noise cancelling.

Cam IQ Outdoor costs $349 for 1 or $600 for a twin pack, UK pricing TBC.
Worldwide release from November 2017

Hello Doorbell

Yep another Smart Doorbell has just been announced however this one claims to be a lot smarter.

If you use Rings Video Doorbell you will appreciate how frustrating fake alerts can be for cars or sometimes clouds. Hello Doorbell can tell the difference between objects and people, claiming no more false alerts.

One other interesting feature is pre-recorded responses you can play from the app; for example
“I’m in the garden and cant come to the door”. Great if you’re in a meeting and can’t talk.

PS. You can buy Nest products from Amazon UK.

There was no release date or price for Hello Doorbell just ‘Coming 2018’, this has probably been done as a heads up just before Christmas to prevent people buying Ring, the current market leader.

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Update 31/08/2017

Nest have been in touch and updated us, this model is exclusive to the USA market and will not work or be released in the UK.

This is due to the fact:

“Heating systems in the USA are very different to those in the UK, not just in terms of voltage, but most homes have boilers that provide heat through radiators, whereas in the USA forced air systems are more prominent“

Nest has just announced their first new model smart thermostat since 2011. The Nest Thermostat E.

This model is much cheaper than any previous model. A standard, latest generation, Nest Thermostat in the UK costs £200, the Nest Thermostat E costs $169 (£130).

Looking at the design you can instantly understand how the cost saving has been achieved. Gone is the large glass high resolution screen with metal casing, in comes cost effective material and a discreet design.

This model will have nearly all the same smart features, including its energy saving learning algorithms and remote connectivity. This includes Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, unfortunately they did not take this opportunity to integrate Apple HomeKit.

The only main differences, design and cost aside, is the lack of ‘FarSight’. This feature turned on the display when you walk into the room. Also this model will have slightly less compatibility, instead of 95% of systems this will have 85%.

The non-compatible systems are not your everyday mass market systems. Generally these are high end setups. We can’t help but wonder if this was by design so not to cannibalise their premium models sales where budget would allow.

It is very clear Nest are targeting a different market with this model. Moving out of the niche ‘premium smart home’ and into ‘mass market technology’. Hoping to entice those consumers into the smart home arena.

Nest commented they hope to sell three times as many of the Thermostat E over the next 4 years.

PS. You can buy Nest products from Amazon UK.

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This is a We Own it review!

Nest learning thermostat is the flagship product of Nest. It is now part of Alphabet, the same company that own Google.

They first launched the learning thermostat in 2011 and it is now on its 2nd generation in the UK. The UK. version of Nest is different to the American due to the way heating systems work here. For example we normally don’t have cooling functions.

Nest has three gadgets in the Nest family (Nest Protect / NestCam / Nest Outdoor Cam), in this review were only looking at the Nest Thermostat.

What does the Nest Learning Thermostat do?

Nest Thermostat is a modern thermostat, if you already have one this replaces it.

One of the the first thing to say about Nest is the stunning design. It was designed by Fred Bould the same designer who designed the first iPod, hence the beauty and tactile nature, you can tell thy have really thought about how users will interact with it.

Form wise it is a metal and glass disc with a screen that’s either wall mounted or stands in its stand:

It connects to your internet and then allows you to control your heating from your phone.

It also goes one step further by learning what temperature you like your house, how long it takes to heat your house, a feature they call True Radiant, and monitoring when you are in and not.

It then creates your optimal heating schedule for you – much easier than any other heating controller we have ever seen. You can of course edit this if it get it slightly wrong – this can be done via the app or on the Nest itself.

A recent update added weather checking functionality – so if it’s hot tomorrow the heating is adjusted.

All this intelligence means more energy efficiently so saving money on your heating.

It also has built in gamification and awards green leafs when you turn down your heating. It emails you a monthly report showing your usage against a benchmark as well as how many leafs you have been awarded that month.

Nest Learning Thermostat, 3rd Generation

How does it work and What is the tech?

Nest learning thermostat comes in 2 parts:

1. Nest Thermostat – Is the disc you control
   
2. Nest Heat Link – That connects to your boiler

Nest does not offer zones and the temperature is for the entire house, at present the only solution is to have a nest in each room you want to separately control, not a cheap option!

You also need additional Nests for different heat sources, we have underfloor water heating and a combi boiler so have two.

How easy is it to set up?

You need a qualified person to connect the heat link to the boiler. We had ours installed for £75 but price depends on your installation – ours was simple as a new boiler.

What’s the connectivity?

The connectivity is brilliant – connecting to:

• IFTTT
• STRINGIFY
• NEST PROTECT
• NEST CAMERAS

See their full program of connectivity here: https://workswith.nest.com/uk/

How much does it cost?

£200 plus installation (Installation is approx £75)

What’s it like living with it?

We really like it! We have had one annoying fault where True Radiant meant the heating came on at 3am so the house got very hot!

We made a call to the customer service and impressively they could see what caused it and fixed it with me. For them to access my account I had to pass security and all they can see is heating on, off times and settings.

One nice feature is Family – allowing you to add family members to the App so they can have their own login and fully control it. They also get their own copy of the monthly report.

What are our final thoughts?

There is nothing nicer than being able to turn on your heating on your way home, especially cold evening. That combined with saving money and energy efficiency we a big fans of Nest. The only drawback is the lack of zones, meaning one nest controls the house not rooms – there is a solution it’s just not cheap.

This is a We Own it review!

Nest Protect is part of the Nest series, owned by Alphabet – Google’s Parent company. Nest first started life in 10 as a small startup before being acquired in 2014.

The Nest series has a few different gadgets (Nest Thermostat / Nest Cam / Nest Outdoor Cam). In this review we are only looking at Nest Protect the smart fire alarm – we are also looking at the latest Nest Protect 3rd Generation.

The first thing to point out is that despite everyone calling these ‘fire alarms’ they are actually called a ‘Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detector’.

What does the Nest Protect do?

The detectors detect 3 things:

• Smoke
• Carbon Monoxide
• Heat

Unlike traditional alarms the Nest Protect talks to you and tells you what’s wrong and if you have multiple Nest Protects it tells you where the problem is on all the Nest Protects. For example in the bedroom the voice will say ‘Smoke detected in the kitchen’. The App also alerts you and if a false alarms allows you to silence it.

One brilliant feature is the auto testing. It tests all its batteries and sensors over 400 times a day. Every month it also test the sounds, don’t worry not at full volume just loud enough for you to confirm you hear.

This is great for peace of mind as how often do you REALLY test your normal smoke alarm, if like us probably never.

This is also shown via a green glow light at night, as a visual reminder it’s tested and working.

Finally it has a night light feature called ‘pathway’. This lights up when it’s dark as you pass and goes off when you have – the idea is to light your path.

How does it work & what is the tech?

There are two different versions either hard wired (230V) or battery.

As the name suggests this depends on if you want to hardwire it or use changeable batteries.

The functionality is exactly the same the only difference is how the gadget gets power.

The Nest Protect uses Wifi (Only 2.4 GHz) to connect to the internet as well as Bluetooth to connect to your phone for setup, manual Check-ups and false alarm silencing – you don’t need to leave Bluetooth on all the time.

Thank you to our reader David who told us in the comments the reason Bluetooth is used for silencing false alarms is to prevent disabling from afar as you need to be near the device.

One interesting tech feature is Nest Weave – this is their own connectivity protocol they have developed They are 2.4GHz and based on 802.15.4 radios – thanks to David again for the additional information.

This allows Nest Protect to talk to other Nest Protects and Nest Thermostats,  meaning even if the internet goes down they can still all communicate.

One good example is how the PIR, motion sensor, helps tell the Nest Thermostat if the house is occupied or not. Also if the CO is detected the boiler is shutdown.

This is essential as the last thing you want is an internet out safe to stop your smoke alarm going off!

How easy is it to setup?

Very easy:

1) Create a Nest account
2) Install the app
3) Scan a QR code on the device – this sets up the app and is where you put your wifi details
4) Put on ceiling

What’s the connectivity?

Nest Protect connects to all other Nest products. This means if Nest Protect detects Carbon Monoxide it will talk to the Nest Thermostat and turn off the heating. This is because boilers are the most common source of Carbon Monoxide. As mentioned above this is also done via its proprietary mesh network, Nest Weave.

One obvious lacking feature is feeding back the heat temperature to Nest thermostat allowing it to know what temperature other rooms are and adjusting heating as needed.

Nest Protect also connects to IFTTT that is where the extra functionality is added, for example:

IF Nest detects smoke THEN change lights to red – however this of course requires Philips Hue.

They also have their own program ‘Works with Nest’ allowing other smart home tech to use their mesh network.   

Google Nest Protect 2nd Generation Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm

How much does it cost?

Google Nest Protect costs £99

It’s important to note despite these having added tech you still require more than one for most flats or houses.

What’s it like living with it?

Good – its great to have that piece of mind knowing its working, has been tested and god forbid if a fire broke out when we were not in we would know!

What are our final thoughts?

When it comes to important things like life saving tech we happily pay that little bit more, this is a perfect example. Google Nest Protect gives you regular reassurance it’s working and keeping an eye over you.

It is a shame it’s not connected to Nest Thermostat more and does seem odd – we’re guessing the feedback loop would be too much of a drain on the battery.