Nest Thermostat - a 1.5 year review...

Ah, the Nest Thermostat...how I love it so. However, is it a love borne of a supportive, and useful, piece of technology...or that of the desires of a gadget fiend to sate the hunger of acquiring more in his 'tech arsenal'? Well, after having lived with it for nearly 18 months, I'm ready to give my verdict...but first, a little backstory.

The thermostat that I had been using was a simple, 'dumb' digital thermostat which was included with the new HVAC system I had installed in 2007. Why 'dumb'? Because all it could do was display the temperature and operate in the mode the user selected - heat, cool, fan auto/on, auxiliary heat. That's it. It wasn't even programmable. And, if I'm being honest, I don't think it ever really worked that well. But hey - it was 'free'...well, it was included in the $7,000.00 HVAC installation, so perhaps 'free' isn't the correct word.

Anyway, it had done its job...plugging away...helping to keep us cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Year after year, season after season, it sat there - stupidly - sending a signal to the HVAC unit to heat or cool as the condition warranted and then sending another signal to turn off when the temperature had been reached. Until one day it didn't.

One weekend morning in March 2014, I began to emerge from my slumber and heard the HVAC system running. It had been a cool night, so the fact that the heat was running wasn't unusual. After a few minutes, while still lying in the bed, I heard the system turn off. As I lay there, pondering whether or not to get up, I heard the faint sound of the heat re-engaging. Knowing that wasn't right, I immediately sprang up to check the thermostat - maybe one of the kids had messed with it...I hoped.

Nope...no such luck. The thermostat indicated that the system wasn't running, and that the inside temperature was several degrees higher than the set temperature...yet the system was obviously still cranking out heat. After several minutes of troubleshooting, it was apparent that the thermostat was to blame. I knew that installing a thermostat to pre-existing wiring was a pretty simple task, so I headed off to a home improvement store to get a replacement.

But what kind of replacement? Another 'dumb' unit? How about something a tad smarter - something that could be programmed? Or...maybe...that awesome piece of HVAC hardware for which I'd been lusting for a while: the Nest Learning Thermostat. But was it worth it? At $250, it is significantly more expensive than other, less "intelligent" thermostats...but it has a svelte appearance, and the gadget fiend in me *really* wanted it. After a few minutes of internal debate, I opted for the Nest and headed home, ready for a quick installation.

Installation
Prior to even needing a new thermostat, I'd watched several videos about it...and almost all of them made it a point to say how easy the Nest is to install. Having seen many people, of vastly different skill sets, install it, I had little trepidation about the task ahead. After removing the faceplate from the old thermostat, I proceeded labeling the different wires as to their function (labels are included in the kit). Labeling complete, I unfastened the wires and removed the old thermostat from the wall...exposing a large, ugly hole in the drywall, from which the bundle of wires emerged.

As I examined the set-up, it was obvious that I would not be able to mount the thermostat directly to the wall. Though unfortunate, as it would diminish from the aesthetics a bit, Nest had included a mounting plate for just such a situation. However, using this plate meant that the length of the wires was just a tad too short. So I had to get the wire strippers out to cut the cable sheath so the individual wires would be the correct length. It took a bit of finagling (that's a proper engineering term - trust me), but I eventually had the wiring complete and the Nest mounted. After a quick boot-up process, it was now time to configure it. Was installation as easy as I was expecting? No...but it wasn't that difficult, either.

Configuration
Configuring the Nest was pretty simple. One connects it to their wireless network (you do have a wireless network, right?), answers a few simple questions, and then selects which mode to enable (heat, cool, heat/cool). One can get configure many, MANY more options via the web interface and/or the smartphone app.

Usability and Worth
OK, here is the information about which one is likely the most curious: How easy is it to use, and is it worth $250? To answer the first part, very. The settings, both on the thermostat itself and on the web/smartphone interfaces, are easy to understand and implement. Some settings - such as 'auto away' and 'time to temperature' - are only available once the Nest has had time to 'learn' the individual characteristics of one's home and HVAC system.

As for the latter part of the question, maybe. Yes, that's right - it might be worth $250...or it might not. It all depends on what one expects to get out of it. I hoped to see a noticeable decrease in my energy bill, but I didn't. Apparently, since I had set the Nest to the same temperatures that I had used on my 'dumb' thermostat, I was already in an energy-efficient 'zone'. Additionally, it is rare that my home is wholly devoid of people, so the Nest's 'auto away' feature was almost never utilized. Therefore, I was disappointed that I was unable to have the Nest 'pay' for itself in any real capacity.

However, I do enjoy being able to check, and change, the temperature from the comfort of my bed...or couch...or chair...or from halfway across the country. Not only can I check the temperature, but I can get a humidity reading, too...which was quite helpful this past Spring. Though the inside temperatures weren't bad, the humidity had risen to the point of concern for mold growth. Yes, I could "feel" that the humidity was high, but having definitive proof was definitely helpful.

Of course, all of this information at one's fingertips might also have a downside: I tended to micro-manage the HVAC settings. In a clever ploy to entice energy conservation, Nest gives a 'green leaf' indication on the thermostat if the settings are deemed to be 'energy efficient'. Much as an economy meter in a car may encourage one to drive with a lighter gas pedal, the green leaf may prompt one to turn the temperature up/down a few degrees to earn that coveted green leaf. I know I did that. In fact, I had the settings configured so that I earned a leaf EVERY DAY. I was in the top 5% of users in my area. Good, right?

Well, not so much. With all the 'good feelings' from the leaf awards, I could buy a coffee at Starbucks...so long as I also had $5.00. In the meantime, the people in the house were miserable because the humidity was unbearable. I live in Georgia...and if you've ever been here, you know that we're not known for our dry summertime air. With the AC running less, there was little opportunity for the HVAC system to pull the moisture out of the inside air. Dropping the temperature by 1 degree Fahrenheit (from 78F to 77F) made all the difference in the world. Humidity dropped nearly 20 percentage points and the house was comfortable...but I lost my leaf. Though I still occasionally feel that competitive tug, I've since given up on earning any awards for energy conservation. I don't know if Nest *really* differentiates geographic areas in their definition efficiency...but if they don't, I think it's important they do so since 90F in Atlanta is far more uncomfortable than 90F in Albuquerque. 

I also feel that Nest is missing out on a key supplemental product line: remote sensors. Though our house has two levels, we only have one HVAC system. If Nest were to produce a remote sensor I could place in the basement area, the main thermostat may conclude that simply turning on the fan for 15 minutes to 'stir' the air might reduce temperatures enough to preclude running the compressor for a while. Seems like a simple enough addition to the line.

Conclusion
Would I buy the Nest Thermostat again, given the opportunity? Possibly...but I would also take a closer look at some of the other systems out there. Seeing as how I gained no savings by integrating a smart thermostat, the key selling point (beyond price) is going to be the device's feature set and extensibility. There are more competitors in the market today, and though Nest is still the frontrunner, they're no longer the only player in the game.

Things I think I think...I think.

I know it's been a little while since I've posted anything - darn that writer's block! Of course, I just write for fun...and it's been busy at work lately...so you get what you get. I know I generally write about space-related topics, with an occasional tech tidbit thrown in...and this post will continue the trend, with some other items sprinkled-in. I welcome your input and would love to have a reasoned discussion on any/all of the items below.

Soyuz Progress M-27M Failure

Short response: I hate that the ISS won't receive this shipment of cargo and supplies. I know the astronauts aren't in dire need of supplies, but it's not as if everything that was sent was superfluous. I also hate that we have to rely on the Russians for anything. SpaceX's first successful crewed flight to the ISS can't come soon enough, and I hope OrbitalATK is able to quickly recover from the Antares failure. Couple that with ULA's reliable Atlas V and Boeing's forthcoming CST-100, and I hope we never need a scrap of anything launched from 'Mother Russia' ever again.

Long response: Probably best if I just stick with the short response.

Apple Watch
I briefly covered my preliminary thoughts about the Apple Watch in a prior blog post, but now that it's been released, have a changed my mind? No. Well...probably not. Ok...maybe. Crap. I don't know. I'm generally an early adopter, so that drives me towards wanting one. But the smugness that seems to emanate from Apple (more so than usual) over the thing makes me want to throw up in my mouth. Also, I'm still not quite sure how I'd use it. I might rather save my money for something else...maybe a GoPro. Or a new kayak. Or a replacement DSLR for my aging D50. All I know is that it's not taking a whole bunch of willpower to refrain from ordering an Apple Watch...and that might be telling me all I need to know about it.

NASA's EM Drive

Have you seen the news? NASA has designed an "impossible engine" that will open up the stars to humanity! Or so the stories would have you believe. While I'm not an engineer, I'm highly skeptical that this is what people think it is. I don't know why...but I don't believe it. I *want* to believe it...and I sincerely hope that it IS a game-changing method of propulsion...but something in my gut doesn't feel right. Well, it's either that or the refried beans I had with dinner...but I'm sticking with 'skeptical'. Hopefully we'll hear more about it soon - I'm interested to see what others, beyond a small group of "insiders", think about this.

iPhone 6 Plus
I had been using a Samsung Galaxy S4 as my work phone for a year (or so) and often complained about the unwieldy size of the phone and its cumbersome use one-handed. Once the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were released, I purchased an iPhone 6 to replace my iPhone 5 (which was handed down to my daughter) because I thought the 6 Plus would be too big and suffer from the same issues as the Galaxy S4. Fast forward a couple months and I upgraded my work phone to an iPhone 6 Plus (thanks, Dr. Stringbean!)...and I love it. Absolutely love it. I'll admit to being a bit of an Apple fan, but I'm a tech geek, in general. I wanted to like Android...but I never felt "at home" with it. Now that I'm back on iOS on my work phone, I've found my workflow is much smoother - contacting the technicians at the sites is more seamless...sharing files to other users is foolproof...and it's a more polished experience. Couple that with the exceptional display, which isn't nearly as bulky as it might appear, and the iPhone 6 Plus is a great phone. I wish I'd gotten one sooner.

Blue Origin's Test Flight
I don't know about you, but this seemed to come out of nowhere. I had heard nothing of an upcoming test, nor did I really take much stock of Blue Origin. I made the mistake once before not believing in an internet billionaire, and now I've done it again. I guess I really need to alter my perception of the capabilities of these "new space" companies and how quickly they might be relevant. I'm a huge fan of NASA and of a national space program...but maybe it's not so far-fetched to think that private space entities will soon surpass our national endeavors. I'll have to keep my eye on them...and, perhaps, not immediately dismiss the next Musk or Bezos that comes along. These are exciting times.

Our Lady of Perpetual Beta - a.k.a., 'Google'
We're testing some software that allows us to integrate Google's Cloud Print capability into our district's Active Directory infrastructure. It works far better than I expected save for one thing - a user must accept a shared printer via a full desktop browser before the Cloud Print capability will work on a mobile device. Really? That's not terribly convenient, Google. I know 'Google Cloud Print' is still in beta, but that's a pretty big stumbling block. Please fix it.



OK - that's all for tonight. I'm sure there's a bunch more I could have discussed that would bore you to tears, but I'll leave it at that. If there's something that piqued your interest or raised your ire, please leave a comment - I love a good discussion. Until next time, thanks for reading.

The Tablet Problem...

No, I'm not talking about my ex-wife's habit (we'll save that for another glorious installment of 'Crap Curt Thinks But Should Never Write'); rather, it's a statement outlining a major issue in supporting wireless communications (or wifi, if you prefer) in an iPad-rich (and the like) environment.

As you may know, I'm responsible for the wireless infrastructure (amongst other things) for one of the largest school districts in Georgia. We were one of the first in the nation to support wireless networking - we rolled-out (pun intended) mobile wireless notebook labs in 1998 - and started offering building-wide wifi in 2008. During this time, our number of users has more than doubled...we now support more than 45,000 people on our network (students and staff, combined). This is not an insignificant number.

When we first designed our building-wide wifi infrastructure, notebooks/laptops were the predominate mobile access technologies of the day. Smartphones, such as they were, were relatively rare...and tablets? What tablets? So our hardware placement was designed for notebooks/laptops...which have fairly robust antenna hardware. Computer hardware worked very well in this environment, with speeds no slower than 11 Mbps...though most were near the theoretical limit of the 802.11g standard of the day at 54 Mbps. Life was good, and users were happy.

Then, in April 2010, Apple introduced the iPad to the world. Though I thought the iPad nothing more than an oversized iPod Touch, the rest of the gadget-buying population disagreed with with me (upon actually using one, I had to re-evaluate my opinion - I love my iPad) and purchased them by the truckloads...and brought them to school to use on our wireless network. Good, right? No...not good. Not good at all.

You see, these wonderfully portable devices (along with the proliferation of usable smartphones) sacrifice some things to be so portable...and one of those things is antenna performance. While a laptop may have multiple antennas to ensure the best possible speeds, tablets and smartphone may only have one (to save space), which means a signal must be stronger to get the same speed. Considering that they're more susceptible to outside interference, and that the increasing numbers of "sacks-of-signal-killing-water" - also known as 'students' - negatively impact signal propagation, performance really began to suffer.

Step away from the consumer electronics...

Unfortunately for our users, our infrastructure was designed to support hardware with a greater antenna diversity than the hardware the users were now bringing on-site. You might be thinking: "Just run to the nearest electronics store and pick up another access point. Geez, dude, they're only like $75-$150 and work GREAT! It's not that hard." Well, yes, it IS that hard. When supporting large numbers of users, consumer-grade hardware doesn't work. It just doesn't. So we have to get enterprise-grade hardware...which isn't cheap. When I say "isn't cheap", I mean "in the thousands of dollars". Each. Times a couple hundred. Plus cabling. Plus additional network switches. Plus channel planning to reduce overlap/interference. Plus, plus, plus...

So, as you can see, increasing coverage for these new and wonderful devices was not, and is not, a trivial undertaking. We are currently evaluating the most cost-effective way to provide greater coverage, and faster speeds with the latest wireless tech, to our users with funds from a recently-passed bond initiative. Though I know they'd like to see us provide enhanced coverage sooner than later, it's imperative that we carefully consider the changing landscape of wireless tech and user devices else we run the same risk of designing for today rather than for tomorrow.

As we approach one-to-one devices on our network (we support more than 40,000 unique devices on our network in a 24-hour period) and move into many-to-one (meaning each user has more than one connected device), planning a robust and fault-tolerant infrastructure becomes even more important, if not downright critical. Providing wifi is no longer a secondary consideration; in fact, I might go so far as to say it's taken center-stage as the primary access method. Wires are soooo 2005, you know?

We've encountered many hurdles across the years supporting such a large wifi installation, some we've solved some with great aplomb and others continue to irritate us to this day. Maybe I'll address some of these in the future. Do you have any stories or questions? Be sure to let me know in the comments below.