Nest introduces $39 temperature sensor, ships in April

[Shawn Knight]

Working from home, I spend most of my time locked away in the office. Not literally, of course, but I do keep the door closed for much of the day to keep the overly affectionate cats off my desk. For whatever reason, they love to stand in front of the keyboard and use my monitor’s screen as a makeshift scratching post.

This creates an imbalance as I’m either heating or cooling the entire house just to get the desired temperature I want in the office. As such, I find myself frequently adjusting the thermostat. I’ve got a Nest already but it’s on the other side of the house and given my situation, its “learning” features aren’t as useful as they were at my previous residence.

Nest’s latest product, however, could solve all of my woes.

The Nest Temperature Sensor is exactly as it sounds – a remote temperature sensor that can be placed in any room in your house. Instead of reading the current temperature from your Nest thermostat (again, mine is on the other side of the house), it gathers temperature data from the sensor (which would be placed in my office) and adjusts the thermostat accordingly. It essentially helps you maintain a desired temperature in a given room where you might spend most of your time.

Nest’s new sensor works with the company’s third generation learning thermostat and the Nest Thermostat E. You can even put sensors in different rooms and choose which rooms to prioritize. It can be attached to the wall, placed on a bookshelf or seemingly even carried around from room to room (although that sounds like a bit of a hassle). Each sensor (you can pair up to six with a single thermostat) can be positioned up to 50 feet away from your thermostat.

The only shortcoming I see is that it doesn’t work with first or second generation Nest units. There are competing products already on the market (Ecobee makes one, for example) but if you’re already invested in Nest’s ecosystem, this looks like a solid option.

The Nest Temperature Sensor is available to pre-order from today. A single sensor will set you back $39 or you can get a three-pack for $99, a savings of $18.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/73734-nest-introduces-39-temperature-sensor-ships-april.html

 

[B5S46M]

I see no $99 special for a 3 pack anywhere on the Nest store site. When I select 3 my total is $117.

 

[mctommy]

Nest is way behind Ecobee on this one.

 

[NicktheWVAHick]

Without a zoned HVAC system this makes no sense. Why would I heat the rest of my house to 100F just so my corner downstairs floor-to-ceiling glass-enclosed bedroom makes it up to 70F? Just buy a space heater and close the damn door.

 

[captaincranky]

Without a zoned HVAC system this makes no sense. Why would I heat the rest of my house to 100F just so my corner downstairs floor-to-ceiling glass-enclosed bedroom makes it up to 70F? Just buy a space heater and close the damn door.

Yeah @Shawn Knight, you either need individual heaters, or servo actuated heating registers for central heating systems, for this to be worth a tinker's damn.

So, for this to be worth anything, you'd need to use individual electric heaters, with Nest controlling the power to them. Which really makes no sense, since space heaters already have thermostats on them.

It is sort of tragically hip though, that, "the new completely worthless", is $39.95, and no longer available through Amazon! .

BTW, I think cats like to chase the computer's mouse pointer. Just get a laser pointer, wave it around, and they'll follow that instead.

But then, I have a 20 pound Maine coon male, who you can draw away from anything, simply by showing him a food bowl.

 

[Jamlad]

Hmm. I was curious to buy temperature sensors for my home to see the effect of direction. Is the south side much warmer? etc.

But do either Nest or Ecobee sensors *require* thermostats, or do they still act as independent sensors?

edit Nest sensors require a thermostat: "The Nest Temperature Sensor requires a 3rd generation Nest Learning Thermostat or a Nest Thermostat"

 

[captaincranky]

Hmm. I was curious to buy temperature sensors for my home to see the effect of direction. Is the south side much warmer? etc."

They already make things dedicated to that purpose. These are know as "thermometers".