Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

HomeKit Support for Nest Smart Products Unlikely Anytime Soon

MacRumors said:



Rumors that smart thermostat maker Nest is considering adding Apple HomeKit support to its product range appear to be premature, according to a report on Thursday. AppleInsider spoke to a Nest employee who apparently confirmed there are "no immediate plans" to support Apple's smart home platform and "no roadmap" for such a migration.

The rumors were apparently stoked by Apple's announcement at the Worldwide Developers Conference that it has taken steps to make it easier for third parties to integrate the smart home platform into their devices, followed by a comment recently attributed to Nest that it would "consider HomeKit".

nest-thermostat-800x472.jpg

At the present time, HomeKit-enabled smart products require a hardware authentication chip to make them compatible with Apple's Made-For-iPhone program. At WWDC, however, Apple said it was updating its specification so that smart products won't have to include a hardware chip and will be able to authenticate through software instead. The news sparked suggestions that some older products could theoretically be upgraded to support HomeKit using a firmware upgrade.

HomeKit has enjoyed fairly wide support among smart gadget manufacturers, but the Google-owned Nest brand has never been on that list. Apple removed Nest products from its stores in 2015 shortly after the first HomeKit-compatible products became available for purchase.

Nest owners needn't completely give up hope for HomeKit support, as manufacturers have occasionally added the standard to products via upgrades well after they have come to market. Add to that Apple's looser licensing and authentication restrictions for HomeKit and it's not impossible that Nest will come around to the platform one day.

Article Link: HomeKit Support for Nest Smart Products Unlikely Anytime Soon
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1497645362][/doublepost]Having done battle with the Nest I'm ditching it in favor of Ecobee. Like others I was not aware of Homekit compatibility and was suckered down the rabbit hole by IOS app availability.
 
Sy7ygy said:
You are right in the aspect that there is a *lot* of crap around. HomeKit for example has, typically.. garnered a false 'premium' for HomeKit accredited devices. The fact is, Siri is awful and Apple have no way to develop it further since the original Siri team left - what a surprise.

It gives a bad name to the whole 'Smart Home' perception - Google on the other hand (and Amazon w/ Alexa) however, are nailing it. Devices are cheaper and JUST as good - 90% made with the same materials and same tech, yet cost up to 75% less. The software is superior and the integration has come along nicely.
Click to expand...

Yes but why do we need home automation? Standby power alone will jack up the electricity bill. Besides buying all the crap that may or may not work with everything else. Just seems stupid to have a home "plugged in".
 
NtDs90 said:
Yes but why do we need home automation? Standby power alone will jack up the electricity bill. Besides buying all the crap that may or may not work with everything else. Just seems stupid to have a home "plugged in".
Click to expand...
For the same reason we have cable TV and garage door openers and garbage disposals or dish washers. None of those are "needed" compared to the alternatives, and they all cost money and use extra electricity. But they bring a level of convenience to the house that some people like, whereas others find no value (and added hassle) with them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WilliamG, nwcs, rhett7660 and 1 other person
JarvisMeier said:
You can already add unofficial HomeKit support with a computer (Mac or raspberry Pi) and the HomeBridge software here https://github.com/nfarina/homebridge

I've got smartthings, nest, sonos, and belkin wemo working through HomeKit with this.
Click to expand...
I'm also running WeMo thru Homebrigde,so when they implement HomeKit sw authentication only does that mean we'll no longer need to use Homebridge for WeMo?
 
  • Like
Reactions: sd70mac and aristobrat
Red Oak said:
Nest is hostile to Apple and Apple customers. I would have never installed it if I knew it would be bought by Google. Product improvements including software updates just seen to have ceased

I be switching out soon to something (likely Ecobee) that is HomeKit compatible
Click to expand...

Agreed. Nest was started by Apple people and was totally great. The Google purchase was the worst thing that ever happened to them.

Unfortunately, I'm way too invested in the Nest infrastructure to change. If they ever add Homekit support it will give me hope, but I'm not holding my breath. I have a huge concern that one day Google will just pull the plug on the entire thing, and I'll be left with a ton of unsupported, non-cloud-connected dumb products.
 
I really wish these guys would get on. I love Nest thermostats but I do wish they had HomeKit support. Nest thermostats are the only ones on the market that actually look nice and look like something that you would like to have on your wall. Unfortunately, all the HomeKit supporting ones look ugly as sin or like naff knock off versions of the Nest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sd70mac
ButteryScrollin said:
But ugly. I'd happily replace my Nest for a HomeKit compatible one if something looked as good as Nest.
Click to expand...

Call me a snob but I've yet to find any thermostat that belongs in a museum. The Ecobee looks like a thermostat. The Nest looks like a thermostat. Da Vinci's they are not. But practical and work fantastic? Hell yeah, the Ecobee 3 is a gem, especially with HomeKit. A thermostat is a tool, not a work of art. Who cares what it looks like. One is squarish, one is round. I don't really see much difference in that aspect.
 
JarvisMeier said:
You can already add unofficial HomeKit support with a computer (Mac or raspberry Pi) and the HomeBridge software here https://github.com/nfarina/homebridge

I've got smartthings, nest, sonos, and belkin wemo working through HomeKit with this.
Click to expand...

Yep, that is exactly what I do. I also run something else called habridge, that lets Alexa talk to the non compliant stuff too. I even have my iKettle by smarter working through Siri with "hey Siri, turn on the kettle" :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: sd70mac
JeffyTheQuik said:
Exactly, but I have a more nefarious view of using "the Cloud".

Let's say, for example, The State of California says that you don't need your house to be 72°, but has determined that you would be just fine at 85°. With the "the Cloud", the automation is done, and you don't really have a say in the matter without resorting to a paper clip to short the terminals together.

Acceptable losses during the heat wave are 1 person in 10,000,000, so it's OK if 50 people die, except, of course, if you're one of them. All for the greater good, of course.

Don't worry, there will be an appeal process, but unfortunately, there will be a 6 month delay on appeal hearings.
Click to expand...
They are already pushing that here in California. Getting "offers" from Honeywell to upgrade my thermostat software to allow this. "Offers" from Edison to attach a device to the AC itself that I can turn off if I choose (for now).

You know this will end up being required to get permits soon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JeffyTheQuik
ikramerica said:
They are already pushing that here in California. Getting "offers" from Honeywell to upgrade my thermostat software to allow this. "Offers" from Edison to attach a device to the AC itself that I can turn off if I choose (for now).

You know this will end up being required to get permits soon.
Click to expand...
You can still manually override it. And if you get solar panels and a backup battery, you would be placing less load on the power grid, too.
 
Though I had the choice to get a Nest or Ecobee I chose the Nest at the time. I live in a single level condo and having sensors placed throughout the place seemed a bit too much. I have enjoyed my Nest and it has saved me some money. Even though I can't say "Siri, lower the temperature to 72 degrees fahrenheit" I do have an app on my phone that allows me to easily do so with from anywhere in the world and that is enough for me for now.

​
 
  • Like
Reactions: sd70mac
The "new" Chamberlain MyQ Homebridge states that it's compatible with Nest. The MyQ Homebridge is also HomeKit Supported. So, has anyone tried it? I have the MyQ Homebridge for my garage door opener (reason I purchased it), but the possibility of it controlling my thermostat, namely the Nest, would be major influence on my thermostat purchase in the future. One (not the only) of the biggest reasons for not purchasing a Nest yet is the fact that it hasn't supported HomeKit.

https://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/smartphone-connectivity/myq-home-bridge
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4141.png
    IMG_4141.png
    488.8 KB · Views: 79
Last edited:
@Flash.AWOL, it looks like it's the MyQ iOS app that's brings the Nest compatibility, not the piece of hardware you linked to (their MyQ Home Bridge). You should be able to download the MyQ app now, create an account, and then Link your Nest, even if you don't have any MyQ hardware. Their app will use the Internet to connect to Nest. HomeKit isn't involved in that process.
 
aristobrat said:
@Flash.AWOL, it looks like it's the MyQ iOS app that's brings the Nest compatibility, not the piece of hardware you linked to (their MyQ Home Bridge). You should be able to download the MyQ app now, create an account, and then Link your Nest, even if you don't have any MyQ hardware. Their app will use the Internet to connect to Nest. HomeKit isn't involved in that process.
Click to expand...

That would be an interesting twist. I don’t have a Nest though so I can’t confirm that. Can someone that does confirm that please?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back