You may or may not of heard that the search giant, Google, is interested in buying a company that makes Internet thermostats and smoke alarms. The company is called Nest
and they have been making the luxury devices since 2011. The technology is actually somewhat new and a look online will yield mixed results on the reviews.
Some say that the Nest thermostats work ok while others complain of inaccurate temperatures or temperatures changing to values that are different then what they requested. I am sure overtime that all these bugs will be worked out.
But, back to the main question of why Google would want to buy a thermostat company? In my opinion, it is all related to advertising. If Google spends a lot of money on a project it is so it can learn more about you. Just look at how a Smart Thermostat works. The system adapts to your lifestyle by remembering when and at what temperature you do certain things throughout the day. The thermostat works from an app that is installed on your phone. All you do is call up the app and then you put your desired tempera
Remember these devices work over the Internet and if Google owns the company, they will know when you are home, when you are away and at what temperature you keep your house set to. This would allow them to use that information for advertising purposes. Some people say that they might be interested simply because they think they can make money on an upcoming market, but I think it is for advertising.
True in your phone and the thermostat magically responds. Lets say, for example, you are on your way home from work and the temperature is a sweltering 90 degrees outside (if you guessed we are in Florida you are right). All you need to do is call up your app and tell your thermostat you will be home in 2 hours and you want the house at 76 degrees. Your system will now be a pleasant temperature when you get home.
What about hackers? I can see it now, the thermostat scam coming to a town near you. A hacker breaks into your Smart Thermostat system and shuts down your AC on the hottest day of the year. Then out of the blue you get a phone call from an unknown company saying that they have detected a problem with your AC, we can remote into your smart thermostat and diagnose the problem for 265.00. The hackers then collect the money turn on the AC and a new scam is born.
Personally, I think I will keep using my trustworthy programmable Honeywell and keep my personal room temperature habits out of the sight of the prying eyes of the Internet.
Posted By, Ross Deprey from Computergeeksonline.net
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