Does the Honeywell integrate with your utility to provide you rebates if you use their load shedding program? Does it have AirWave (the nest calculates how long it can keep running a fan over cold coils after shutting the compressor down to keep cooling your home while saving energy)? Does it integrate with Google Now? Does it show you the history of your heating or air conditioning over the last 7 days? Does it have an API you can interface with?
My 86 year old Grandmother loves her Nest. If she can use it, anyone can. Nest second place in the market. Puh-lease!
The tap through menus are anything but pleasant. Just watch this video:
https://youtu.be/YD3DfoJ3TVw?t=7m24s
To use a phone analogy it is like using a Nokia 3100 to write text messages, tap tap tap A, tap tap tap B, tap tap tap C. You have to do this literally in some cases to set the name.
Contrast that with this:
https://youtu.be/CmvX6YgAqMI?t=1m18s
To use the phone analogy once again, this is like using an iPhone to write text messages.
One is a modern accessible UX not dissimilar from a smartphone, the other is clunky and dated, you're working around limitations of the physical design.
> Does the Honeywell integrate with your utility to provide you rebates if you use their load shedding program?
Neither the Nest or Honeywell do.
> Does it have AirWave, integrate with Google Now, an API
It is a thermostat. It might have some of these, but they're beyond the scope of what I expect or would use from either one.
It does offer history, most smart thermostats do.
> Nest second place in the market. Puh-lease!
That's what people said about Blackberry too. I think touchscreen interfaces are a proven technology that consumers love.
The Nest could come back from this, they can offer additional product lines that address what their competitors are doing.
Some people legitimately do want a minimalist product. There is a real market for that. Others want a straight forward product with an iPad-like UX.
The Nest sales numbers are terribly high compared to Honeywell, and Nest has Google behind it. I wouldn't want to be Honeywell.
Limited sample size but between three furnace + air quotes proposed in August 2015, all three contractors recommended the Honeywell and all three contractors dismissed the Nest as a gimmick with lackluster functionality compared to the Honeywell.
And your Grandma won't even have to use it because it will maintain perfect 22C all year long due to its dual cooling/heating outputs.
But even old cheap digital thermostats with chicklet keys know to run the fan after turning off the furnace or AC[1].
Are you saying the Nest now has direct integration with utility real-time programs, or is this just a rebate check you get from your utility for buying the setback thermostat?
Many of these utility programs actively recruit customers, so chances are (a) you'll get a chance to sign up even if you own a different type of connected (e.g. WiFi) thermostat, and (b) the sign up process won't be hard.
https://rrtp.comed.com/live-prices/
I was asking if Nest can observe and respond to that data, which it looks like it still cannot.
Your house gets a couple of degrees warmer but you get a discount, your utility doesn't need additional generating capacity, and Google charges a fee to run the program.
Nest largely created this market, and their product is fine. But since the Nest appeared their competitors have upped their game and in my opinion overtaken the Nest. For example the "Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat," same price as the Nest, arguably easier to use, and doesn't require a third party app or website to get basic things done.
Nest might win awards for simplicity and design, and it is still better than traditional black & white thermostats with push buttons, but it definitely isn't leading the market at this point, in fact I'd argue Nest is sacrificing the user experience for the sake of that design.
I can teach my grandparents to use the Honeywell Smart Thermostat, I cannot say the same about Nest beyond the basics.