The Nest Thermostat is getting a welcome update, bringing Matter support to the connected thermostat.
Source: Google
It’s been a slow roll-out for Matter, with potentially over a hundred products in the pipeline but only a fraction of those actually arriving to retail over the past few months. And if you’ve been looking to use your existing products, major companies that have signed on to support the protocol have been moving at a snail’s pace to get its products updated. But that’s to be expected with something new and with so many moving parts involved. Luckily, Google is finally bringing Matter support to its Nest Thermostat, just four months after it initially announced the update.
Google shared an update through its Nest Community Blog, letting users know that an update was rolling out to the Nest Thermostat that would bring support for Matter. While the update is rolling out today, the blog post did also state that users might not see it on day one, as it will be rolling out fully over the coming weeks. But fear not, you won’t have to do anything on your end, just let the update come naturally. Those that have a Nest Thermostat, the 2020 model as seen in the image above, will most likely be quite elated, as this means the product can now be controlled through a supported smart home platform like Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.
If you’re a user that has invested in other Google products, you will now also be able to control your Nest Thermostat through your Home, Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Hub, and other Google products. While movement by Google puts a bit more pep in Matters step, we’re still a long way from having a cohesive smart home experience. The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) which is composed of over 500 companies, and includes founders like Apple, Samsung, and Amazon have already shown off what Matter is capable of during its launch event.
During the event, the alliance touted 190 products with certification or in the certification process. Previously there were just too many different platforms for smart home products and while this kind of cohesion seemed like a pipe dream at one time, it’s slowly becoming a reality and picking up more steam. Best of all, while there are large companies involved it’s still designed to be an open protocol, even having its own GitHub repository.
While there’s excitement for new products, the real benefit comes when older generation products get updated to work for Matter. Of course, not all devices will be compatible or updated, but there’s a higher chance your product will be updated if your device is produced by a company supporting Matter. While it will take some time for things to get fleshed out, as long as the products or companies your purchasing from support Matter, you should be able to eventually connect all your devices together seamlessly at some point.
Google Nest Thermostat
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At $90, the Nest Thermostat is a great deal. If you’re looking to turn your home into a smart home, a smart thermostat is a sound purchase.