tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274150211000513442.post8610040842277176893..comments2024-02-20T00:19:01.002-08:00Comments on BH251 @ Loyola University Maryland: The Nest Learning ThermostatProf. Paul Tallonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285551689564261656noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274150211000513442.post-67474463959364362172012-10-26T14:23:04.551-07:002012-10-26T14:23:04.551-07:00Alanna, this is a very interesting topic, and one ...Alanna, this is a very interesting topic, and one that can benefit many different types of homes. My family has a thermostat that we can program to alter the temperatures, day-to-day depending on our schedule. I have always thought this was neat technology until I had a day off from school in the winter and realized the heat was off and I thought I was going to freeze. On these occasions, I would love to have a Nest thermostat that would be able to sense that I am in the house before I realize I need to change the temperature when it is already too late. I am a little skeptical, however, about how this thermostat can be in one room and sense that a person is in the opposite side of the house, but if it works, I definitely think this product will be a great investment for people with irregular schedules to consider.<br /><br />Along with Nest’s feature to recognize that a person is the house, maybe this technology could use it’s Wifi capabilities to notify the owner, on his or her smartphone, that someone is in the house at a certain time when no one is expected to be there. This could be useful in the case of a house burglary. <br /><br />Also, another great feature of this product is its ability to take into account outside weather that goes against the seasonal norm. For instance, even though we started having a few cold weeks in the dorms on campus, the heat would not be turned on because the temperature was not consistently cold yet. This resulted in many nights of sleeping in sweatpants, sweatshirts, winter socks, and extra blankets because the AC made our room colder than outside. If Loyola had this technology, it might have been easier to predict that the weather was going to get cold and prepare accordingly, instead of waiting until it happened and not being able to do anything about it. <br /><br />Similarly, with Hurricane Sandy’s approach, Nest would be a great asset to have. Because this is such an irregular weather pattern than we have experienced in the last few weeks, having a thermostat adjust itself can be so much easier than someone forgetting to make a change and suffering the consequences later. <br /><br />One more feature that I thought was very unique is Nest’s smartphone and wifi capabilities. This is being seen with many new products on the market today, but being able to control your thermostat using your phone is pretty awesome. For a family whose tech-savvy person travels a lot, having this is great. My mom always struggles with technology, including our thermostat. She never knows if changing it had any effect. So, it would be very beneficial if my dad had a way to change this while he was away on business. Also, I think it’s great that Nest tells you the time a room will reach the desired temperature so that people know not to panic if 2 minutes after changing the thermostat, the temperature doesn’t seem to have changed.<br /><br />I think this is a very innovative product that will definitely be a favorite many consumers. This seems to be the new age of technology, so it’s very cool to see a thermostat that is keeping up with the technological desires of people. <br />Colleen Folanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05368215603224085170noreply@blogger.com