
Nest Acquires Home Automation Hub Revolv, but Will Stop Selling It - Duhck
http://recode.net/2014/10/24/nest-acquires-home-automation-hub-revolv-but-will-stop-selling-it/
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Someone1234
I really like Nest's products. They also own DropCam which makes good if a
little overpriced IP cams.

One big disappointment was that when Nest purchased DropCam they shelved
Dropcam's then up-coming "Tabs" which were security sensors which communicated
to a DropCam and you could receive alerts via their hub[0].

Honestly in the rush to home automation it really feels like security has been
ignored. Traditional security companies charge too much and their products are
antiquated ($30/month subscriptions anyone?).

A lot of people aren't comfortable with IP cams in their home for obvious
reasons. They would be more comfortable with motion sensors which connect into
a hub and allow you to receive push notifications when they're triggered on a
schedule.

I know for an elderly relative I wanted that exact setup. She was
uncomfortable with an IP camera in her home (which is reasonable) so I was
looking for a single motion sensor which would send me alerts so the same
thing could be accomplished without invading privacy.

Home security is ripe for disruption.

[0] [http://blog.dropcam.com/look-whats-next/](http://blog.dropcam.com/look-
whats-next/)

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IgorPartola
I looked into this, and ended up signing up for ADT.

As a software engineer, residential security systems bug the hell out of me.
Almost all of them are susceptible to someone coming up to your house and
snipping the phone and network cables before entering. That's right, these
systems do nothing if the connection is cut. There is no keep-alive.
Apparently, phone lines disconnect so much that if the security company called
the police every time it happened, there would be a lot more false positives
than actual emergencies. ADT does have a product that helps with this: they
use wired phone lines as well as cellular lines for communication. This setup
is harder to disrupt.

Moreover, almost all security systems are susceptible to a very simple attack:
run into the house and find the wiring panel. Then smash it. There, now no
call will be made to the monitoring station. Most "new" internet connected
panels suffer from this because they integrate the key pad and the central
unit into one easily smashable device that is typically installed right by the
entrance.

Also, I actually get a discount on my homeowner's insurance by having burglary
and fire protection installed. If I do this myself, no matter how clever, the
insurance company won't see it as a real system.

Realistically, if someone wants to get into your house, and grab something or
hurt you, they will. No security system you can afford will prevent that. What
you really want is a big fat ADT (or whatever) sign in your front yard, so
that the lowest level burglars simply move on. Fire protection is a whole
other game and at least to me is very important: I want to protect my
possessions, but even more importantly my pets.

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aj37
Surprised you went with ADT. [http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-home-
security-system/](http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-home-security-system/)

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IgorPartola
I looked at it, and FrontPoint would have cost me more up front and been $2-3
more per month. Yes, they have a better system, but as long as the smoke
detectors are monitored, I am happy. Having said that, no reason not to go
with someone better. I just happened to already have parts of the system in
the house I had moved into.

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dotBen
A number of Revolv's electrical engineers were not part of the acquisition,
and didn't receive job offers to migrate with the team Google/Nest. _(I
assumed because Google planned on shutting down the project and most of their
production is done in Asia)_

However if anyone is interesting in hiring a wicked-smart _(former)_ Revolv
electrical engineer/hardware engineer who also has software engineer
experience, let me know. They will be relocating to Bay Area anyway - my email
is in the last line of my profile.

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omarelamri
It's an acqui-hire; they want to build the most talented team so that they can
develop the best smart-home devices. They're going head-to-head against Apple,
but with a very different strategy. Apple is trying to build the best mobile
devices and the best SDK to create a huge market and a great dev environment
for developers to build devices for HomeKit. Google's strategy seems to be to
build their own great smart home devices.

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uptown
It's interesting to see Google preserve the Nest name for these business
dealings. Tells me they're very aware of the potential concern consumers are
likely to have inviting omniscience into their homes.

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notatoad
As I understand it, it isn't just the branding. Nest is still operating as an
independent entity that happens to be wholly owned by Google, not as a
division within Google's management structure.

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adrianlmm
Nest? you mean Google?

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Duhck
Google yes, but Nest is the acquirer technically. Same with the Dropcam
acquisition

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SEJeff
As a revolv owner, I was really pleased with the app, the hardware, and the
functionality. This actually makes me a bit sad as 3 of the 7 or so radios in
the Revolv hub weren't enabled, but were promise to be enabled later down the
road with a software update.

This basically means I might as well go back to my ISY-99i Pro with a bunch of
python glue code. _sigh_

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dmritard96
soooo, nest still wants the thermostat itself to be the hub. a power
constrained, proprietary hub with wifi and thread (when it is actually
released). Rather bizarre in my mind.

There seems to be a hub phobia. I'm not saying it makes tons of sense to have
multiple little servers for every device but I look at things like my kitchen
and wonder, which heating hub I would choose. my microwave, oven, toaster,
etc.

If there is going to be some kind of singular hub (which would be great) it
needs to run apps and have expansion capabilities for the radios. A nest will
not cut it. Also, without nest having thread enabled, the only way for things
to talk is over wifi (nest <-> api.nest.com) and http. not bad for consistency
but it sure would be nice to have all of the communication stay in the local
network.

On another note, my San Fran apartment doesn't have a thermostat....

