Last month, I made the move into my first house, a significant milestone after years of navigating the ins and outs of New York City apartments. One of the first things I invested in was a refurbished third-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, a device I had long observed from a distance, wondering how a thermostat became such a cornerstone in Google’s hardware lineup.
Admittedly, my timing was slightly off, with Google just launching the fourth-generation model. But as my financial adviser sagely noted when I was buying my house, “the best time to buy a house is last year.” If you spend your life waiting for the perfect moment, you’ll miss out on many opportunities.
This summer has been brutally hot, and I’ve gained a new appreciation for the Nest. However, I quickly realized that purchasing a used one on eBay wasn’t the best idea — it struggled to maintain a Wi-Fi connection. Still, beyond giving me access to central air, this thermostat installation has given me something more valuable: confidence.
After years of apartment living, where maintenance issues are often handled by a landlord, I had begun to doubt my ability to tackle even the simplest of home improvement tasks. But on a sweltering July afternoon, I took the plunge. I cut off the house’s power, removed the old digital thermostat, and wired up the Nest. To my surprise — and relief — not only did I avoid a trip to the ER, but the installation worked perfectly, despite the Wi-Fi glitches.
Encouraged by my success, I tackled a few more minor electrical projects around the house. Each completed task boosted my confidence. So when the fourth-generation Nest finally arrived at my door, I was ready. Unboxing and setting up the new model took just a few minutes, and it was running without a hitch. Your experience might vary, of course, depending on the compatibility of your HVAC system.
For me, the installation process was straightforward: cut the power, remove the old thermostat, disconnect the wires, swap out the wall plates, and snap the new model in place. The Google Home app provides a step-by-step guide, making the whole process even easier. This time, the thermostat connected to my home Wi-Fi without a problem, and we were good to go.
One of the key new features of the fourth-gen Nest is the addition of a second sensor. This pebble-shaped accessory can be placed anywhere in your home, providing the thermostat with a more accurate read of your home’s temperature. The more sensors you add, the better it understands the overall climate of your house. My home is on the smaller side, so one sensor is sufficient for now.
Another neat feature of the new model is its ability to display the current weather conditions outside, thanks to its onboard sensor and any additional sensors you might have. This data, combined with the system’s AI, allows the thermostat to adjust your home’s temperature intelligently. For instance, if it’s a sunny winter day and your home naturally warms up, the system will pause heating to save energy. Conversely, on a humid day, the system might adjust the temperature to ensure it feels just right indoors.
This intelligent adjustment is at the heart of what makes the Nest Learning Thermostat so effective. It’s designed to analyze your habits and preferences, learning over time to maintain your ideal temperature range with minimal energy waste. While it’s too early to fully evaluate the long-term benefits of the fourth-gen model, it’s clear that Google’s use of AI continues to improve the user experience.
Beyond its smart features and ease of installation, one thing that stands out immediately is the thermostat’s design. Much like its predecessors, the fourth-gen Nest is a visually appealing piece of hardware. Before the original Nest Thermostat was introduced in 2011, most people didn’t give much thought to how their thermostat looked. But with Nest, Google brought an Apple-like level of design sophistication to the device, turning it into the iPod of thermostats.
The new model features a 2.7-inch display that’s 60% larger than its predecessor, now stretching from edge to edge. In fact, the screen is larger than the base, creating a mushroom-like profile when viewed from the side. Google has made good use of this expanded curved display, incorporating a proximity sensor that activates whenever someone is nearby. Depending on your preferences, the screen can display various faces, including different clocks, the weather, or the usual thermostat information.
In my home, the thermostat is the first thing you see upon entering, mounted prominently on the opposite wall. It immediately catches the eye, making it the perfect spot for a display that provides additional information. While it’s not a full-fledged smart display, the extra info it offers is a nice touch for anyone passing by.
The Nest Learning Thermostat remains a standout in industrial design, with fresh updates that help it blend seamlessly with other smart home devices and the home’s overall aesthetic. Google has retained the rotating interface, complete with the tactile clicks that made the original model so satisfying to use. This is one of those design elements that continues to set Nest apart from its competitors.
As Google pushes to revitalize its smart home offerings for the era of generative AI-powered assistants, it makes sense to return to the product that started it all. While the fourth-generation thermostat may not represent a complete overhaul after nine years, it’s still a solid evolution of a device that has managed to stay relevant despite increasing competition in the smart thermostat market.
At $280, the Nest Learning Thermostat is certainly an investment — especially for a product that most people didn’t think twice about just a decade ago. But given its design, functionality, and the continued refinement of its features, it’s a device that I’m more than happy to keep on my wall for the foreseeable future.
