Lightsabers and flying cars might not exist yet, but you have to admit, science fiction gets it right sometimes. Just look at the smart home. Today, building a hi-tech smart home is no longer just a far-fetched, futuristic imagining of a visionary storyteller. And Google and Nest are spearheading the drive to make every home at least a little smarter.

Nest thermostats, for example, have opened up new possibilities for how smart home tech can be integrated together. And, since Google acquired Nest in 2014, Google’s products work seamlessly within the Nest framework for a perfectly coordinated symphony of home convenience, security, and energy efficiency.

Read on to learn how smartening up your living space can enrich you and your family’s life, and then enter this contest for a chance at winning the grand prize, which includes enough goodies to build your own domestic ecosystem. There are also second and third place prizes to be won!

A snapshot of smarter living with Nest and Google

If you’re a long time reader of the Best Buy Canada Blog, I’m sure you’ve read a lot about smart home technology by now in articles such as Leonard Bond’s comprehensive breakdown of Works with Nest, or Elliot Chun’s smart home series. But, if you’re still wondering what exactly a smart home is and how it can complement your day-to-day life, allow me to paint a picture of what life can be like in an AI-enabled home. And by simply entering this contest, living in a tech-enhanced home could soon be your reality:

Nest Smart Learning Thermostat

You pull up the driveway at the same time you do every day. It’s late Fall and Jack Frost is starting to make his presence felt with cold winds that let you know that it’s the beginning of a long winter. You hurry to the front door to escape the icy chill and step into cozy comfort. Your energy-efficient Nest Thermostat has learned what time you usually come home and turned itself on a few minutes before you arrive—no more waiting for cold rooms to heat up!

Voice-controlled Google Home answers questions, plays your music, and controls other smart devices, including Nest

 

 

As soon as you’ve settled in, you go to the kitchen to get dinner ready. It’s cheat day, you’re craving carbs, and everyone in the family loves Italian food, so you ask your voice-activated Google Home to tell you about a recipe for a tasty pasta dish, request some good cooking music, and set a timer to ensure your pasta is perfectly al dente, all without lifting a finger.

Just as dinner is ready to serve, your smartphone vibrates with a notification: your Nest Cam IQ in the front yard has detected someone you know in the driveway. Seconds later, your Nest Hello video doorbell rings. It uses facial recognition to identify the person and transmits the message to Google Home to tell you that your mother is at the door.

As you take your mother’s coat, your partner arrives with your hungry toddler fresh out of daycare. The four of you sit down to dinner and you ask Google to dim the lights and play some nice background music. After dinner, you and your other half head out to the movie theatre for date night while your little one and Grandma stay in to watch a Disney classic.

Nest Cam IQ records in 1080p and boasts a wide-angle lens to capture the entire room

At the theatre, before the movie begins, that familiar feeling of separation anxiety hits you right on time, and you wonder if everything is okay at home. Plus, you’ve also got a niggling feeling that you left the cooker on. With Nest Cams in the nursery, living room, and kitchen, as well as outside in the front and back yards, you open the Nest App to view the Full HD live feed on your smartphone.

Live feed on the Nest App of your kitchen’s Nest Cam IQ

 

While baby plays happily in the living room, you can see Grandma is reading nearby with a blanket over her shoulders. You adjust the room’s temperature from your phone so they’ll be nice and cozy. Then you switch over to your kitchen Nest Cam. It has a perfect view of the entire room with its wide angle lens, and you zoom in on your range. It’s off. Priceless peace of mind! Now, you can relax.

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This scenario only scratches the surface of how a smart home ecosystem can make your life more convenient. Nest and Google have been working tirelessly to make premium smart home products accessible to everyone. Installation is a doddle, and, as you can see, every individual item works together and can be controlled with your voice or from an app on your smartphone. There’s lots of goodies to be won in this contest, and if you’re wondering what other gear you’ll need to make a smart home platform work seamlessly in your house or apartment, remember this general rule of thumb: If you have a smartphone, you can have a smart home. It’s as simple as that.

HOW TO ENTER:

You can only submit one entry for this contest. Browse Best Buy’s smart home catalog, and in a comment below this article, tell us one smart home product that you would like to add to your daily life and why.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN:

We will randomly draw three winners. One person will win the grand prize, one person will win the second prize, and one person will win the third prize. The prizes are shown here, and also in the Rules and Regulations posted below.

Grand Prize 2nd Prize
 

  • Nest Temperature Sensor
  • Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen
  • Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera
  • Nest Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera
  • Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Indoor 1080p IP Camera
  • Nest Cam Wi-Fi Indoor IP Camera – Black
  • Nest Hello Wi-Fi Video Doorbell
  • 2 x Google Home Mini
  • Google Home
  • Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera
  • Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Indoor 1080p IP Camera
  • Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen
  • Nest Temperature Sensor
  • Nest Hello Wi-Fi Video Doorbell
  • Google Home

 

3rd Prize

  • Nest Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera
  • Google Home Mini

This contest runs from October 15th until October 28th.

Remember, you can only enter once. However, you probably know someone who would love to add some incredible smart products to their home, so please share this contest and they too will have a chance to win one of these prizes.

Win Google and Nest Smart Home Goodies Rules and Regulations

Good Luck.  

We frequently have many contests running at Best Buy, so check out the “contests in progress” page for more great contests to enter.
Kevin McElligott
Kevin McElligott
Kevin cut his teeth as a journalist writing articles for trade publications in Dublin. He moved to Vancouver and honed his craft first as a copywriter, and now as an Editor at Best Buy. He enjoys cooking when he has the time, playing soccer, and just recently ran in his first marathon. Fitness is important to him, and he needs the exercise thanks to his fondness for donuts.
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1307 COMMENTS

  1. I would love to have the Nest Protect Wi-Fi Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm as you can never have enough safety products in your home

  2. nest thermometer so that I don’t waste heat or ac while I’m not home. But the temp is perfectly ready for when i get home.

  4. The smart home product that i would like to add to my daily life is Nest Cam IQ records in 1080p, because is a great products and i would love to watch my family play together why doing other things. thanks for the chance.

  5. Need this to keep my tenant safe in his apartment as he comes in from work late at night, and knowing he could see what is going on before he gets out of his vehicle would give me peace of mind, He watches my business for me too

  6. The Nest Hello wi-fi Video doorbell would be awesome as you’d always feel safer answering the door by knowing who is there!

  7. I would add Belkin Wemo Mini Smart Plug to my daily life so that I can control anything that is plugged into it. I would be able to turn on or off the lights from anywhere in the world or I can schedule times for my lights or appliances to come on or to go off.

  8. Nest Hello Wi-Fi Video Doorbell,my doorbell doesn’t work anymore because my 0 key is broken and I can’t reset the settings because I need the 0 key

  10. The Nest Hello Wi-Fi Video Doorbell because I could see when something is delivered to my home, and for piece of mind.

  12. I would definitely like the Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera in order to keep an eye on my home and protect my two children.

  13. Love to win the Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera. Extra security is always good to have and will help to deter any thieves or vandals.

  18. I would love the Nest Hello doorbell, my husband travels a lot for work, leaving my new baby son and I alone. We want to install security system but cannot afford it, and have always wanted a Nest doorbell system since I saw the display in Best Buy!

  22. I would love to add a Nest Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera in order to add some security and monitoring around our home.

  23. Have been contemplating getting a Nest Thermostat for a while now. The old programmable one we have just can’t be turned on early should we be arriving sooner like the Nest can.

  24. I would like the Nest Hello WiFi Video Doorbell because I can monitor home security either at home or from distance by using mobile device. This greatly gives me peace of Mind.

  25. Nest wifi Smart learning thermostat is my dream gadget. It gives us the potential benefits:
    Economical: Smart thermostats save energy and cutting utility bill for long run;
    Comfort: They give intelligent and adaptive temperature, which can all help create an inviting environment;
    Command: We also choose smart home devices from distance by using mobile device.

  29. Living in a sketchy neighbourhood, I would like the NETGEAR Arlo Pro Wireless Security System with 2 HD Cameras so my family would feel more secure.

  30. I would love the google home. Everything handy by one voice command. Id love to smart home my house. BestBuy is my favorite store.

  32. I’d love to have Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat for both the convience, comfort, and environmental benefits.

  33. There are soamy products for a smart home that are on my “one day” list.
    The main one would likely be the smart bulbs because they are the most affordable and I would LOVE to have control over them from bed instead of stumbling in the dark every morning. This morning I caught my 4yo with a step stool at the top of the stairs at 6am trying to turn on the lights without waking me up. So I would really be happy to have a timer option to avoid potential accidents with my kiddos running around.

    But if I was able to dream big – I would love a security system including door locks, the ring doorbell and camaras. Being able to see what’s going on around your home and ensure safety (especially with my kids running around all the time) would be SO HELPFUL!
    *One day*

  44. I would like a Nest x Yale Wi-Fi Smart Lock for the key less entry feature, among many other features, to get me into the house even when loaded down with goods.

  45. I would love the Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera as it would make me feel more safe, especially since there have been quite a few break-ins in our neighbourhood

  46. Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation – would add simplicity to heat and cooling. Energy efficient saving money!!

  48. Nest Hello doorbell would be very advantageous. It can be very scary answering a door without knowing who’s on the other side

  50. I would love to win the nest outdoor 1080p security camera. It would make me feel safe and secure at home.

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