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.

————————————

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.
Facebook Twitter

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

1307 COMMENTS

  1. The Ring Video Doorbell would be so awesome to have because then I could see who’s at the door without actually having to be there and check on when a package is delivered!

  3. I’d love one of the Philips Hue Starter Kits! We already have a Nest thermostat and love it, but all of our lighting is “low-tech”. I’d love to be able to control our lights using modern technology!

  5. I would really love a smart self-learning thermostat in my house. The constant change in the weather from snowing a few days then sunny and warm the next week has made us readjust our thermostat constantly to keep us comfortable. A smart thermostat would allow us to set our house temperature according to our family’s needs.

  6. I’m really interested in the Ring video doorbell 2 for security reasons. To keep an eye on our packages that are delivered to our doorstep almost weekly and also to provide that extra security feature since the doorbell would capture our front street quite well I think.

  10. I would love to win the Nest Temperature Sensor – since we have a baby it’s important I know the temperature in her room, but also in our house.

  12. I would love to add the Nest Hello Wi-Fi Video Doorbell because I can see my front door area, including who is there or monitor any packages left.

  15. I would love a Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen! Saving energy and making my home more efficient and SMART!

  16. I would like a Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera
    My next door neighbour keeps stealing my rocks & firewood.

  19. We would love this We are moving into our new house.
    Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera
    #NestCamIQWi-FiOutdoor1080pSecurityCamera

  20. The ring video doorbell looks absolutely incredible and would be such an asset, hard to believe it can adapt and learn facial recognition.

  21. The Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera! My husband works night shifts often, so it would make me and my family feel a lot safer when he’s away working.

  26. I have always wanted to try the Google Home Mini – it would be great for those questions I have when my hands are too full to do a web search 🙂

  27. Nest Hello Wi-Fi Video Doorbell would be so handy for me. I have a lot of people come and go at my place this would be added security

  28. I’d give it to my brother who loves these types of things and who can use this when he is away.

  29. I’d like to add the Nest Thermostat because, as I sit here sweating when it’s 10 degrees out, my thermostat is dumb as…

  31. Amazon Echo Plus with Alexa – English – White would be awesome. Love to hear my jams on a decent speaker. Always wanted one.

  40. I’d like to add the NETGEAR Arlo Pro 2 Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Security because I want to be able to feel secure in my home

  42. NETGEAR Arlo Pro 2 Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Security System with 4 1080p HD Cameras – White – Best Buy Only

    There has been several breakins in Calgary lately. When you have security for your home your insurance rates also go down. Right now we could definitely use the break on our insurance. We have had some really high expenses lately. We sold our house so we had to move into my sister’s house temporarily. We had to downsize due to finances. Now we need to complete a second move. First move cost over $1500.00. Second one will probably be higher because of all the steps at our condo. Winning this prize would definitely help.

  44. I’d like to use the Nest thermostat so that I can program it lower during the day, but warmer when we return home.

  46. To start with the Google Home would be awesome for my wife and I due to mobility problems. I’ve wanted to get her this kind of set up for a while for her own sense of security and my own piece of mind when I’m at work or out getting groceries etc. We both use Android phones so to set it up would be relatively easy I would think.

    Thank you.

  47. I would love to have the Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera for safety when home but also to keep an eye on what might be happening while I am away from the house.

  48. Since I do a ton of online shopping,
    I would love to get the Ring Video Doorbell. That way I could see when the package is dropped off – or “removed” From the front door!

« Older Comments Newer Comments »

Comments are closed.