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:
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!
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.
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.
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 |
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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. |
The Nest Smart Lock, so that we’re never locked out again and have peace of mind that everything is secure.
I would LOVE the Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat! Being able to control the temperature in our house remotely, as well as saving money on our heating bill would be fantastic!
The security cameras because there has been a lot of crime going on in our neighbourhood.
Nest thermostat to programme effectively
Google home because it would be nice to have a personal assistant.
thermostat 3rd generation to stay warm this coming winter
A nest learning thermostat so that when I wake up and till I go sleep my house knows what temperature it should be.
what a great prize, would be so helpful for the house
Love to adjust temperature while away
I’m intrigued by the video doorbell as I’ve never heard of that before.
WOULD BE BETTER THAN RELYING ON TWO OLD DOGS.
I would like the video doorbell for extra security.
The nest helo video doorbell would make me feel safer answering the door.
Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera , for some added security!!!
Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera , for some extra security.
The Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera would be really neat to setup around the house to double check if the garage was closed after leaving.
The Smart Home product that I would love to add to my daily life in the Nest Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera so that I can have security around my home, and feel more confident when I am home alone
Our house never feels right would love Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen
Nest hello video doorbell
The Smart Home product that I would love to add to my daily life in the Nest Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera so that I can have security around my home
One smart home product that I’d love to have is the Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi outdoor security camera. I have 5 children and it freaks me out that someone has come right up to our veranda and stolen our bicycles. Even though they haven’t entered the house I still feel uneasy because my space has been invaded and I feel a little helpless because I couldn’t help with a police report. I could only give a timeline.
It would be great to add the thermostat to the house now that winter is coming, i’m all for energy saving
The NETGEAR Arlo Pro Wireless Security System with 4 HD Cameras would be wonderful to have because it would make me feel so much safer in my home knowing I’m protected from intruders
I already own the thermostat but I would love to get the security camera system.
I would love to add the Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation – Polished Steel to my life because it would be great to help with the temperature in my house and to save on electricity!
Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera , for some added security
The Ring Floodlight Cam would be great to help keep an eye on the side of my house that has no windows (well except for the small basement window). I would like to keep my eye out for my elderly neighbour. He always is doing something which is good, but sometimes he does more than he should and never asks for help. I would feel bad if he fell on some ice and I couldn’t help him out.
I would love the NEST thermostat. My husband has been talking about these and it would be a nice surprise for him.
Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Indoor 1080p IP Camera -> would be great to watch the grandchildren while I’m cooking
Nest video doorbell!! But it all looks great !
I would add an outside camera
I couldn’t live without the netgear-arlo-pro-2-wireless-indoor-outdoor-security-system-with-4-full-hd-cameras-solar-panel. With so many break-ins in our neighbourhood this would give my family added security and maybe prevent my home from being a target for thieves. I like that it is wireless and love that it is solar powered.
The Netgear Arlo Pro 2 wireless security system because we are looking for a system to make us feel more secure and to deter would be burglars.
I would love to utilize the nest hello wifi video doorbell. The facial recognition and ability to communicate with google home , makes me feel my tech is working with me so I feel safe and secure love it!
Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera. We’ve recently had numerous break ins in the neighborhood. Would be nice to have, just in case or to deter intruders from trying to enter the house.
outdoor security system for peace of mind
Love the video door bell! And the google minis!
NETGEAR Arlo Pro 2 Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Security System would be perfect to keep an eye on the yard and garage.
Love the – Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen – to replace our OLD thermostat, need something more up-to-date.
Thanks
I’d like the video security camera.
The Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat because it would allow me to remotely control heating and AC, saving me more in utility costs.
Nest Smart Learning Thermostat would be perfect replacement for my old tired thermostat that controls the gas fireplace
Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p Security Camera, especially important when parcels are left at the door. Thieves will think twice before pilfering parcels.
Really would like a video doorbell.
I would love a video security camera, I would be able to monitor intruders and give me piece of mind. The Nest Cam IQ wifi security camera would do the trick
Indoor and outdoor cameras would be a great addition with a newborn in the house.
I’d love a video doorbell so I don’t have to bother answering if it’s someone I would prefer not to see. 😉
I would love a video doorbell so I don’t have to rush with the kids if it’s just the mailman leaving a package anyways.
I would love to have nest cam IQ wifi outdoor 1080p sercurity camera for safety and it would be great to no who is at my door before answering it and im a super intendant so it would really help.thank you
Nest Smart Learning Thermostat would be a great replacement for my old Honeywell who is ready for retirement.
Nest Hello Wi-Fi Video Doorbell would provide piece of mind :).
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