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

  3. I would add the Apple HomePod so that I can hear my favourite songs all the time with amazing speaker quality

  8. We have at lot of large inaccessible windows and I would like the Hunter Douglas Smart Blinds and Shades to control light and temperature.

  9. The new Lenovo Smart Google Home Assistant looks very exciting because it give you a touch screen/display in addition to voice commands and responses.

  11. We have a house with some large , odd shaped and not easily accessible windows so I think the Hunter Douglas Smart Blinds and Shades would be a great solution for automated adjustments to time of day, sunlight and temperature control

  13. I would like to try the Rachio water system since it connects to the Internet and adjusts watering schedules based on past, current and future weather forecasts.

  15. I would love to add the Google Home because it would be great to have a personal assistant. I would enjoy listening to music and getting recipes to help me cook.

  16. NETGEAR Arlo Pro 2 Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Security System with 4 1080p HD Cameras To keep my family safe

  17. I’d really love the Nest Cam IQ Wi-Fi Indoor 1080p IP Camera so I can keep an eye on my dog while I’m at work!

  20. I would like to add Philips Hue White & Colour A19 Starter Kit to my home. It would make life so much easier and smarter 😉

  23. I would love a Google Home! I have heard amazing things about it and I have an Android phone so it would pair perfectly!

  27. I’d like to add some Nest cameras to my smart home to help me keep me informed about what’s going on inside and out. Having one to let me know when my kids are home would be a nice addition.

  28. I would like to add the Nest Wi-Fi Smart Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation to my routine because then I can adjust the temperature from my bed with my phone

  37. I would love to win either the Nest Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera or the 2nd prize. This added security would be greatly appreciated. I would accept the first prize as well.

  39. Out of all the products, it’s a hard decision. That being said, the WiFi Video Doorbell is the one I’d choose. I live in a downstairs apartment so I have no way to know who’s at the main door upstairs – not only would this take care of that problem, it will also provide an additional level of security as that’s also the only side with access to the property – so the video portion is a must-have to keep track of unscheduled comings and goings.

  42. I think a vector robot would be cool to have rip around the house. The kids would love it, and I could use it in the kitchen!

  44. I don’t live in the best area, and have had transients coming into my yard and breaking into my garage. I would love to have a security system. And I’m renovating my place, so this would be an opportune time to install.

  47. I would love to have a great outdoor wireless security system like the Ring Spotlight Wireless set.

  48. I would love to add the Nest Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera as there has been some recent break ins and it would give me peace of mind.

  50. One thing we definitely need to add is a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector in our storage room. This is a priority now that I have remembered it again. Thanks for the reminder and for the superb giveaway opportunity!

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