Sam Oliver
A buggy software update has caused many users of Nest's smart thermostat to wake up in the cold in recent days, as the devices have been found to quickly drain their batteries and shut down, leaving heating and cooling systems offline.
"We had a bug that was introduced in the software update that didn't show up for about two weeks," Nest co-founder Matt Rogers told Nick Bilton of the New York Times, who experienced the snafu firsthand. Issues began to crop up earlier this month, when customers found their HVAC systems unresponsive.
For users, fixing the problem — Nest says 99.5 percent of its customers are back online — means rebooting their now-dead thermostat, which is easier said than done. Nest's support site details a nine-step process that requires removing the device from the wall, connecting it to auxiliary power, and performing a series of incantations.
Alternatively, the Times notes that Nest has offered to send an electrician to help any customers who can't solve the problem on their own.
This is the latest in a string of problems for Nest in the years since Tony Fadell sold the firm to Google. The company's Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, for instance, met with widespread user dissatisfaction and was eventually pulled from the market temporarily over safety concerns.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
83 Comments
Nest-gate anyone? Or will this just slide under the radar since it's not Apple.
I frequent all the tech sites and I haven't seen this reported anywhere. The first time I heard about it was in my Twitter feed with someone asking what the media coverage would be like if this was an Apple product. Of course that was a rhetorical question.
If this were an Apple product it would be CNN headline news for the rest of the week.
This is the kind of thing that prevents me from getting a smart thermostat. I know I would never buy a Nest anyway, but there are others out of there from companies that have been making thermostats for generations. Still, this is the kind of the thing that puts me off the entire concept. Very little gain + much risk.
Shit happens...
Happened to me... woke up to a dead Nest (battery) and a freezing house Sunday... thought was just a fluke... didn't realize it was 'a thing'...