I Wish Nest Did More Than Thermostats

Myself and a friend looked in to doing this for sprinkler timers. The aim was to simplify the interface to a large degree and allow for configuration via a browser or mobile device.<p>As it turns out there is a patent on sprinkler timers with embedded web servers. The owner of the patent has posted hostile messages threatening legal action on any public facing website that posts about the handful of consumer products that might infringe on their patent.<p>Here is a link to the patent: <a href="http://www.google.com/patents/US7010396" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/patents/US7010396</a>

This seems like kind of a silly. The Ubuntu panel he shows there is simple because programmers have hidden all the complexity. Whoever installed the sprinkler system hid the complexity too - they closed the door on the sprinkler control panel. If you wanted it to be simple, you should have left the door closed. You don't need to adjust it. It should have been programmed by the installer to account for <i>seasonal</i> rainfall. Day-to-day rain does not matter <i>at all</i> to your sprinkler programming.<p>If you want to poke around (literally) under the hood, you don't get to complain about complexity.

Nest folks, once you are happy with your thermostat product please pivot to water heaters. There is no reason why I heat the water in the tank up throughout the night. I think that my household demand for hot water is fairly predictable with spikes in the morning for showering and in the evening for dishes and laundry.

"For bonus points it would also check Google Maps and compare how green my lawn is to my neighbors"<p>How's that going to work when the imagery isn't real time?

I have an Ecobee thermostat in my condo, which I am currently in the process of selling. Young people are usually pretty excited about seeing it in action, but older people are actually turned off. My guess is they see it as another complicated VCR that they can't program, and so, it's actually a negative.<p>Even the Nest, with it's simple dial would probably scare them, because smart things scare stupid people.<p>When I tell them that it's an Internet enabled thermostat, they must immediately think, "OMG CHINA HAXORS GUNNA STEAL MY THERMOSTAT MHZ" because that's what the scare-monger media has been telling them over the last six months.

This is where Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) with web tech (ideally) and/or Apps (practically) could shine: the sprinkler system could vend a much better software UI to our smartphones than the hardware UI it's currently offering.

An irrigation system is far more complicated than a thermostat however there are already strong contenders in this space. I use a Cyber-Rain[1] controller which adjusts based on humidity, temperature and forecast along with details provided during setup such as sprinkler types, soil types, grade and more. When your system has a flow sensor the controller will even shut down the system in the event of a broken head and send an email instead of letting hundreds of gallons of water run down the street.<p>[1]<a href="http://cyber-rain.com" rel="nofollow">http://cyber-rain.com</a>

We're working on it.<p><a href="https://github.com/makilian/Mist" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/makilian/Mist</a>

I have used those exact sprinkler system controls and can attest that they are absolutely terrible.

They will, once they feel that their thermostat is satisfactory enough.

Glad to hear Nest is still around. Last I heard, they were getting the thermonuclear treatment from Honeywell's patent attorneys. Was that resolved recently?

I've had this exact same thought. The other area is pools. Turning on the pool heater and pump via wifi, or turning the hot tub on as I leave from work.

I find these guys very interesting <a href="http://irrigationcaddy.com" rel="nofollow">http://irrigationcaddy.com</a>

This appears to be the manual for that sprinkler controller: <a href="http://www.rainbird.com/documents/turf/man_ESPModular.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.rainbird.com/documents/turf/man_ESPModular.pdf</a><p>Setting the time doesn't appear to be too painful.

Agreed. But specifically for lawns, I actually wish someone makes much cheaper artificial turfs. Good for aesthetics, better for the environment.. saves hassle time money and water.

Personally, I don't want Nest; I'd prefer coherent locally accessible APIs for monitoring and control.