I recently went with an ecobee for my smart thermostat for exactly this reason.
Given Google's track record sunsetting services, it's an actual legitimate concern whether my device might get bricked one day. A smaller (yet firmly established) company providing one core service seemed safer to me, and bonus that it was Canadian too.
The other half of the coin is what to do if you need service. I've read enough horror stories here about dismal service to avoid Google for anything other than what I already use them for.
I know they say they'll continue to support these, but the right thing to do is to give people discounts on alternative products from ADT.
These products are useless if people don't feel like they can trust them, and it's hard to trust Google to really test and update the software on discontinued devices.
Even my flagship Google software often feels cobbled together (all of Nest is this way right now).
I've invested thousands in Nest products and I think I'm ready to throw it all away and start over with a company I can trust.
Per the article, Google made a strategic investment in ADT, and it appears that partnership will replace Nest Security as Google's home security business line.
If Google has moved on to ADT, it's only fair to offer their customers the same lifeboat.
You trusted them enough to buy the products, I'm not entirely sure what else you are looking for.
I'm not understanding how these products are not useful anymore for you. They still perform the same functions as before no?
It's still supported per Google.
If you can't trust a company when they tell you they will continue supporting a device you purchased then yes... you should go ahead and get rid of it and start all over.
Sorry, I wasn't totally clear. I have Nest cameras and smoke alarms. I don't have Nest Security products, but this announcement is making me feel even more nervous about continued Google support than I did before (see below).
> I'm not understanding how these products are not useful anymore for you. They still perform the same functions as before no? It's still supported per Google.
Speaking only about Nest's cameras and smoke alarms, they actually don't perform the same functions as before. They mostly don't change (Google rarely seems to update anything), but the apps have gotten much, much bugger.
Ex: Home Away/Assist (which tells Nest when you're away from home using your smartphone GPS) just does not work with Pixel phones. It never has. I contacted Nest support, and they confirmed it and said that no one was working on fixing it.
This is typical of Google products. Features stagnate, bugs appear, and no one seems to be behind the steering wheel. It would be absolutely astonishing to me if anyone working on these products actually use them, because basic quality-of-life features are never implemented.
The worst thing that's happened is that my Nest smoke alarms just stopped reporting their status. All of them. They now say their status is out of date by 100+ days and increasing, and I can't fix it. They all say they're in perfect working condition, but how can I know for sure?
> I think it's ridiculous to expect anything else.
I expect Google to pay attention to my products by fixing bugs, improving software, and (at minimum) maintaining the level of function they advertise them to have.
Lots and lots of other companies do it. It's absolutely reasonable to expect it. Google just doesn't have it in their DNA.
Yeah, I've bought a bunch of Google Home devices because I really like the Google Assistant, but I don't think I'll buy any more because I just can't rely on Google for anything. Might have to switch to Apple HomePods and put up with Siri (ew).
Also in the process of switching over everything from my personal free gmail to an email that I own the domain for, as I've recently heard some horror stories about losing access to your gmail account and no recourse.
Pocket change for Google, but still a significant amount of money. Perhaps that is a bit too far fetched, but imagine if Google could use location tracking to know who came to your house when you weren't there. Say you got robbed on a Friday night a 10pm.
They got footage of the guy, but it's dark outside and he's waring a hoodie, but their software knows WHO was there at that time. Some device (from ADT or Google Nest) could also have BLE trackers as well.
Mixed with camera footage and something like Nest Aware applying machine learning to the footage, this deal starts to make sense.
This already largely exists though. When I had the trial for the nest aware subscription service, it would tell me who was at my door. I forget if I had to manually set up the face recognition, or it did it automagically, but in a crime situation it seems it would be fairly trivial to try to find a match.
Similarly, if their cellphone or watch tried to connect to my wifi, this could be used to pin someone down. They had motion detectors in my house via the nest protects and nest thermostats I have installed. I am not even sure how useful. They already have all the pieces for a good home security system, they just needed some good product management leadership to integrate them all together well and they are done. You can lock in to the ecosystem as well- the pin pads are kind of annoying to deal with, have a google home by the door to ask you to repeat a phrase and it can verify your voice. Its a complete layup yet Google has stood under the basket for several years now refusing to let go of the ball. Its as absurd as it is infuriating.
Reminds me of when internet provider Charter / Spectrum discontinued their home security service earlier this year, they didn't even offer any refunds:
Recently I wanted to install more door sensors but haven't been able to find any in stock for months.
I'm done with Google anything at this point. As a brand they are so unfocused and have no ability to support things that customers actually pay for.