Nest Labs is investing further into home automation market with an acquisition announced last week. Revolv, a company that makes a smart hub to tie together Internet of Things (IoT) devices, said that it was purchased by the Google-owned connected device company. As a result, the team is folded into Nest for future product development, and sales of the Revolv hub are ending.
Revolv is a company that focuses on connecting IoT devices through its central Smart Home Solution hub. The hub works with Android and iOS devices to control various things like light bulbs and speakers from companies like Belkin, Philips, Insteon and Sonos. Users could mix manufacturers and protocols due to the seven radios within the device, customizing device actions in four different ways.
While Revolv says that the Smart Home Solution is no longer “made available to new customers,” those that use the device and application can continue to do so. The company added that it will continue offering customer support, either through its support website or over the phone. Warranties for the hubs are still honored against any defects, assuming the limited one-year warranty for a device hasn’t lapsed.
Addressing privacy, the company added that any data would remain subject to the privacy policy already laid out. However, it’s said that the collected data will be treated like Nest’s data, in which it’s kept separately from Google.
The team behind Revolv will continue working on home automation. In the announcement it is said that they will “create some amazing products and continue to unify the connected home as a part of the Works with Nest program.”
The Works with Nest program recently added several companies, expanding the communications between the flagship thermostat and other automated products. The biggest add was Pebble, giving users the ability to change temperature or set home or away states from the smartwatch. Rachio, SNUPI Technologies and Ivee were all added for their various devices and sensors. Support for the Life360 app was added to help save on energy.
