Rumor: Nest is working on cheaper smart thermostat and more hardware

Google sister company Nest is said to be working on a cheaper version of its self-learning thermostat. That writes financial news agency Bloomberg. The device could heat rooms in the house separately and should be on the market next year.

To reduce the price of the thermostat, Nest would like to use cheaper components for the new version of the thermostat, Bloomberg reports based on an anonymous source within the company. For example, there would be a prototype without a metal frame. The new version should cost under $200, where the current one in US currency costs $249. In the Benelux, the v3 version of the Nest costs 249 euros.

With sensors, the thermostat could also regulate the temperature per room, the news agency writes. It is unclear from the wording whether only the new, cheaper Nest can do this or whether the function will also be available for current models. The cheaper variant should be released next year.

In addition, Google’s sister company is working on an alarm system, which would consist of a central hub with a touchscreen, sensors for windows and doors and an accessory for key rings for switching the system on and off. That should come out this year. Nest already has the Nest Cam on the market, a security camera that it released after acquiring Dropcam a few years ago.

Nest has not commented on the rumors about the new products. The author of the Bloomberg piece, Mark Gurman, is known for being trustworthy. During his tenure at 9to5 Mac, he released a lot of unannounced information about Apple products that turned out to be correct in almost all cases.