NEST without internet

[john4703]

I've installed a Nest thermostat and heat link in my house and it is all connected via the internet and works really well.
I look after a church and think that three Nest thermostats and heat licks would be a great way of controlling the heating, one for each zone.
There is no internet in the church and I wondered if it is possible to use them with a lap top but not use an internet connection.

 

[flameport]

No.

 

[ericmark]

I can't see why it would need internet? My TRV heads need a hub to connect to the router, and a router to connect to phone or PC, but unless using IFTTT it does not need an internet connection, the phone line can be unplugged and it still works, I would guess Nest is the same?

So you have it in your house, test it, unplug the phone line from your router, and see if it still works?

I would expect problems using the follow command or the geofencing, and anything else using IFTTT but rest should work, clearly it will need a router of some sort, I bought a wifi booster from Lidi which will work as a router, I expect that is all that is required. It cost about £20.

 

[john4703]

I can't see why it would need internet? My TRV heads need a hub to connect to the router, and a router to connect to phone or PC, but unless using IFTTT it does not need an internet connection, the phone line can be unplugged and it still works, I would guess Nest is the same?
So you have it in your house, test it, unplug the phone line from your router, and see if it still works?

Thanks, I was thinking along those lines.
I tried mine at home and it did not connect. I might try to contact Nest and ask them if they have a work round.

 

[ironsidebod]

Thanks, I was thinking along those lines.
I tried mine at home and it did not connect. I might try to contact Nest and ask them if they have a work round.

You might find they try and convince you it's not possible even if it is. The data and usage patterns they collect via their "cloud" *is* the product for them

 

[ericmark]

I have a father-in-law who would benefit from Nest, he also has no internet although we live next door but one so expect we could get it if we try, so would be interested to hear the outcome?

 

[Gaz the Sparky]

The nest thermostat itself would work. It communicates with itself by its own wireless signal. So you could install it at the church and use it as a thermostat to physically turn the heating up or down.

The nest uses the internet WIFI to connect to the outside world and to the app on mobile phones and to occasionally download new updates. If you loose the wifi the thermostat itself still works but you cannot connect to it on a mobile device.

ericmark you could connect your father in laws thermostat to your wifi if you can get it in his house. This would then give the thermostat access to the outside world

 

[ericmark]

Once we have moved back home I will test to see if we can pick up the wifi in his house, however there is more involved, we set up internet in my father-in-laws house so he could order his weekly shopping on the internet, and also we could talk to him from Germany with his tablet, and have a pet cam to monitor he is OK. My sister-in-law ripped it all out, so I have washed my hands and said up to you to ensure he is OK.

If we allowed him to use our broad band she would say there you are told you he didn't need internet.

 

[MeldrewsMate]

There are devices that connect via the mobile phone network, and will switch outputs on and off in response to an SMS text message. I have used one of these, with 4 relay outputs, to enable me to have rudimentary control of my dad's heating system. The drawback is that no data is returned, such as room temperature, and the PAYG SIM needs to be topped-up from time to time....having said that a fiver easily lasts a year at 5p per message (sent back to me to confirm the action I asked it to do).

 

[ericmark]

Both the houses with no internet are going to be sold, so no longer interested in controlling the heating.

However I note how many items as home seem to fall over without internet, even items which really should not be expected to have internet.

Our JVC radio in caravan can be connected using a USB cable to tablet or phone, but the app needs to be downloaded and unless there is internet there is no way to download it. However once it has been downloaded then no need to connect to internet again.

 

[opps]

You might find they try and convince you it's not possible even if it is. The data and usage patterns they collect via their "cloud" *is* the product for them

Yup, welcome to the Internet of Everything. All your data is Ours. You are the product, regardless of how much you paid for the product (also see Android, iOS and Windows 10).

 

[Sandtree]

I know with Apple, they don't allow apps on their iOS platforms to directly interact with other devices hence requests have to go via the internet. The thankful exception to this is if you use a HomeKit hub (eg an AppleTV) which does allow communication without the internet for HomeKit compatable devices.

I'd be surprised if Google has been as restrictive with Android but actually if you want to use Google as the hub then everything must go via the internet.

As others have said, data is at least a secondary product in these devices. In a former life a vehicle tracking company was willing to give away their tracking devices (without warranty) as long as they had the right to use the data in a psuedo-anonomised format (ie they wouldnt record its Bob Smiths car reg FA57 FAB but is black box 233211). In this case the data was the sole product for them, but they viewed the Department of Transport etc potentially a very big buyer if they could get their boxes into the highest proportion of vehicles.