Nest Weave could be the protocol that powers your smarthome

Google-owned Nest unveiled its new protocol for Internet of Things devices earlier today, which goes by the name of Weave, which is a lot like Google’s own Internet of Things protocol in that… it’s also named Weave. That’s right, one of Google’s subsidiaries decided to release a product that’s almost identical to one of Google’s existing products, and then gave it the same name, I wonder how many people that’s going to confuse. To be fair, it’s not actually called Weave, it’s full name is Nest Weave so that you can distinguish it from normal Weave.  

Google teased its smart home initiatives Weave and Brillo earlier this year at I/O, and now the tech giant’s Nest division is pushing its own smart home standard out into the real world. Nest Weave, announced Thursday, is a protocol for Internet of Things gadgets that lets them communicate with Nest devices and each other, even without Wi-Fi. It’s actually been built into Nest products for several years, according to founder and head of engineering Matt Rogers. Battery power and device size can be pesky challenges for certain kinds of products, and being able to ditch Web access capabilities can make a big difference. But perhaps the biggest benefit is that, with Nest Weave, appliances can communicate with, say, a Nest thermostat and other home gadgetry, even without an Internet connection. “Nest Weave lets devices talk directly to each other and to Nest,” said Rogers. “And because it’s reliable, compact and secure, it works great for all kinds of products—like a lightbulb that needs to turn on and off without any lag time, or a door lock that runs on battery power, or a security system that needs to work even if Wi-Fi goes down.” Nest says that developers and manufacturers will be able to incorporate Nest Weave into their devices from 2016.