Last year at the CES show we learned of a high-tech gadget that potentially would save us the trouble and money (in the long run) so we made the hard decision to shell out $250 on the NEST (we looked for stores that allow full refund – just in case).

Now, by the time we got the wind of the NEST the second generation was already in stores, so this review is based on NEST version 2.0 which is 20 percent slimmer and adds compatibility with 95 percent of low-voltage home HVAC systems, up from 75 percent.

Meet the Nest Learning Thermostat

“NEST” – out –the – Box

Not to sound too pretensions but spending hundreds on a thermostat you expect to get your money’s worth on everything from functionality and aesthetics to the user manual and the box it comes in. We are very happy to put in this review that the NEST version 2.0 was impressive and pleasing to take out of the box.

The unit is nicely tucked into the small square box, includes a super awesome screwdriver tool, and fabulously easy instructions (with pictures) booklet. (see below image of all that is included in the price/package).

The unit itself is sleek and cool looking, but we want to take a moment to give a special mention to the screwdriver. We loved the element of surprise at the novelty of that little screwdriver, which at the handle end holds 4 magnetic tips (allowing for quadruple functionality). All we can say is that after installing the NEST thermostat you never want to part with the screwdriver. It’s silly to spend so much thought on this everyday tool that most of us have at home and the makers of the NEST didn’t really need to even include it, but the fact that they did, makes you inadvertently appreciate the thermostat even more.

NEST Compatibility

NEST works with 95% of 24V heating and cooling systems, including gas, electric, forced air, heat pump, radiant, hot water, solar, and geothermal.

It can control:

• Heating: 1, 2 and 3 stages (W1, W2, W3)
• Cooling: 1 and 2 stages (Y1, Y2)
• Heat pump: with auxiliary and emergency heat (O/B, AUX, E)
• Humidifier or dehumidifier (HUM, DEHUM)
• Fan (G)
• Power (C, Rh, Rc)

Adding a Common “C” wire not required in 99% of installations.

Hardware Installation

The installation may seem overwhelming but the makers of the NEST have really thought it all through, to the point of including all the hardware (screws + screwdriver, back plate – to cover old holes) and very clear step-by-step picture instructions. If you don’t want to use the manual, there is an online Nest Compatibility Tool you can use to double-check your wire connections. In addition, if you are totally stumped as to what to do with all those wires, the NEST customer service team will help you if you send them a picture of your current set up.

WARNING: Prior to any installation be sure to SWITCH OFF POWER for your protection. In addition, switching off power should avoid blowing a fuse. Adjust the temperature on your old  thermostat to make sure your system is off.CAUTION: Do not connect Nest to high voltage wires. Not sure? Contact Nest support.

Old Thermostat

Tip: Take a picture of the wires on your old thermostat to help you remember.

Now, the actual physical mounting of the circular backing on to the wall is as simple as two screws, (if you opt out of using the rectangular frame- which we did). We just covered the old holes with a bit of spackle and paint.

NEST Installation

The final step is to click on the face of the thermostat. The unit will turn on immediately and you’re ready for network connection and personal info inputs.

Network Connection

As soon as the unit clicks into the mounted base the face will light up. Navigating through the menu and setting it up is as simple as a turn of a dial, when you get to the selection you want just press down the face gently. To set up the Wi-Fi you need to find your network in the list of all those picked up by the signal and press the unit face down to select. When the unit connects to your home’s Wi-Fi it will most likely do a software update, it only takes a few minutes so let it finish before you proceed setting up all other info.

Favorite Features

We have only had the Nest for a few weeks now and while it too soon to tell if it resulted in any monetary savings, there are a number of significant things that have made a difference to our household.

The whole beauty of this thermostat is that you can connect to it remotely from your iPhone or Android (via a free app of course) and change the settings to your liking, —or override the temperature your spouse set up

The fact that the NEST studies your habits and tries to replicate them without you having to adjust it every day is absolutely brilliant.

After two days it knew that we wanted the heat to kick in at 6am and get the house warm and cozy to 76 degrees by the time we get out of bed at 6:30am.

Another “smart” feature is that the NEST learned how long it takes it to climb/descend to a certain temperature and it displays that in time. For example, if the current temperature is 72 degrees and you tell it to heat up to 75 degrees the NEST will display how long it will take for the house to reach a certain temperature, i.e. usually about 15min to rise 3-4 degrees.

Fourth favorite feature is the simplicity of the controls. With our old thermostat we only used the cool/heat/fan modes, and never in 2 years were able to figure out how to set it to turn on/off at the certain hour. The NEST on the other hand felt natural when scrolling through the settings, schedules, and all the options.

We haven’t tried the auto-away feature yet, and our thermostat is not near a front door at all, but will be shocked if it disappointed us.

The display itself saves energy, since it remains dark until someone walks by the sensor. It also looks cleaner on the wall (very modern and sleek, not a neon green on all the time light like the other thermostats). Sometimes we wave at it as we walk by since it greets us back by lighting up.

Naturally it will save energy! We say “will” because we are still waiting for our first energy bill since we installed the Nest. But the fact that it can be set to eco-mode (with a green leaf lit up on the display), and it turns on/off based on previous settings, and doesn’t keep blowing A/C after the desired temperate has been reached, all facts point to the saved dollars.

Hacking the NEST Thermostat

NEST does not provide an official API but a few unofficial projects sprung up to fill the void to allow you to monitor and control your NEST thermostat programmatically in a number of programming languages and environments such as Java, Ruby, PHP, and C#.

• Nest Learning Thermostat API (PHP)
• Nest-Thermostat-DotNET-API (C#)
• ericboehs / nest_thermostat (Ruby)
• Jnest – Java implementation of Nest Thermostat API client
• Nest Thermostat API using Node JS and Nest API

Wrapping Up

The Good:

• NEST installation is a snap. Excellent customer service.
• Good looking, intuitive thermostat, super simple to use.
• Learning features mean you don’t have to program a schedule; it will figure out your schedule for you.
  Web and mobile apps are fantastic. I love changing the temperature from bed!
• Nest also learns how long it takes a user to get home, adjusting the home’s temperature accordingly so it’s ready when they arrive. It factors weather conditions into this estimate as well.
• Auto-away mode (thanks to motion detection) is quite handy and should help conserve energy.

The Bad:

• Nest’s official smartphone and web apps are excellent but currently only Android and Apple iOS apps are provided by NEST. There’s no Windows Phone app.
• It’s a standalone device with no official APIs (application programming interface). As a result, my home server can’t directly integrate with the NEST and I cannot control it using the same interface/framework used to control my security cams, lights, and doors.
• Auto-away mode kicks in on occasion when you’re there but just haven’t walked past the Nest in a while.
• Somewhat expensive: The Nest Learning Thermostat 2 retails for $249 at major retailers.

To sum it up this is very much a luxury item at first thought, but the money saved on energy bills (especially in California) may actually pay for it in a matter of months. We think someday smart thermostats will be a standard in every home with central A/C system, but for now we will definitely recommend the Nest Learning Thermostat.

More: Nest Learning Thermostat – 2nd Generation T200577

Synology’s 2-bay NAS units have consistently performed well in our tests. Today we are looking at the latest offering from the company, the DS213+, a high performance 2-bay NAS full-featured storage solution for small and medium businesses.

Unboxing

Our DS213+ unit arrived safely packaged in a fresh green and white box with a prominent Synology logo on it. Synology products are produced with RoHS compliant parts and packed with recyclable packing materials.

Bundled with the DS213+ chassis you will find the following included items:

• AC adapter
• Ethernet cable
• Software Installation CD for PC and Mac
• Synology Quick Start Guide
• HDD mounting screws (used to screw the hard disk drives into the bays)

First Impressions

The DS213+ features a black glossy removable front-panel on a mat-black chassis. In vertical order the LED’s and ports available on the front are:

• Status LED
• LAN LED
• Disk 1 LED
• Disk 2 LED
• SD card port
• USB 2.0 port
• C copy button
• Power button

The green C copy button allows the user to quickly backup data from a connected USB storage device or inserted SD card to the DiskStation.

Simply push the copy button on the front panel and all files will be copied to the specific shared folder on the DiskStation.

A quick look on the back of the unit shows a 90mm exhaust fan which does a good job of keeping the DiskStation cool while remaining quiet.

Two USB 3.0 ports, RJ45 Gigabit LAN port, Kensington lock, eSATA port, and the AC connector and a label with the mac address and serial number.

Technical Specifications

The Synology DiskStation DS213+ is a convenient light-weight yet powerful NAS server for business or home use. Powered by a low energy, dual-core CPU, explicitly a Freescale P1002 (PowerPC based), which integrates a security engine that supports all popular encryption algorithms.

For those that like details, we thought it would be fitting to mention, the power adaptor for this unit is made by EDACPOWER with a model # EA10721A-120 (12V 6A DC) and an input voltage rating of 100-240V. Lastly, the unit comes with a standard two-years warranty, and a somewhat hefty price tag.

Synology DS213+ HDD Installation

The storage capacity theoretically can reach 8 TB even though RAID levels are restricted by the two hot-swap HDDs.

Conclusion

Last year we’ve reviewed the Synology DS212 Network Storage Appliance with similar results. The Synology DS213+ is easy to setup right out of the box, no complicated installations, no hassle software. Because of its dual core processor this unit runs the entire system resourcefully and swiftly. Even though it’s on the costly side, it does have its own bonuses, i.e. it’s hibernation function, low energy consumption, updated (Version 4.1) DiskStation Manager operating system. The two hard disk storage bays in the DS213+ should be more than enough for most users but the lack of additional disk space could be a factor in business environments where RAID 5 or RAID 6 (which requires more than two disks) are often preferred for high data redundancy.

We are talking about a robotic vacuum geared for households with resident pets and excessive allergens. The new robot is shaped familiarly like its original cousin (see our review of the Neato XV-11) yet features a new filter for 3x improved airflow and suction and new bristled brush that works specifically to pick up pet hair.

Set for an April 2012 release with a reported price tag of $429. The great news is that is you already have Neato you can get  away with simply an upgrade to the latest firmware via USB and a $60 Pet and Allergy kit.

This is not a home server app, but something even better… an app for smart mobile devices (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone) PC and Mac which makes it easy to transfer content across your devices, so without further suspense… Meet TWORB!

Currently TWORB is in a private beta but we invite you to take a look, encourage you to get in touch and await for your sign-up via our newsletter.

In case you are not familiar with Grid Junction, which means you’re not jumping for joy just yet, the original add-in was designed for Windows Home Server to manage an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) via the Windows Home Server Dashboard. Grid Junction integrates seamlessly to issue power alerts and help protect Windows Home Server from power problems such as brownouts, or blackouts by safely powering down the Windows Home Server when battery levels reach a set threshold.

Protect your Server!

Whenever your Windows Home Server 2011 or Windows Small Business Server Essentials 2011 suddenly looses power or otherwise halts or restarts without warning there’s a possibility that the file system may have been in an inconsistent state at that time due to data writing or disk balancing activities. If you are unlucky, this can not only corrupt your file system requiring a reinstallation of the Operating System but possibly destroy important data.

Which Battery Backup (UPS) Devices are Supported?

Generally speaking, the most commonly used industry leading uninterruptable power supply manufacturers such as APC, Belkin and Tripp Lite (among others) are known to be supported. But given the vast number of models and variations please check the supported UPS devices list.

• Supported Uninterruptible Power Supply

Do I need Special Drivers or Software?

In most cases the vendor supplied battery driver or the generic windows battery driver should be sufficient. Unless the manufacturer included specialized software for explicit use on Windows Home Server(s) we do NOT recommend any manufacturer supplied software to be installed besides the driver (if required). In addition we recommend that any users who already installed any of such software to uninstall it before installing the GridJunction Windows Home Server Add-in.

Beta Version

We welcome everyone to make full use of it but do issue a warning of caution as how it is still NOT the final version please try not to use it on your production/live servers.

Please visit the following link: Grid Junction v2.0 BETA  to download your free trial version, put it to through the ringer and let us know what you find.  This beta trial will run until January 31, 2012.

More: kentdome.com | home-server-addins.com

And now that we have got our hands on this newest member of the Synology DiskStation family, we are prompted to bring our readers a much awaited review. As always we like to begin by showing the un-boxing of the product. From the sturdy and sound packaging it’s obvious that Synology values and protects their products even after it leaves their warehouses. Since a picture is worth 1000 words take a look for yourself.

Inside the Box

Once you get over the sleek box with an indispensable handle and get around to looking inside, you will find the following included items:

• Synology DS212 Network Attached Storage Appliance
• Documentation – Quick start
• AC power pack/cables
• Screws for attaching drives to HDD trays
• Installation CD for PC and Mac – Guide, setup utility, data replicator 3

Synology DS212 First Impressions

The first striking difference from DS211 model is the black chassis of the DS212. The carved in Synology logo on the side of the unit, with grey and black stripes beneath make the DS212 look more serious for a business.

It may not be easy being Green (Kermit, the Frog), but black equipment tends to blend much better whether at home or at the office.

Unlike the sides of the unit that are matte to the touch, the front of the DS212 is black glossy plastic with LED indicators along the right edge, and ports towards the bottom. In vertical order the LEDs and port are:

• Status LED
• LAN LED
• Disk 1 LED
• Disk 2 LED
• SD card port
• USB 2.0 port
• Reset button
• Power button

A welcomed addition is the SD cart slot  that allows a plug and save function for memory cards.

A quick look on the back of the unit shows a 90mm exhaust fan, 2x USB 3.0 ports, RJ45 Gigabit LAN port, Kensington lock and the AC connector and a label with the mac address and serial number. The DS212+ version includes an eSATA port option on the back of the unit.

Technical Specifications

Hard Drive Installation

Our DS212 review unit provided by Synology shipped with two disks (1TB each) already installed, but when you get the diskless unit it only takes a few screws to put the drives into the HDD racks, no-worries of any over complication – it’s simple, just be sure to use the right screwdriver and not to strip the screws in the process.

Unlike the previous DS211 which required the user to carefully open the case – the DS212 has a different method of installing the hard disk drives. The smooth front fascia that is covering the HDD bays can easily be removed without any tools.

Once the front face has been removed, there are 2x HDD pull-out trays.

To remove a tray from the bay simply tap at the top latch and pull the handle down to release the HDD tray. This revised HDD mechanism is among the biggest physical improvements of the DS212 over the DS211.

The DS212 requires at least one 3.5” or 2.5” SATA hard disks or 2.5″ Solid State Drives (SSD) to be installed. In order to use the 2.5” SATA HDD one would require the Disk Holder (Type C) accessory which is sold separately.

Heads up: the system will format the hard disk and erase all data in some cases. If you use a hard disk with data on it already be sure you back up the data beforehand, otherwise you may loose your pre-existing data.

With this we conclude part one of our DS212 review. The above sections are meant to introduce you to the hardware of this DiskStation, and in summary this product difference from its predecessor in the shell color, a considerable ease of HHD installation, and robust horsepower via the new processor. In the coming Part-two we will follow up on the DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system and capabilities. Stay tuned!

Andreas released one last version before the final build, version 0.9.6 under the name of “Release Candidate Refresh”. The copy will be good until 02/01/2012. After that a license will be required for the Advanced Admin Console 2011 software.

The Advanced Admin Console 2011 Release Candidate Refresh will work until February 1, 2012. Starting that day it will switch to reduced functionality mode for home users and will cease to function for business users. Both groups of users will need to purchase a license (pricing TBA) in order to be able to make use of the Advanced Admin Console 2011 feature set after that date.

For now if you have the previous beta version of the Advanced Admin Console 2011 add-in, be advised it will no longer work after 12/01/2011 so please be sure to download the latest release right away.

More: www.home-server-addins.com | Download

Intel is giving everyone a chance for just that, simply share your storage story with them now through December 17th, 2011 and be entered to win a full-featured Network Attached Storage unit with Intel Inside®.

This contest is part of Intel’s “Redefine Your Network” movement, where the company is showcasing a number of leading NAS devices such as Thecus, Netgear, QNAP and Synology, and we hear those may be included in the prizes themselves.

So, if you have a storage story to tell, please visit https://redefineyournetwork.com/ and cross your fingers for a chance at your very own top of the line Network Attached Storage device with Intel at its heart.

Collage

Per wikipedia:  A collage (From the French: coller, to glue) is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. A collage may include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers, portions of other artwork, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years, but this technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as an art form of novelty.

Collage your pictures with Collage IT

The best way to do that is through a collage, which is why we are offering this give away of Collage It. This software is easy for users of all experience levels, supports the popular image formats: JPG, PNG, BMP, TGA and is available for Windows and Macintosh.

Features:

• Support add photo through Drag-and-Drop.
• Support swapping photos.
• New crop photo dialog.

CollageIt for Mac: Installation

The installation of CollegeIT is straightforward, once done, open the program and enter the serial number to activate all of the features.

CollageIt for Mac: Adding Photos

Simply click the Add button on the left side or alternatively drag-and-drop photos into the left hand pane. After adding photos you can change the different settings such as spacing, margin and image rotation etc.

CollageIt for Mac: Customization

If you wish to change the template after the fact you can do it by clicking on “Random Layout” button. The software provides a great deal of customization features. If you want to shuffle photo’s just click on the “Shuffle” button.

CollageIt for Mac: Exporting the final image

CollageIt for Mac: Final Result

It’s simple really. When you are satisfied with your final image click the “Export” button and specify your desired output file format.

Here’s another one I made earlier.

CollageIT for Mac Giveaway (20 Licenses)

Courtesy of Pearl Mountain Software we have twenty (20x) copies of CollageIT for Mac to giveaway.

The rules for this giveaway are simple to follow.

1. You must be a registered user of Home Server Land. Your profile must include a valid email address.  We will not be responsible for undeliverable email,
2. Leave a comment below, on our Facebook or @HomeServerLand on Twitter to enter the giveaway. Follow HomeServerLand on Twitter and as a bonus be sure to like us on Facebook.
3. The first 20 that complete these requirements and leave a comment below will receive a free copy of the CollageIT for Mac by email, and
4. This giveaway promotion ends when all copies of the CollageIT for Mac software have been awarded.

The giveaway is open to everyone. Good Luck

More: CollageIt for Mac