Nest Gets Some Competition in the Form of $80 Quirky Norm

Quirky - General Electric - Norm Thermostat

New York-based Quirky has teamed up with General Electric to launch Norm, a $80 smart thermostat, along with six other great home security products.

Advertised as “Death of a thermostat” or “anti-thermostat,” the Norm is so advanced that it’s no wonder the manufacturer doesn’t want any association with that ancient piece of technology. In partnership with General Electric, Quirky showcased today the Norm and six other smart home products at the Connected Home press event. The entire line is meant to help people save energy and keep their homes safe, in various ways.

What sets Norm apart from the other smart thermostats is the array of sensors it relies on to determine where people are in the house, and where the temperature needs to be adjusted. The use of smart products is also detected and taken into consideration by Norm. The Wink app, which works with the other Quirky products, as well, allows to monitor and control temperature remotely.

The other smart home devices launched today include:

  • Tripper – a door/window server that improves home security. A pair of sensors costs $40.
  • Overflow – a water sensor priced at $35 that sends notifications when moisture levels are abnormal
  • Outlink – a $50 smart wall outlet that monitors how much energy the appliances in your home use
  • Tapt – a $60 smart wall switch that connects button-operated devices to Quirky’s smartphone app
  • Ascend – a $90 garage door sensor that connects it to Wink, in order to control it remotely and to have a log of who arrived and who left.

The sixth smart home device launched by Quirky is Spotter Uniq, a modular sensor system that can have up to four different functions. The options are quite diverse, and include, but do not resume to sound, temperature, air quality, motion, moisture, carbon monoxide. This one starts at $30, but the price goes up depending on the sensors you’re installing.

Overall, Quirky made some waves today, and let Nest know that it’s not alone. As a matter of fact, this sector has seen a lot of activity in the past few months, so each manufacturer of smart thermostats will have to come with new features periodically. Fighting to stay relevant is great for the progress of the industry, not to mention that the satisfaction of customers is thus maintained at high levels.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the special price of Nest smart thermostats on Google Play Store on Earth Day, or the Honeywell Lyric smart thermostat.