When Google developed the device, and Sleep Sensing in particular, it compared its data to a polysomnogram sleep study of 33 healthy sleepers (people who don’t have significant issues like sleep apnea or insomnia). I wasn’t able to find other devices that use radar to track your sleep-though there are murmurs that a similar radar-based technology may be introduced to Alexa products soon. It also uses microphones to gather audio, which is analyzed for respiratory changes, like coughing or snoring, that indicate sleep interruptions you might not be aware of. The Nest Hub’s Sleep Sensing relies on a miniature radar called “ Soli” to recognize when you’ve gone to bed and collect data on your movement throughout the night. Sleep Sensing gathers data through a radar system in the Nest Hub. You can ask it for the weather, have it interpret other languages, and link to your Spotify account to play music, as well as sync it with other compatible devices allowing you to, say, lock the door, check out live video from security cameras, control the TV, turn on and off smart plugs, and so on.īut its nighttime features are what I’m here to discuss-and if you ask me, that’s when it really shines (obviously not in a literal sense) as a smart device that analyzes your sleep. It serves as a hub for Google Assistant and as a voice-controlled speaker. Of course, the display comes with all the other smart home perks. (You can turn this feature off or use it with personal photos as well.) It adjusts to ambient settings and lighting-when you go to bed, for example, it registers that the room is dark and automatically switches to a dimmed, photo-less clock display. In fact, that’s what it automatically operates as: The screen cycles through photos during the day, and displays a dimly lit digital clock at night. This smart display has a 7-inch touch screen that looks not unlike a digital photo frame. The Nest Hub is a small smart display that can be used beside your bed for sleep tracking. What is the Google Nest Hub (second generation)? And, as a device that falls into the “smart display” category, I was extra dubious of the Google Nest Hub’s sleep sensing capabilities-how well could it possibly work at capturing a biological process without physically touching you? But low expectations are the breeding ground for surprise, and that’s just how I felt after using the Nest Hub to track my sleep for a few weeks. Every sleep tracker I’ve used gets one part or another of my nightly patterns and routines totally wrong. In fact, you don’t have to activate it at night, or charge it like a Fitbit or Apple Watch-the idea is that you just plug it in and let it do its thing.Īs the sleep writer I was skeptical. When placed on your bedside table, the Hub claims to collect insights into your sleep patterns and habits through passive tracking (think: no chunky wearable you have to keep strapped to your wrist overnight). The tech giant released its first smart home device in 2016, and subsequent offerings include features that aim to give users more bang for their buck.Īmong the more noteworthy new features of Google’s newest smart display, the Nest Hub Second Generation, is Sleep Sensing. Whether you already have a smart home or are just dipping your toes into automating your lights, entertainment, shopping lists, and so on, you’re probably aware of Google’s position as a leader in the field.
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