[1] It is an electronic, programmable, and self-learning Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat that optimizes heating and cooling of homes and businesses to conserve energy.

[15] As the Nest Thermostat cannot be battery operated, it must either be installed with a wire connecting directly to the "Heatlink" which supplies 12v DC, or mounted on a Stand and powered via a USB cable.

This enables the thermostat to display the current HVAC status when human presence is detected by the Soli radar sensor.

As the thermostat is connected to the Internet, the company can push updates to fix bugs, improve performance and add additional features.

[25] To comply with the terms of the GPLv3 license under which some components are available, Nest Labs also provides a special firmware image which will unlock the system so that it will accept arbitrary code sent to it.

[26] Starting April 18, 2023 Google Nest G4CVZ Thermostats will be receiving an update to enable Matter connectivity.

Use of the thermostat outside the United States and Canada is complicated by the software setting time and other functions based on the ZIP code.

For international users this means they must either disable Wi‑Fi to set the time correctly or use the nearest U.S. zipcode which may result in erratic behavior as the thermostat makes faulty assumptions about inactivity corresponding with either sleep or the home's occupants being away.

[30] In 2013 a man-in-the-middle hack potentially allowed worldwide users to set up their time zone and local weather.

[31] In an effort to increase the number of homes using their learning thermostats, Nest began to partner with energy companies.

The plan allowed Canadian customers in Alberta to receive a learning thermostat when they signed up for a five-year electricity contract.