Protecting The 32+ System Linux Test Farm With Nest Protect

Written by Michael Larabel in Peripherals on 4 January 2015 at 12:00 PM EST. Page 1 of 2. 14 Comments.

The latest IP assignments for our 32+ system open-source Linux benchmarking test farm isn't for more benchmarking systems at this time but rather for the smoke alarms. Adding the Nest Protect devices give a bit more peace of mind running many computers on residential wiring.

While most Phoronix readers should be well familiar with the Nest thermostats for being high-tech, Internet-enabled thermostats, their lesser known product is the Nest Protect, a WiFi-enabled smoke detector. The Nest Protect monitors for both smoke and carbon monoxide while being able to integrate with the Nest Thermostat. With the Nest integration, the smoke detectors can be monitored by the Nest software on iOS or Android for monitoring the status of the alarms while you are away. The Nest Protect also has a few extra nice additions like will verbally communicate issues, has a built-in motion sensor night light, etc. When carbon monoxide is detected, the Nest Protect can tell the Nest Thermostat to turn off the heating system, etc.

I've been running a Nest Protect in the new Phoronix office for a few months now and it's worked well. Most recently I've picked up two more Nest Protects for monitoring the LinuxBenchmarking.com cluster of systems and the area outside of it where there's going to be additional Phoronix systems running soon.

The first Nest I originally picked up was the 120V hard-wired model while with the latest two, one was also hard-wired while the other runs off a battery (the hard-wired models also have battery back-ups). Both models are nearly identical aside from the power source.


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