Centralized Management of Nest Thermostats Across 2,000 Retail Locations

[Arunkumar7]

We operate 2,000 retail locations and are planning to deploy Nest Thermostats across all sites. Our goal is to build a custom dashboard using the Google Device API to centrally monitor and control all devices. Could you please confirm if this is feasible? Additionally, does Google offer any out-of-the-box solutions for managing a large number of Nest Thermostats across multiple locations?

[MetalGlacier]

Nest thermostats are better suited for use in homes rather than retail spaces and Google does not offer a way to easily manage that many thermostats out of the box. You may want to check out Ecobee’s “SmartBuildings” system which may better suit your needs.

[Arunkumar7]

Thank you for your suggestion. I’ve reviewed Ecobee’s “SmartBuildings” solution (Training Link), and it does meet our requirements. However, we’d like to build a similar system in-house rather than subscribing to a third-party service, as we have our own development team.

Our goal is to add around 2,000 Nest Thermostats under a single Google account and manage them centrally via the Device Access API. Could you please advise if this is possible, and if so, provide some guidance for managing such a large deployment through the API?

[MplsCustomer]

@Arunkumar7 

To add to @MetalGlacier 's reply, the challenge you will have is that Google Nest devices are oriented around a Google Nest "home/structure", all of the devices in a Google Nest "home/structure" have to be on the same Wi-Fi network, and you are limited to 5 "homes" on the same Google Account.

But maybe someone from Google Nest Support will provide a more complete answer.

[GoogleDevForum · Accepted solution]

Hi Arunkumar7,

Great to hear you're planning a large-scale deployment with Nest Thermostats!

For your use case, you'll want to explore the Device Access Program, which allows you to securely access and control Nest devices using the Device Access API.

Since you’re planning to centrally manage ~2,000 devices, please note the following:

✅ Commercial Use Case Requirements

• You’ll need to register a commercial application through the Device Access Console.

• During registration, indicate that your use case is for commercial deployment so the Google team can review and approve accordingly.

• The standard OAuth 2.0 model is designed for individual users, so commercial-scale integrations like yours may require special review or partnership arrangements.

⚠️ Important Considerations:

• Google does not currently provide an out-of-the-box enterprise dashboard for managing multiple Nest devices.

• Each Nest device must be linked to a Google account, and there may be practical limitations around how many devices can be managed per account. You may need to architect your solution using multiple accounts with delegated access, or work with Google to explore options.

Suggested Next Steps:

1. Apply to the Device Access Program (if not already).

2. Register a commercial project and submit your request for review.