Acquiring and changing basic data on the Nest thermostat

Question

I've been having trouble acquiring and changing some of the basic data available from the Nest thermostat.

Using a command line, how can I get or change individual settings or values on my thermostat?

Answer 1

This is a compilation from several users explaining how to retrieve or change some basic information with some of my own experiences added in. Wherever I use <VALUE>, replace that with the applicable information in your setup. If you're using Windows, you'll need something like git-scm.

• The following a part of the authentication process. You'll need to have a client already made on Nest's developer page and followed the provided authorization URL to get your auth code. Run this line to get an access token:

  curl --data 'code=<AUTH CODE>&client_id=<CLIENT ID>&client_secret=<CLIENT SECRET>&grant_type=authorization_code' https://api.home.nest.com/oauth2/access_token
  

• To fetch some information about the thermostats associated with the authorization code:

  curl -v -L https://developer-api.nest.com/devices/thermostats?auth=<AUTH CODE>
  

• To fetch some information about a specific thermostat:

  curl -v -L https://developer-api.nest.com/devices/thermostats/<THERMOSTAT ID>?auth=<AUTH CODE>
  

• To fetch the target temperature in F from the specified thermostat. You can replace target_temperature_f with any other value listed under thermostat on Nest's API reference:

  curl -v -L https://developer-api.nest.com/devices/thermostats/<THERMOSTAT ID>/target_temperature_f?auth=<AUTH CODE>
  

• To change the target_temperature_f:

  curl -v -L -X PUT "https://developer-api.nest.com/devices/thermostats/<THERMOSTAT ID>/target_temperature_f?auth=<AUTH CODE>" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d "65"
  

• To change the specific structure to away. The value here is a string so be sure to include the single quotes:

  curl -v -L -X PUT "https://developer-api.nest.com/structures/<STRUCTURE ID>/away?auth=<AUTH_TOKEN>" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '"away"'
  

Credit for this is primarily to the following users: thesimm, mccv, Nagesh Susarla, and David W. Keith.

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