Google’s Nest Labs acquires home surveillance company Dropcam

Google Inc.’s Nest Labs is acquiring Dropcam Inc. for $555 million to boost its offerings for the connected home.

The deal will be in cash and subject to adjustments, Nest said in a statement yesterday. Dropcam makes in-home cameras that can be checked from a smartphone anywhere in the world, an offering that would broaden Nest’s product line-up into home security. Nest sells digital thermostats and smoke alarms that can also be checked and adjusted remotely from mobile gadgets.

“We care very deeply about helping people stay connected to their home, especially when they’re not in their home,” said Matt Rogers, co-founder of Nest, which is based in Palo Alto, California, in an interview. “This is another offering that helps people get insights into their home.”

The purchase underlines how Nest, which Google bought for about $3.2 billion earlier this year, is working to become a bigger player of connected devices for consumers. The trend is part of a technology movement dubbed the “Internet of things,” where more gadgets and everyday items are connected to the Web and can deliver data and be controlled by mobile devices.

The products gather data on consumer habits and usage. Privacy experts have questioned how Google, the world’s largest search engine, would use Nest’s data. Nest has said its information will remain separate from its parent company.

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