Eighteen months ago, it looked like Google was preparing to offload Nest, its rather expensive acquisition that still likely hasn’t seen a return on its investment. This week, it was confirmed that Google is holding onto Nest, but bringing it back in-house. The news comes as Control4 and Crestron announced new offerings in the professional installation space – one that will remain lucrative, but does not promise the scale that retail or operator channels do. Control4’s new CA-1 Automation Controller does what it says on the tin. The $350 box is aimed at installers looking to provide customers with comprehensive smart home installations – whether that’s for a single home, an MDU, or even hotels. The CA-1 includes WiFi, ZigBee,…