Table of Content
Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. I didn’t have any issues reaching and speaking with a friendly and knowledgeable agent, but you might find the live chat feature to be a bit lackluster. As you spend more time getting to know your Nest Cams, they’ll continue recognizing people in your home to get better insight. When I called in, Google’s support team was friendly and knowledgeable. But as mentioned above, you’ll probably be able to find the answer you need via their community page.
Well, now you can have your Google Assistant and your camera in the same neat little package! In an upgrade to the original Google Nest Cams, Google Assistant is now embedded into the cameras4. Before picking a final destination for this camera, making sure there’s enough slack between the power outlet and the camera.
Design and setup
Its sharp picture and easy setup make it an easy choice for folks on a budget. Google Nest cameras play various roles around the house, so there's likely one to fit your needs in the family room, at the front door, or in the backyard. Here are a few similarities and differences that make Nest cams stand out. Event recordings are only stored online for three hours as standard. This is better than the zero hours Nest used to offer for free, but still means most buyers will need to start paying $5/£5 a month for Nest Aware.
With features like 4K resolution, color night vision, and a built-in spotlight, the Arlo Ultra is the crème de la crème of security cameras. By tapping the camera, you enter a home screen for that specific camera, which accesses the recorded history and live view. Additionally, you can set up specific notifications like a person, vehicle, animal, smoke, and CO2 detection and change audio and video settings.
What to expect with Google Nest Cameras
The fact that you can use it wired or wirelessly, indoors and out, makes this an exceptionally versatile camera, too. The chances are very high that no matter what you need from a security camera, the Google Nest Cam can provide it. If you can afford it, this is one of our favorite wireless security cameras. The bottom line here is that the Nest Cam is expensive and you can easily get cheaper wireless cameras from other brands.
A rubber base ensures it won’t slip too easily, and the camera comes with screws to mount it to a wall, should you prefer that option. The three metre USB cable is hardwired to the rear of the Nest Cam and plug into an included wall plug. I already had the Google Home app on my phone, but if this is your first Google or Nest device, you have to download the app, link an account, and create a home.
Google Nest Cam review: The verdict
In our tests we always found its images to be sharp regardless of the storage method, but if 2K resolution is important to you, opt to use a microSD card. We’ve updated the best corded outdoor security camera section with our latest corded pick, the Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-In. We’ve also added a floodlight pick, the Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro. This can be useful for checking in on children and pets, or scaring off burglars. Once it connects, you'll have access to the home screen, the live feed and more. You'll also get a free trial of the Nest Aware service so you can decide if continuous recording and activity zones are worth it.
From Wyze to Ring, no matter what your needs are, these are some of the best video doorbells camera on the market. See, hear, and speak to people and pets in your home from your smartphone with Blink Mini’s live view and two-way audio. Works with Alexa — use your voice to monitor your home with live view, motion alerts, and activate lights with select Alexa devices. Finally, the Nest Cam comes with a magnetic base and hardware for wall mounting. We liked the magnetic base because it was very easy to position the camera.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2
If the Nest Cam IQ installation is over your head – and no shame if it is – you can always hire a Nest Pro to do the install for you. Just like the other Nest Cams before it, I love the fact that you can set up a geofence to trigger the Nest Cam to turn on or off. Using my phone’s GPS, the Nest Cam turns off when I enter my apartment — and then turns on when I exit and move outside the geofence. Set up by yourself in minutes — plug in the device, connect it to wifi, and follow the instructions in the Blink app. Set up yourself in minutes — connect Outdoor to wifi and follow in-app instructions.
You can do this from your phone but, for some reason, you cannot do it from your Google Assistant-powered smart display. Once mounted and connected to Wi-Fi, you can view the camera’s feed anytime you like in the Google Home app for Android or iOS. The camera will also send you notifications to your phone if it spots a person, animal, vehicle, or just general motion. If you have a Google Assistant-powered smart display, you can ask it to show you the camera’s feed.
If you’re worried about it, you might want to consider upgrading to the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor. Everything the Nest Cam Outdoor can do, the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor can do better. Plus, the IQ requires a security screwdriver to take the camera on and off its mount. (It would just go straight to the cloud.) But the Nest Cam is an expensive little camera, and you don’t want to lose it. The Nest Cam Outdoor has a power cord that must be plugged in to an indoor outlet. The camera and the cord itself are both weatherproof, but the AC adapter is not.
We compared these cameras with four older Nest cameras we previously tested and competing products from other brands. It's more affordable, has better smart detection, and doesn't require a power cord—putting Nest on even footing with competitors that release new cameras more often. The Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell skip the power cord , though they're compatible with wiring for charging the battery. Batteries give you the flexibility to install cameras where they have the best view, which isn't also close to an outlet. You can customize the smart detection in different activity zones.
The camera itself can tilt forward and backward thanks to a tiny, metal arm connecting it to the stand. Shop your favorite products and we’ll find the best deal with a single click. Yes, the Google Nest Cam has to be connected to the internet, otherwise it can’t upload video to the cloud. You also can’t see the video stream without an internet connection.
It’ll take you a bit of effort to pull the cam off the mount again. This camera is technically wireless, but that really just means you don’t have to connect it to your internet router with an Ethernet cable. You do still have to plug this baby into a wall outlet—and it has to be an indoor one. So be prepared to drill a hole through your wall or awkwardly thread it through a door. This is one of those features where you’re not going to get 100 percent accuracy on day one. Just give it a couple of days, and you’ll see the whole system start to work more smoothly.
The Best Security Cameras for Your Home
You can even color code and label the zones, so you get specific alerts about each one. It makes it much easier to sort through your notifications and see which ones are important. Some cameras give you activity zones in blocks, and you can select which ones are active. It’s imprecise, and you might get more alerts than you want for one area but not enough for another.
We love that Nest now requires two-factor authentication when you log in. Rather than signing into your Nest account with a single password and username, 2FA sends a verification code to your email or phone too. While it's a bit tedious to go through 2FA each time you log in, it’s worth it. It can alert you to an open door or window, frighten away prowlers, and call for help should you need it. People who want to capture nighttime images with a brighter image or who need a light to guide them to the door or to scare critters away from trash cans.
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