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The long list of high-tech features on Nest cams will have you feeling like you’re living on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Interestingly enough, I found that the camera becomes inoperable when it’s disconnected from the magnetic base. However, you can disable this by going under the device information settings in the Google Home app.
Over the years, though, Nest has stopped being the go-to brand for smart cameras. High prices and the lack of wireless solutions — for both indoor and outdoor cameras — pushed the company to the sidelines. Now, companies like Blink, Arlo, Ring, Eufy, and others dominate the market. Google is hoping to turn that tide with its new offering, the Google Nest Cam — headlined by the Google Nest Cam model. Finally, the company has a fully wireless indoor/outdoor security camera on its roster.
Recorded Video Quality
Tap Cameras when asked what you're setting up, then select Nest Cam . Use your phone to scan the QR code on the lens cover sticker, then choose the Nest Cam again. After agreeing to several usage agreements, you’ll be prompted to remove and save the lens cover sticker and plug in the camera. Once you’ve selected a location , the app will automatically connect the camera to whatever Wi-Fi network your phone is connected to. Once connected, give the camera a name and enter your address to take advantage of the 15-day Nest Aware trial period.
And by the way, Ring Stick Up Cam is still a really good camera for that price; read more in my full Ring Stick Up Cam review. Again, this is a paid feature that requires a Nest Aware subscription. And, like Familiar Faces, it’s not an essential component but more of a nice-to-have feature you’d expect from Google. If you’re looking for more “bare essentials” cameras that do the job just as well, you might be interested in something from Amcrest . Before I even opened the box, it was evident these cameras were not made for lightweights.
Using Nest Floodlight camera
You can also opt to power the camera using the included 3.3-foot power cable—simply attach it to the magnetic power/charging port located on the bottom and to a USB power adapter . Also inside is a Bluetooth radio and dual-band Wi-Fi circuitry that connects the camera to either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band of your Wi-Fi network. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor has 1080p resolution along with a 4K image sensor and 12x digital zoom.
I installed the fully-charged Nest Cam in the afternoon on a Thursday. The following Thursday afternoon, its battery level dropped to 97%. Judging from that, the Google Home app estimates I could go about eight months before I would need to charge the Nest Cam. As one would expect, the more you zoom in, the more the picture quality degrades.
Recap: Is the Nest Cam Outdoor good?
You only get three hours of video storage for free with your Google Nest Cam, which isn’t all that much. During my time with the camera, it was pretty flawless at notifying me when something happened and accurately determining what happened. It’s a huge improvement over my older Nest Cam Outdoor which constantly misidentifies things.
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.
Nest is best, for some
And, if they happened to spend only a few minutes rifling through my stuff before making an escape, I wouldn't get an alert then, either. You get a few hours of cloud storage for free, but it's likely most buyers will need Nest Aware. There’s also a small but powerful speaker built into the camera, allowing you to both hear what’s going on as well as project your voice to the camera’s surroundings. This is very similar to the previously mentioned Nest Outdoor Cam. Inside is a non-removable rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is rated to last up to three months between charges under typical use.
There's no animal or vehicle detection, but these aren't necessary on an indoor camera like the Nest Hub Max. It doesn't have on-device processing for motion zones and person detection, so you need a Nest Aware subscription to unlock these . Unlike other Nest cameras, it's not easy to point the Nest Hub Max's lens where you want, though you can buy a stand accessory with more flexibility. Although we love that this smart hub has a built-in camera, it's also a great companion to other Nest cams since you can watch live feeds on the Nest Hub Max's 10-inch touchscreen.
You access the Nest Cam’s settings and video feed via the Google Home mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The camera appears on the home screen in a panel for the room where you installed it; simply tap the camera icon to view a live feed. The subscription also gets you access to additional features like Familiar Face Detection, which recognizes people and tells you who is on your property. Its AI-based alert system is secure, accurate, and doesn’t require a monthly subscription. Three hours of free cloud storage isn’t great, but most competitors make you pay for any cloud storage if they even offer it at all.
When you start to get as fully featured as the Nest Cam, you actually find it undercuts some of the competition, too. The Ring Spotlight Cam ($199) is wireless, easy to install, offers a 1080p resolution, and has nifty removable rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, all cloud uploads are locked behind a subscription paywall and it doesn’t have the AI-based smart alerts of the Nest Cam. The original Nest Cam from 2014 wasn’t the first Nest product, but it certainly became one of the company’s most popular releases. Since then, we’ve seen multiple riffs and variations on that device, which helped to bring accessible smart security cameras to the masses.
The Google Nest Cam is now one of the best home wireless security cameras you can get. The only big barrier is its price, especially when you factor in that most users will need a Nest Aware subscription. But those who can afford it will likely be happy with their purchase. The Google Nest Cam is a battery-powered indoor/outdoor home security camera that's easy to install and delivers crisp HD video and intelligent alerts. However, its latest smart security camera aims to be its most ambitious offering to date.
I would've liked to see Google lean into personalization and offer interchangeable cameras and bases for customers, a la smartwatch faces and bands. While it does offer security features like opt-in motion and sound alerts, they aren't especially useful since you can only receive one notification every 30 minutes. $179 is a lot of money to spend on one camera, especially when you factor in that most people want multiple cameras around their homes and will also need a Nest Aware subscription. This is a situation in which you get what you pay for, though, and what you’ll get you’re likely going to love.
You won’t have to spend a couple hours just trying to figure out where everything is—it’s pretty simple. The Nest Cam Outdoor’s magnetic base is convenient, but it also makes it relatively easy for a thief to snatch your camera off its mount and take it with them. Jaime Fraze has 16 years of writing and editing experience, with seven years spent writing about emerging technologies. As our home security camera expert, she has hand-tested and reviewed every major security camera brand and has written more than 300 articles on the topic.
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