Google recently announced a new line of wireless smart home devices that are cheaper than previous models, and they no longer require you to pay monthly subscription fees to use basic features. Here’s everything you need to know about Google’s new Nest cameras and video doorbell, including their specs, price, release date, and more.
New Nest Camera (Battery-Powered)
- Price: $179.99
- Availability: Available Now
The new Nest Cam is Google’s first battery-powered smart camera, which allows it to be completely wireless. So, you can install this smart camera anywhere on your property, even if there isn’t a power outlet in sight.
Magnetic Base
To make the installation process easier, Google’s Nest Cam attaches to its base magnetically. While this should make it much easier to take the camera down and charge the batteries every three months, it also makes the device much easier to steal.
To address this, the tech giant says it will replace any cameras that are stolen for free, as long as the owner files a police report and sends it to Google within 30 days. You can also buy the $15 Wasserstein Anti-Theft Mount to secure your Nest Cam to the magnetic base with a stainless-steel tether.
Nest Cam Stand
If you want to use the new Nest Cam indoors, Google sells a stand that lets you set the smart camera on any flat surface. The $30 Nest Cam stand also comes with a power cable built-in, so you don’t have to worry about recharging the device again.
Smarter Alerts
The new Nest camera has improved notifications that will alert you if it was a person, pet, or car that triggered the motion alert. Then you can filter any results out, so you don’t get tons of notifications every time a cat walks across your yard, or a car drives down the road.
Activity Zones
You also get to set up and use Activity Zones with the new Nest Cam for free. This feature, which used to come with the Nest Aware subscription, allows you to choose the areas of your property you want to receive motion alerts about and which areas to ignore.
No Subscription Needed
Like many smart cameras on the market, Google’s new Nest Cam can automatically record a short video clip every time it detects motion. However, unlike other smart cameras, the Nest Cam doesn’t require you to pay a monthly subscription fee in order to watch your video clips.
You only get three hours of video with the Nest Cam for free, but the company says that is roughly equal to three weeks of event history. This is a huge improvement over the previous model, which only let you see a live view of your smart cameras without a subscription.
You can still get a Nest Aware subscription, which will give you 30 days of event video recordings for $6 a month. Or you can bump that up to 60 days of video recordings and get 10 days of 24/7 recordings with a Nest Aware Plus subscription for $12 a month.
To learn more about what Nest Aware is, and if it’s really worth it, check out our in-depth guide here.
New Nest Doorbell (Battery-Powered)
- Price: $179.99
- Availability: Available Now
Google is also releasing its first battery-powered video doorbell. The new Nest Doorbell is cheaper than the previous model, and it comes with a larger field of view, allowing you to see your visitor from head to toe.
Since it is totally wireless, you can install the Nest Doorbell anywhere. Google claims the battery will last up to six months on a single charge. Then you can pair it with a Nest Mini to hear a chime sound every time someone rings your doorbell. You can also wire the Nest Doorbell and use your existing chime instead, so you won’t have to charge the batteries.
Like the new Nest Cam, Google is giving Nest Doorbell users three hours of event video history for free. You won’t need to pay a monthly subscription fee to get Activity Zones or smart alerts either. The Nest Doorbell will even send you notifications when your packages arrive, and you can leave pre-recorded messages with instructions for the delivery driver.
New Nest Camera with Floodlight
- Price: $279.99
- Availability: Coming Soon
Google also announced its first-ever smart floodlight, which will be available soon. With lights that produce 2,400 lumens, this smart camera is much brighter than your standard 100W lightbulb.
Aside from its motion-sensing floodlights, this device shares a lot of the same features as the battery-powered Nest Cam. It has the same camera specs, two-way talk capability, smart alerts, and local storage capacity.
New Wired Nest Camera (Second-Generation)
- Price: $99.99
- Availability: Coming Soon
The new Wired Nest Cam is Google’s cheapest camera ever. Google designed it to be indoor-only, so it cannot survive the changing weather of the outdoors. But it has the same great features as the other new Nest products, like the live feed, local storage, object detection, high-end camera specs, and two-way talk.
If you want to compare Google’s new Nest Cam with other devices, check out our list of the best smart home security cameras here.
