Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) Review: A very clever security camera
Verdict
A powerful all-round camera, the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) gives you the choice of battery or powered recording and works inside and out. With on-device recording giving up to 3 hours of video, plus smart object detection, this is a photographic camera that doesn't necessarily need a cloud subscription, although Nest Enlightened is well priced if you want more than recorded footage. The Google Abode app isn't as good every bit the erstwhile Nest one, though, and more than control over how and when the camera records would be proficient.
Pros
- Offline recording
- On-board object detection
- Very flexible
Cons
- New Google Habitation app not as skillful as the Nest app
- No IFTTT
Availability
- UK RRP: £179.99
- USA RRP: $179.99
- Europe RRP: €199.99
Fundamental Features
- Type This is an indoor or outdoor camera that tin be used on battery power alone, although it can be run from the mains power.
- Connection This camera connects to your abode Wi-Fi via 2.4GHz networking.
Introduction
Just when I thought that Google was never going to update its line-upward of security cameras, it discontinued both the Nest Cam IQ and Nest Cam IQ Outdoor and has released the successor, the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery).
As you can probably tell from the proper name of the product, this is both an indoor and outdoor camera, and it'south battery operated, although you lot tin can also permanently power it. Built-in storage and smart on-device object detection mean that you don't demand to worry virtually a cloud subscription, although opt for Nest Enlightened and y'all'll get some advanced features.
Overall, this new package is a triumph over the old cameras, delivering more features, but the software isn't quite equally flexible as I'd desire.
Blueprint and installation
- Lots of mounting options
- Only a magnetic mountain in the box
- A great-looking security camera
Getting a security camera to wait correct is difficult. On the one manus, yous want them to stick out then that they put off burglars; on the other hand, yous desire a camera to look dainty so that it doesn't spoil the advent of your home. Google has nailed that in the past, and the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) continues to do so. A lozenge-shaped hunk of smooth white plastic, this photographic camera looks corking whether you identify it outside or in.
At 83 x 83 x 83mm (max dimensions), this camera is a little bigger than the main battery competition, such as the Arlo Pro 3. It's available in a unmarried- or dual-pack. Both packs ship with just the big magnetic mountain, which has a wall subclass that you screw into place, and and so you attach the photographic camera straight to it.
However, you lot can apply whatsoever magnetic mountain: exterior, I had the erstwhile Nest Cam Outdoor, and so but repurposed that mount instead, although Google has said that the smaller mount hither may not be able to take the weight, then use the provided ane instead.
If you prefer, yous can apply a tripod mount, using the screw thread underneath, or you tin can buy the optional represent indoor apply.
In that location'southward a charging cable in the box that magnetically attaches to the lesser of the photographic camera to top upward the battery. If you lot'd rather have the camera permanently powered, you tin can buy the optional weatherproof adaptor (5m or 10m lengths available).
Installation is now via the Google Domicile app, rather than the old Nest app. This is a clear sign that Google tends to remove the Nest app, as only older products, such as the still-available Nest Cam Outdoor, will use this.
It's quick to go the camera installed: once you've scanned the QR code the photographic camera connects to your home Wi-Fi connectedness and is ready to go.
Features
- Needs more than flexibility for recording
- Fantabulous features and recording without a subscription
- Nest Aware adds more features
As with the Nest Doorbell (battery), the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) doesn't necessarily crave a cloud subscription to get the near out of it. Thanks to the AI fleck onboard, the photographic camera can spot when information technology'southward seen a person, brute, vehicle or any other movement. These features are normally but bachelor in cloud subscription packages.
You tin utilise this level of detection to control exactly how the camera works. First, you tin set up which events y'all go notifications for, say but getting alerted when a person is spotted. Secondly, yous can control which events the camera records for.
Fifty-fifty ameliorate, the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, bombardment) lets you describe activity zones, to only monitor the office of the image that you're interested in. For each zone, you can then cull which events you want to record and which y'all want to be notified for. For example, you could record people and animals in one zone, getting alerts for people simply, and so record people only in another zone.
Google treats everything outside of a zone as the special Exterior of zone expanse, which can have its own recording and notification rules. Nearly cameras treat everything exterior of a zone as not of import, so at that place's a scrap more flexibility here.
If you're running the photographic camera on battery power, Google recommends that you don't turn on all-motion recording, as this can reduce battery life.
Internally, the camera tin can record up to 3 hours of footage offline, then you don't technically need a subscription, as y'all tin can save any clips you demand within that time. If you lot want more recording history, you tin can upgrade to a Nest Enlightened subscription. For the entry-level £5-a-month plan, you get xxx-days of result recording for all cameras in your home, which is first-class value.
Nest Enlightened also turns on Familiar face detection, or facial recognition to me and you. This lets the photographic camera spot and recognise people that you know. You tin create profiles for each person, so y'all can be told who the photographic camera has spotted. This data is shared betwixt all cameras, including the doorbell and is nevertheless a unique feature that the competition doesn't have.
You do demand to manage profiles advisedly, deleting incorrectly categorised snapshots, and merging duplicate profiles, or facial recognition tin can get things wrong. Properly looked after, information technology'southward a system that works actually well.
If you cull to permanently power your camera, then you can upgrade to the more than expensive Nest Aware subscription, which adds constant video recording into the mix, so everything is captured.
Cleverly, if your Wi-Fi goes down or ability is cut to your camera, the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) tin can tape up to three hours of video on battery power, uploading the results when the connection is restored. That makes this camera more reliable than the cloud-but competition.
Finding footage in the Google Home app isn't as easy every bit it was with the Nest app. With the Nest app, opening information technology up would show you a preview of the photographic camera. Tap the preview and you lot'd get the live view and the timeline to scroll through, with filtering options to detect events.
With the Google Dwelling house app, y'all have to scroll down to find your camera, then tap it to bring up the live view (information technology starts automatically if your camera is powered, just needs an extra tap to start the camera for battery mode). And then, yous have to tap History to view a more basic timeline that you can't filter and tap Total History to get a filterable thumbnail view of clips. All clips tin exist downloaded to your device.
You lot can manually turn the camera on and off using the Google Home app. If you desire to automate information technology, then y'all demand to enable the Habitation/Away routines in the app, which can use your phone (and those of other people in your household) to detect who'southward at home to change style automatically.
With this, yous can cull to accept your photographic camera turn on and off automatically, or yous tin can choose to only go notifications when you're away from home. Information technology'due south a good tool but not equally comprehensive as the competition. With Ring, if you have the Ring Alarm, you tin can arrange cameras based on the mode of the alarm: different settings for whether the alarm is gear up to on, at dwelling house or turned off.
With cameras, such as the Arlo Pro 3, y'all can use geolocation and a schedule, and you can adapt mode using SmartThings or IFTTT. Both Ring and Arlo have more than powerful control, which tin be important. After all, nobody really wants to record lots of footage of themselves.
As the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) installs via the Google Domicile app it's only compatible with the Google Banana, and it doesn't have IFTTT support. With a smart display, such equally the Nest Hub (second generation), you tin view the live feed. There's no Alexa support, although the launch of Thing in the future may change that.
Video quality
- Expert-plenty video quality
- Night time uses powerful IR
- Slightly over-sharpened image
Video footage is captured at a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The camera uses a 130-caste (diagonal) field of view, which is good enough for outside utilize: I could get most of my garden in with this; yous can get cameras with wider fields of view if you desire to capture more.
Testing the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) out, I found that its footage was pretty good but not form-leading. During the day, video has clear signs of pinch, filtering out the detail on my t-shirt, for example, and the video is quite conspicuously sharpened. However, at that place's enough particular left to spot individuals and the paradigm is well exposed, even when facing straight sunlight.
At night, the photographic camera turns on its IR sensor. This has good range, lighting up my entire garden, although the resulting footage is a lot softer, removing some more particular from the image. I'd say that footage is on a par with that shot from Band's cameras, but Arlo'south 2K cameras (the Pro 3 and Pro 4) shoot meliorate video and I've not seen a camera come close to that of the Arlo Ultra.
Still, what y'all get here is video footage that's more than skillful enough for its intended purpose.
Last thoughts
While it'southward off-white to say that you tin get better quality video footage elsewhere, what the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) does is evangelize more than good-plenty quality. It's the features that actually sell this model, with on-camera detection and upwardly to three-hours of free video recording meaning that you don't necessarily need a cloud subscription. If y'all do desire more video recording, then Nest Enlightened starts at simply £5 a calendar month, which is excellent value.
If you want more than control over how your cameras record, then Arlo is a meliorate option. And, if you accept Ring cameras or the warning, or Echo smart speakers, then I'd become for Ring instead. Alternatively, check out my guides to the best indoor security cameras and the all-time outdoor security cameras.
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Should you purchase it?
If you want a powerful camera that tin become inside or out, with excellent free features and offline recording, this is a groovy camera.
If you've got cameras from a different manufacturer already, then it's probably cheaper overall to stick with that arrangement. If you have Echo devices, and so this camera won't play nicely with them.
Concluding Thoughts
While it'south fair to say that you can go better quality video footage elsewhere, what the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) does is deliver more than skilful-plenty quality. It's the features that really sell this model, with on-photographic camera detection and up to three-hours of gratis video recording meaning that you don't necessarily need a cloud subscription. If you do want more video recording, then Nest Enlightened starts at just £5 a month, which is excellent value.
If y'all want more control over how your cameras record, and so Arlo is a better pick. And, if yous take Ring cameras or the warning, or Echo smart speakers, and so I'd go for Band instead. Alternatively, check out my guides to the best indoor security cameras and the best outdoor security cameras.
How we test
Unlike other sites, nosotros test every security photographic camera we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. Nosotros use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We'll always tell yous what we detect. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Detect out more than near how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main security photographic camera for the review period
We test compatibility with the main smart systems (HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and more than) to run into how easy each camera is to automate.
We take samples during the day and night to see how clear each camera'south video is.
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FAQs
Practice you need a Nest Aware subscription to use the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery)?
No, y'all don't. Without a subscription, you get three hours of video recording and object detection. You tin add together Nest Aware to get more recording history.
How long does the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) on a charge?
It should last around three months on a accuse although you tin can permanently ability it.
Total specs
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UK RRP
USA RRP
European union RRP
Manufacturer
Size (Dimensions)
Weight
Release Engagement
Outset Reviewed Engagement
Model Number
Resolution
Voice Assistant
Bombardment Length
Smart assistants
App Command
Camera Type
Mounting option
View Field
Recording option
Two-way audio
Night vision
Light
Motility detection
Action zones
Object detection
Audio detection
Ability source
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Jargon buster
Google Assistant
A voice assistant which is Google'due south accept on Amazon'southward Alexa.
Alexa
Amazon's smart voice banana
IFTTT
If This Then That (IFTTT) is a costless spider web-based smart home platform that lets y'all create uncomplicated rules to automate your dwelling house.
Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/nest-cam-outdoor-or-indoor-battery
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