Nest Cam (Battery) Review: Best Security Camera Ever

It’s been a couple years since Google released a new Nest Cam, and in that time, a number of competitors have emerged, offering home security cameras for under $100 with built-in lights and other features. So, to justify the $179 price of its new Nest Cam, Google needs to accomplish a lot, right?

Fortunately, it does so without difficulty. The design, installation, and performance of the Nest Cam impressed me during my testing for this review. It’s easily one of the greatest interior and exterior home security cameras. And, best of all, no subscription is required.

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Nest Cam (Battery) Design and Installation

The Nest Cam has a cylindrical design with a flat face and a rounded back, similar to prior devices of the same name. It’s roughly the size of a coffee cup, with a diameter of 3.3 inches and a length of the same, and it feels like one when you hold it. A screw mount, a charging cable port, and a small speaker are located on the bottom. A little reset button is located at the very rear of the camera.

While you can use the screw mount, the camera’s curved back is designed to function with the magnetic base that comes with it. This is significantly more convenient than using a swivel mount to position the camera. However, because it’s much easier to remove than other cameras, the Nest Cam won’t turn on until it’s attached to its mount (which you can’t buy separately). A piece to screw the base into a wall or ceiling, as well as a few screws and anchors, are also included in the box.

Nest Cam (Battery) Video and Audio Performance

The Nest Cam, like most security cameras, offers a 1080p resolution, which was plenty sharp in my tests. My night vision is so good that I could readily read the writing on my shirt.

The precision of the Familiar Faces function also impressed me. Even with only two blurry photographs of me to go on, the camera was able to recognise me in the dark.

The Arlo Pro 3 and Arlo Pro 4 have 2K cameras, while the Arlo Ultra 2 has a 4K camera; these security cameras leverage their greater resolutions to enable digital pan-and-zoom. They may use this capability to automatically zoom in on subjects, which is especially useful in outdoor settings when it’s difficult to distinguish someone’s characteristics. It’s one of the few things the Nest Cam lacks.

Its speaker and microphone were able to clearly broadcast my voice while also picking up a visitor, allowing us to have a two-way conversation without raising our voices.

Nest Cam (Battery) Smart Home Features

For the time being, the Nest Cam will only operate with Google Home. You can view a live stream from the Nest Cam and communicate with the person on the other end if you have a smart display (such as the Nest Hub Max). Given that Nest’s earlier cameras were compatible with Alexa smart displays, it’s safe to assume that the new Nest Cam will be as well.

While the Nest Cam isn’t compatible with HomeKit, you can get around this by purchasing the Starling Home Hub, which connects Nest gadgets to HomeKit. However, Starling had not yet updated its software to allow interaction with the Nest Cam while I was reviewing it.

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Nest Cam (battery) App

The Google Home app searches for nearby Nest devices that can be used to help set up the camera as part of the setup process. I wish I could bypass this step and manually enter my Wi-Fi information, as it always causes me problems. I discovered that the Nest Cam was too far away from my Nest Protect smart smoke detectors to collect information from them after repeated attempts. The problem was remedied by moving closer.

When you tap the Nest Cam icon in the Google Home app, you’ll see a screen with battery life and camera status. You can adjust settings, put on a live view, and review the video history from here. You may see your camera’s history on a scrolling timeline or in a list of thumbnail images; brilliantly, these images are all small GIFs that show you everything that happened in a concise manner.

I wish the settings menu was a little more clear, as it’s not always clear what each option does. To modify camera settings, go to the Settings menu’s Device Features section and pick Events, then either Seen Events or Heard Events.

Seen Events include everything visual, including Activity Zones, Familiar Face Detection, and Notifications (People, Animals, and Vehicles).

If the camera detects carbon monoxide or smoke alarm sounds, you will receive an alert. When the camera is on battery power, however, these options are unavailable.

Returning to the main Settings menu, select Video to alter the maximum length of recorded videos (from 10 seconds to 3 minutes), as well as the video quality, night vision, and motion sensitivity settings.

Nest Cam (Battery) Battery  Life

The Nest Cam can be hooked in or run entirely on battery power. The battery is expected to last up to 7 months if it records two to four occurrences per day, three months if it records nine to 12 events per day, and roughly 1.5 months if it records 20 to 35 events per day, according to the business. As previously stated, Google sells an outdoor extension wire for the camera, but extras such as a solar panel must be purchased from third parties.

Nest Cam (Battery) Storage and Subscription Expenses

One of my favourite features of the new Nest cameras is that the firm is providing three hours of rolling video storage for free, as well as people, animal, vehicle, and custom activity zones. Because the camera stores three hours of video on its own, even if your power or internet connection goes out, you’ll still be able to see any footage of someone who comes to your door. Nest has two plans: Nest Aware ($6/month, $60/year), which includes 30 days of video recordings and Familiar Face detection, and Nest Aware Plus ($12/month, $120/year), which includes 60 days of video recordings, 10 days of continuous video recording, and Familiar Face detection. Compare security camera storage options for additional information.

Nest Cam (Battery) Pros

• Great design
• Very sharp video quality
• Free person, animal, vehicle detection
• 3 hours of video storage free

Nest Cam (Battery) Cons

• Only works with Google Home at launch
• Few accessories

Our Verdict

Nest has released a fantastic home security camera that is significantly less expensive than some of its prior offers.

The video is crisp and clear, the camera is well-designed, and the software is full of useful options. Furthermore, several of those functions, such as video storage, are now included in the camera’s price.