The Google Nest Cam (Battery or Battery) and the Nest Cam (Indoor or indoor) are some of the company's new smart cameras that complement the 2021 portfolio along with the Nest Cam with Floodlight (lighting with motion detection) and the Nest Doorbell smart doorbell (Battery or Battery).
We already did the smart doorbell analysis and now it's the turn of the other Nest Cam (Battery) and Nest Cam (indoor, wired) smart cameras.
The Nest Cam with Floodlight (motion sensing lighting) offers a similar experience to those mentioned, but has automatic lighting when detecting motion and installation is more difficult because it requires a wiring connection, not just a plug or battery like the others.
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Free features with cameras
3 hours of event recording / history
Detection of people, animals and vehicles
Selection of activity areas
With Nest Aware ($ 6 or $ 12 monthly subscription including all your Nest devices)
24/7 recording history (requires Neset Aware Plus and does not run on battery)
Face recognition
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm alerts
30 days of history (regular) or 60 days of history (Plus)
Good to see that Google offers some advanced features for free that often require a subscription.
However, I think the biggest flaw is that it only offers three hours of event history because this is not very useful, especially if you take into account that if something happens at night while you sleep, you will not be able to see the recording on many occasions because it is erased. each clip automatically when three hours are up.
I think that people who have more than one Nest camera or product that can get something out of Nest Aware makes a lot more sense because since the end of 2019 the company began offering a subscription for all these products and not one. for each device.
Google Home app (total dependency)
These cameras are not compatible with the Nest app, which is a disappointment because if you already have Nest products you are used to it and honestly its design is much more pleasant and easier to use than the Google Home app that you have to use. with these.
Google Home isn't very visually appealing, it's confusing (especially if you have more Google products), and you often need to navigate more places to get to the things that can often be critical to these kinds of products.
Google Nest Cam (Battery)
This is the first Google camera under the Nest brand that works both outside and inside through an integrated battery, but you also have the possibility of using it connected using a cable resistant to rain and other aspects of the environment that is purchased separately from USD $ 39.
In addition, Google now also sells an anti-theft case for $ 14 and a solar panel to keep the camera always charged for $ 49. The Google Nest Cam camera (battery) has an MSRP of $ 179.
The camera has a large design that reminds me a lot of the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor, but this has a design that allows it to be attached to a mount magnetically or through a traditional mount that does use a power cord to keep it working almost always.
The magnetic mount offers more flexibility and I like its construction because it allows you to easily rotate it at multiple angles.
The other mount is much more limited, even more than the previous indoor camera.
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Something to keep in mind is that with this large size, the Nest Cam (Battery) is also heavy (398 grams).
The good thing is that despite this weight, the magnetic mount holds it securely, but it also makes it relatively easy for anyone to remove or steal it as this mount is primarily designed to be used outdoors.
However, Google assures that if it is stolen the company will replace it for free, but I have not experienced how the whole process would be.
Keep in mind that in the traditional wired mount the Nest Cam (Battery) also sticks magnetically, but the cable connection also helps provide a bit more support.
However, simply trying to reset it with this mount and holding it by the bracket made the camera easily slip off me to fall and bounce off a wooden floor.
The good thing is that despite this drop and the multiple hits it received, the camera continued to work without problems.
Compared to the Nest Cam (Wired Indoor), this camera looks even bigger than it is because the other new camera is very compact, more so than the previous generation.
Operation and performance
In terms of operation, the Nest Cam (Battery) generally fulfills its promise, but especially on battery, it sometimes loses some events, either due to very continuous movement or noise that it did not detect so clearly.
The image quality is good, although at times it seemed a bit darker than I expected and this means that at night, at a distance, it is not possible to perceive what is happening relatively adequately.
At other times, the Nest Cam (Battery) offers good colors and detail.
The 130-degree viewing angle manages to capture enough space, manages to capture video in 1080p, has 6x digital zoom, and has both a microphone and a speaker.
Two-way communication is adequate, allowing the voice to be detected at an adequate distance and volume, while the speaker reproduces an adequate volume, although depending on the external noise it could limit good communication a bit.
Battery duration
The battery life of the Nest Cam (Battery) surprised me because it lasted about two months, but this can vary greatly depending on the activity you have in front of it.
Google estimates that the battery can last between 1.5 to 7 months, but if you have it connected to electricity continuously using its support you will not have to worry about the battery.
Something outstanding and differentiating compared to previous Google Nest cameras is that now the camera has the ability to record and detect events (for up to an hour) even when the electricity goes out and with this the Internet.
This undoubtedly offers more security and reliability.
Google Nest Cam (Wired Indoor)
This new Nest Cam camera is the cheapest from Google so far with a suggested price of US $ 99 and has good free features, the same as the camera with battery.
Although the design bears some resemblance to the Nest Cam (Battery), this is designed for indoor use only, so it is not resistant to water, wind and other weather phenomena like the other cameras presented.
What's new in the design is that the bracket hides the cable better than previous generations.
Even that Nest Cam mount can be purchased with a real wood finish that allows it to be better camouflaged in the home, but it will also be available in other colors and materials.
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However, the mobility that that support offers seemed a bit limited to me because it is less than what the previous generation has offered.
Despite this, the Nest Cam (Wired Indoor) is more compact than the previous generation and, as I mentioned, much smaller than the battery one.
The quality offered by the camera is very close to that of the Nest Cam (Battery), but at times I found it to offer more detail, especially when the other was mainly operating in battery mode.
Google Nest Cam with Floodlight (with motion detection auto-on light)
The Google Nest Cam with Floodlight has the same general benefits of the other devices, but as I mentioned, the main differentiation is in two lights that activate automatically when they detect movement.
Google ensures that through different algorithms and machine learning, the Nest Cam with Floodlight would not turn on with any movement as it usually happens with many of these lights.
Google says the idea behind this is for the light (s) to come on automatically when it's really worth it without neglecting the security they offer.
The Google Nest Cam with Floodlight has an MSRP of $ 279.
conclusion
I consider the Nest Cam (Wired Indoor) to be the most attractive camera for most users, at least speaking of this group of Google cameras.
It has an attractive design, good free features (except for just 3 hours of video recording), and the quality is good.
Its price of USD $ 99 makes it undoubtedly one of the best on the market and although there are cheaper cameras (like Wyze), those do not offer as many free functions, but they do offer more recording time or history.
The Nest Cam (Battery) is the most versatile of all because it can be placed not only anywhere in your home, but also outdoors.
The quality is good and the battery life reliable, but its $ 279 price tag with mid-range specs makes it not as outstanding as the other one.
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For its part, the Nest Cam with Floodlight is the most difficult to install and that is why it is the least versatile, so it is the one that will probably have the most limitations for most users.
Anyway, its lights are powerful (2,400 lumens), it detects movement adequately and both the quality and the functions are like the other Google cameras mentioned here, but its price is a bit too high considering that Arlo and Ring offer similar products for USD $ 250 or less.
These products will be sold in the United States, Spain and Mexico, as well as Japan, Canada, Australia, England, France and other countries in Europe.
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