Nest Cam Review 2023

Nest Camera Comparison

Key Similarities

After extensive testing, we detailed here the main similarities that we’ve found in Nest’s cameras. If you want the full info, check out our Nest Cam Indoor review, Nest Cam Outdoor review, Nest Cam IQ Indoor review, and Nest Cam IQ Outdoor review. You can also find our review of the new Nest Cam Battery here.

Storage

All security cameras from Google Nest store videos in the cloud. Local storage is not an option. That has always been the case since the first Nest Cam.

What has changed over the years is the cost of cloud storage. Nest Aware, Google Nest’s cloud subscription, is more affordable now than ever. One subscription covers an unlimited number of cameras, and it starts at only $6 per month.

Additionally, you can make Nest cameras record continuously now for up to 10 days. That is with the Nest Aware Plus subscription.

Another great thing about the Nest Aware subscriptions is that they unlock an additional feature, namely, Familiar Face Alerts also known as facial recognition.

Here’s the pricing breakdown for Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus:

All of our Nest cameras can sense motion, so we set our cameras to notify us every time they saw something move. Motion-activated notifications like this are standard in smart security cameras, but we opted to set ours up differently. With motion-activated recording only, we got many unnecessary notifications from cars, pets, and other moving objects that weren’t people, so we made some helpful adjustments to reduce the deluge. More on that in our artificial intelligence section below.

Smart Platform Integrations

In addition to controlling our Nest Cams through the Nest app, we controlled them using Google Assistant4 and Alexa. What commands did we use, exactly? Using Alexa, we cast our Nest cameras’ footage on our Echo Show devices and our Fire TV. It was cool to see our family on our big-screen TV, and being able to make this happen using our voices alone made us feel like superheroes. If we wanted to get the footage off the screen, we could do that through Alexa.

Google Assistant worked similarly; we streamed our Nest footage on our Chromecast. In addition to the voice assistants, we set up our Nest Cams to work with Philips Hue smart lighting. We have a ton of smart light bulbs and fixtures in our home, so we set our lights to dim when we wanted to stream footage from our Nest cameras without glare. No matter which Nest camera we went with, we noticed that the smart home features were exactly the same.

Digital Zoom

When we wanted to take a closer look at a specific area of our live footage, we used the Nest app to digitally zoom up to eight times on all of our Nest Cams. We also set up one of our cameras to stay zoomed-in on a particular spot all the time. Digital zoom in the Nest app was particularly helpful when we departed for a trip and were worried we left the oven on; it was easy to go into the Nest app and zoom into the oven’s digital display by pinching the screen.

The Nest App

With all of the Nest cameras, we used the same Nest app whenever we were away from home. The app was where we viewed live footage, spoke to loved ones through two-way audio, rifled through cloud storage, received notifications, set up smart platform integrations, named people for familiar face alerts, and more. It was super easy to use, and we loved how it integrated all of our Nest products under one virtual roof, from our Nest Learning Thermostat to our Nest Protect smoke and CO detector. Other Nest customers seemed to agree with us, as the app has a 4.7 on the Apple store and a 4.2 on the Google Play store.5 Since we last reviewed the Nest cameras, this app has gotten a lot less buggy, so thank you to Nest for making some vast improvements!

Video Review

Watch our video review to see us test out the Nest Cam Battery, Nest’s latest smart security camera.

Key Differences

Of course, we also found a ton of differences between the Nest cameras, such as:

Video

In live-streaming our Nest Cam footage, we saw that the cameras have the industry standard of 1080p resolution, making for a crisp image no matter which camera we were testing. The new Nest Cam, however, had one advantage over the originals: it recorded in 1080p HD resolution with high dynamic range (HDR), which sharpened our live stream in high-contrast situations, making for super clear live video. It helped us avoid glare or distortions from outside lighting, too.6 Nest’s other cameras didn’t have HDR, though, so they may not be a great choice for a particularly sunny yard, just the living room.

Of course, we didn’t just test for high video quality; we also looked for wide fields of view because we wanted maximum visibility for our home security, especially for our outdoor cameras. Luckily, we enjoyed the Nest cameras’ 130-degree fields of view, which certainly let us see enough of our home to monitor it properly.

Power

We plugged all of the cameras into power. That meant that we didn’t have to worry about the batteries running out any time soon, although some people may prefer wireless home security cameras. The second-generation Nest Cam, however, offers both battery and plug-in use, so that was a nice discovery. If you recall, the first-generation Nest Cams all required power cords and had no battery backup.

Cost

Nest cameras used to be expensive, but the new generation of Nest Cams come with Nest’s more affordable pricing. The Nest Cam (battery) costs $179.99. The Nest Cam (indoor) costs $99.99. The Nest Cam with floodlight, which is the most expensive, costs $279.99.

While those prices are still above average, the cameras are jam-packed with smart features and great technology. In a sense, you’re getting your money’s worth. Compared to the Ring Spotlight Cam, for example, the Nest Cam with floodlight costs only about $50 more, but it delivers facial recognition with Nest Aware and person detection out of the box. The less expensive Ring Spotlight Cam doesn’t have either of the two features. (Read our Ring Spotlight Cam review here.)

For ways to save on Nest cameras around the holidays and big sales events, visit our lists of Nest Cams’ Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and Nest Cams’ Prime Day deals.

Two-Way Audio

When we spoke through the cameras’ speakers, we noticed that the next-gen Nest Cams had very clear audio, a slight improvement over the original Nest Cam Indoor and Outdoor cameras. We had to repeat ourselves to the dog sitter a few too many times for our liking with the originals, so it was nice to have more straightforward communication in the new devices.

Infrared Night Vision

We didn’t just test out our Nest cameras during the day; we also tested them out at night and were pleased with the black and white footage made possible by the cameras’ six high-power infrared LED sensors. That being said, we’re waiting to get our hands on Nest’s new floodlight camera so we can see all that brilliant footage in color.

Artificial Intelligence

Remember when we said we’d come back to motion detection? So, when it came to customizing when we wanted our cameras to record, the possibilities were a bit different depending on the camera. Nest’s facial recognition, included in our Nest Aware subscription, allowed the cameras to learn and remember the facial features of people in or around the house. When the camera detected a person, our app asked us if we knew them. If we did, we said yes, and wrote their name in the Nest app. Nest alerted us to people who weren’t familiar, too. It was super convenient when we wanted to keep tabs on our kids while we were at work, making sure they didn’t open the door for strangers.

Durability

The best way to determine a camera’s durability is by looking at its IP rating. The IP standard measures degrees of protection against solids and liquids. The measurement helps us, as product testers, understand the details of our camera beyond vague marketing terms like “waterproof.”

One thing we noticed about the newest Nest Cam (battery) is that the company says it’s usable indoors and outdoors, but the camera’s IP rating is only IP54. An IP54 rating means the device is not dust-tight and is protected from water splashes, but it falls short of being fully waterproof.

If you are to use the Nest Cam (battery) outdoors, we recommend placing it under cover, like in a patio or under the eaves. It may be able to withstand drizzles, but a torrid downpour could possibly ruin the camera’s electronics.

Installing Our Nest Cameras

Like 60 percent of all security systems,7we had to install our Nest cameras all by ourselves. When it came to setting everything up, the app guided us through the process step-by-step, and we had our Nest Cams set up in only a few minutes each. If we wanted to mount them, that would take a bit more time and a little elbow grease, so we simply placed our cameras on flat surfaces and called it a day. And as far as the Nest Floodlight, that installation will involve some hardwiring, which we’d recommend leaving to a professional installer. The good news is, a Nest Pro can come to your home and install your Nest Cam for $99.

Monitoring Options

In addition to its IQ cameras like the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, Nest also discontinued Nest Secure, the brand’s home security system that offered professional monitoring as an add-on. The only option for us with Nest subscriptions, then, was to self-monitor our Nest Cams. If you want professional monitoring, it might be wise to look at a fully monitored security system instead of individual cameras. A classic company like ADT won’t let you down, though ADT’s monitoring costs are a bit steep at $60 per month. Also, we suggest looking at a package from SimpliSafe, which offers 24/7 monitoring starting at $14.99 per month.

Recap

In our extensive testing of each, we found that Nest’s cameras are some of the highest quality on the market today, especially in terms of video and artificial intelligence capabilities. We got the same high-quality equipment and low-cost cloud storage with the company’s latest-generation Nest Cams. However, we weren’t thrilled with the Nest Cam’s IP54 rating, though, because it meant the camera is not dust-tight and can’t handle more than a few splashes of water. Also, we noted that the new Nest Cam is $179.99, which is cheaper than the original Nest Cam Outdoor at $199. The latter also has an IP65 rating, so we’d recommend sticking to the first-gen Nest Cam for outdoor use. In the end, though, all of our Nest Cams worked really well for us and made it easy to stay on top of our home’s security. And if you want a video doorbell, read our Nest doorbell review for more information.