2021 Nest cameras revealed, includes wireless doorbell

At the beginning of its history, Nest was essentially known for two things: smart thermostats and security systems. Since Google bought the company, it has expanded to other product lines like security cameras. However, it hasn’t updated its camera lineup since 2017.

See also: The best Google Nest products you can get right now

That changes today! Google has launched a total of four new Nest cameras, at least one of which is for pretty much every smart home owner. Let’s get to each product in a moment.

Nest cameras 2021: Nest Doorbell

In 2018, Nest launched its first smart doorbell called Nest Hello. While it was a good product overall, it had a very limited user base as it required a home with a pre-built doorbell system. This meant that tenants, apartment dwellers, and people with older homes were likely to be left out.

Fortunately, the new Nest Doorbell doesn’t have this limitation. With this one product, you can go either wired or wireless. When you work wirelessly, the doorbell rings on your Google-powered smart speakers and / or smart displays. If you’re wired, your pre-made bell system will be used (but you’ll also see a live feed on your smart display).

See also: The best smart home devices you can get

The camera has a resolution of 1,280 x 960 at up to 30 frames per second. It has a night mode that allows it to see better in the dark and even has built-in memory for up to an hour of recording should your internet / power fail. On battery power, the doorbell can last up to six months, provided your front door isn’t very busy. A conservative estimate would be a month or two of battery life.

All over the world, it will be available in a color called Snow, which is off-white. There will be three more colors in the US: Linen, Ivy and Ash (see above).

Nest Cam (inside / outside)

Nest has released some outdoor cameras. The latest – the Nest Cam Outdoor from 2017 – is weatherproof, but only works with a cable.

In addition to having a wireless option, the new Nest Cam can also be used indoors or outdoors. This makes it the brand’s most versatile camera to date. In theory, you could buy a couple of these and easily move them from one place to another in or around your home.

Related: The best wireless security cameras to protect your home

The Nest Cam records in 1080p and can record up to an hour of footage if the power or internet goes down. Battery life depends on how often events trigger the camera, of course, but Google claims that a quiet household could last up to seven months on one charge.

This camera is only available in one color (see above). Unfortunately, you have to use it wirelessly out-of-the-box outdoors. Google sells 5m and 10m weatherproof cable if you want to use it outdoors in wired mode.

Nest Cam with floodlights

As you would expect, the Nest Cam with floodlights is the same as the camera in the previous section, only with the floodlights attached. It only works in wired mode and would likely require some level of professional installation.

The cool thing about the floodlights, however, is that they aren’t motion activated. Instead, they are event activated. In other words, when the camera detects a person or a vehicle, the lights are turned on. If it sees a raccoon go by, the lights will stay off. This extends the life of the lightbulbs and saves you a certain amount of money on your electricity bill compared to lights that simply turn on with any type of movement.

Unfortunately, Google hasn’t disclosed what type of lightbulbs the device uses. We assume they are easy to find at most hardware stores, but we are not sure.

Nest Cam (inside)

We finally have the easiest (and cheapest) entry into the new range of Nest cameras. The indoor-only Nest Cam only works in wired mode and has no weather protection whatsoever. It exists as an easy way to bring the benefits of an indoor security camera into your home. This is not much different from the Nest Cam indoor camera, which has been available since 2017.

However, Google has updated the look and aesthetic options of the device. It comes in multiple colors and has an optional wooden base that should help it better match your home furnishings.

Nest cameras 2021: pricing and availability

This is how much each of these devices will cost and when they will hit the market:

• $ 179.99 – Nest Doorbell, available August 24th
• $ 179.99 – Nest Cam (indoor / outdoor), available August 24th
• $ 279.99 – Floodlit Nest Cam, TBA availability
• $ 99.99 – Nest Cam (inside), TBA availability

Along with these new Nest cameras, Google is also updating its Nest Aware paid subscription. You used to need Nest Aware to provide intelligent alerts (such as when a person comes into view), three hours of event recording in the cloud, and the ability to create custom activity zones. However, these options are now free for these four new cameras. If you choose Nest Aware, you can count on it for up to 60 days with event recording and facial recognition that alerts you when it sees certain people.

Note that this will not change anything for existing Nest products. If you currently own a Nest camera and have Nest Aware, you will still need to pay for it for the features mentioned in the previous paragraph.

We’ll update this article as we learn more about these new Nest cameras!