New Google Nest intelligent security cameras and doorbells

The tech giant says its latest home cameras and doorbells can tell the difference between familiar faces, cars, animals or packages arriving at your door.

Google Nest Cam family

Google Nest home security cameras operate a little differently from the rest. Instead of just recording when the burglar enters your home, they can record continuously if you buy an advanced Google subscription.

It means you get to see the entirety of any untoward activity, not just when a camera belatedly picks up the burglar — maybe when they are closing the door on the way out.

The cameras and doorbell use Google’s advanced artificial intelligence which means you’ll know when someone is walking up your driveway towards you, when they leave a parcel, and when the cat moves around home.

You get alerts for people, animals and cars. You won’t be alerted if you don’t want to be, for example when the movement outside is just leaves blowing in the breeze.

While we are rightly tentative about Google on the privacy front, it’s this branding that has given Google a leg up in the connected security camera market. Plus the company offers a reasonably generous free subscription. Google offers more features if you pay a monthly subscription, but you can get by if you can’t afford one.

How on device machine learning works

To underline its growing involvement in internet connected security devices, Google has unveiled three home security cameras and a doorbell designed to beef-up your home security. All are integrated with the Google Home app and you can watch the action on your phone or a Google Nest screen device from another part of the home.

Google says the Google Home app lets you create custom “activity zones” so a Nest camera can limit monitoring motion to a defined part of what it sees. An LED status light shows whenever the camera is sending video footage to Google, so anyone near your camera is aware. A feature called familiar face detection is private to your home and gives you control of who your camera recognises.

Google says it uses on-device machine learning for better security and user privacy.

Google Nest Cam (battery & AC) $329

Google Nest Cam (battery)

This camera is designed for indoor and outdoor use with a rechargeable battery, but you can wire it with a cable if you want. It offers 1080p quality video recording with night vision and HDR, so it should work well in the middle of the day with the sun shining brightly, and at night.

For outdoors, Google sells optional weatherproof cables: five metres for $59 and 10 metres for $69. They offer constant charging. You get three hours of recorded event video history by default.

This device and the doorbell below are IP54 rated for use outdoors.

Google Nest Doorbell (battery) $329

Google Nest has released new cameras and a doorbell

The Nest doorbell is designed with a 3:4 vertical field of view which Google says is optimal at the front door. You can see people from head to toe, and packages left on the ground. It records 960 x 1280 pixels HD video, at up to 30 frames per second, with a 145-degree field of view.

The fact the doorbell is battery powered means you don’t have to bother running cable into your home. It just needs to be within Wi-Fi range of your router. You can connect it to an existing doorbell wire if you want and your existing doorbell chimes will work.

Being a Google Home product, you get alerts when the doorbell rings wherever you are, and you can answer the door from your phone if you are out. You can also leave a preset message.

As with Nest cameras generally, the Nest doorbell can tell the difference between people, packages and vehicles. It can recognise familiar people and tell you who’s there.

You’ll be notified when a familiar face is at the door with a Nest Aware subscription.

The doorbell can record an hour of video locally if power and Wi-Fi are out.

Google Nest Cam (wired) $169

Google Nest Cam (wired)

This is a wired only version of the Nest Cam with similar features to the battery/AC camera but costs almost half the price. It‘s an affordable option if you are mounting cameras within reach of a power point.

It will be available a little later in the year

Google Nest Cam with floodlight $549

Google Nest Cam with floodlight

This hardwired flood light comprises two light units and can be used both to track and video outdoor events around your home. It can light the way to indoors when you arrive late at night. As with other Google cameras, the floodlight system uses AI to work out what movement is important for lighting to switch on, and what is unimportant, so it won’t bother floodlighting tree branches swishing in the breeze.

It too will be available later this year.

Nest Aware subscription

You get three hours of event-triggered recording for free, but if you want extra, you can take out a Nest Aware or Nest Aware Plus subscription.

Nest Aware costs $9 per month or $90 per year and gives you 30 days of event history and familiar face detection.

Aware Plus costs $18 per month or $180 per year and gives you 60 days of event video history and 10 days of 24/7 video history on wired cameras, along with familiar face detection.

Availability

The battery-powered Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell go on sale on August 25, and are available for preorder from Google Store, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks and The Good Guys.

Nest Cam with floodlight and the new wired indoor Nest Cam will come soon.

Google has released new Nest cameras and a door bell