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UPDATE: 3/8/18
Nest has now introduced other pricing options for the Nest Aware recording service.
The 5 day plan is $5 monthly for the first camera, and $3 for each additional camera. They also offer annual pricing.
We switched to the 5 day, and feel it is a much better value.
We’ve had the cameras installed for a year and a half now, and they’re still going strong.
Other than occasional blips of WiFi connectivity, we’re had no issues with the cameras at all. Recommend them to everyone. We’re also picking up the new Nest Hello doorbell camera.
UPDATE: 9/8/17
I figured I'd give a quick update now that I've had the cameras for about a year and they've been through summer and winter. I've been very pleased with the cameras - in fact, we added more and are now up to 5 of them installed on our property.
The video quality has been exceptional - both day and night - even in below freezing and 100+ degree temperatures. We've had occasional situations where a camera has gone offline, but I attribute that to a flaky WiFi signal and not necessarily the camera.
Regarding the Nest video recording service, we pay the monthly fee for all of our cameras.
The cameras are a key part of our home security, and I view the cost of recording as no different than paying for a security monitoring service.
I guess it really depends on what you intend to use the cameras for, but for me it is worth it to be able to review past events and set up custom activity zones and notifications.
I agree that it would be nice if Nest would offer additional options regarding length of storage (currently limited to 10-day or 30-day options). I seldom need to review anything other than same or prior day.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I'm a longtime user of Dropcam and Nest products having owned several indoor cameras, 2 different generations of thermostats, and smoke detectors.
I've been waiting for years for Nest to announce an outdoor camera, and eagerly snapped up several of them when they were announced. I just got around to installing the first yesterday, above my front door.
The camera itself is very solid and seems durable for the outdoors.
The attached cable is about 10 feet long and ends in a USB male connector which attaches to a female USB port on a second length of cord - amounting to 25 feet of cord total.
The box also includes all the clips, wall anchors, screws you'll need for most installations.
In the simplest of installations, you'd mount your camera in the desired location and then run the cord to an outdoor power outlet, securing the cord along the way with the included clips.
In other instances, a hole might be drilled through the exterior wall or into attic space (7/8" is required to pass the connector through) and the cord connected to a power source inside, thereby hiding most or all of it.
In my situation, our home was built with cat5e wiring to various exterior points specifically for connecting security cameras.
I wanted to use this wiring so I was able to use a power over ethernet (POE) splitter and injector (bought on Amazon) to run power to the camera and then connected the splitter to the camera's power cable using a USB adapter. It worked flawlessly.
Including a link to the adapter. WS-POE-USB-Kit for iPad or Tablet, Remote USB Charger Via PoE Ethernet Cable up To 328 Feet With 5 Volts 10 Watts and Female USB
My biggest gripe about my installation is the length of cable that I needed to conceal. Because the cable is permanently attached to the camera itself (which isn't inherently a bad thing, and probably has to do with waterproofing), installations like mine which don't require the cable to span a long distance to connect to power end up with a long mess of extra cord.
I ended up buying a weatherproof electrical box at the local home improvement store, mounting it near the camera, and tucking the cables inside (see picture).
It looks clean, but it would have been nice to not have to take that extra step.
I'll probably paint the box eventually to better match the brick color. For my other installs I plan to route the cable through attic space which will fully conceal it. It would be nice if Nest offered a shorter or alternative cord option, but I made it work.
Aside from the physical installation, Nest makes it simple to connect and configure the camera to your home wifi.
Download the Nest app, select the option to add a new device, and scan the QR code on the camera.
The only remaining step is to enter your wifi password, and everything connects automatically.
Using the app you can view your camera's live feed, view past motion events (still images if you don't subscribe to the Nest Aware service to record your video), configure settings like night vision, sound, etc., as well as turn the camera off and on (if you ever need to).
Overall, I'm very happy with the camera. The image quality is great - full 1080p HD.
I appreciate the option to receive motion and/or sound alerts, which I can customize with zones to minimize "false alarms" from passing cars, etc.
There is also a built in speaker and microphone, so you can talk through the camera to "visitors" - invited or otherwise.
I've tried other camera options - ones with a DVR, Arlo (feared the batteries dying and hated the motion activated recording). Nest wins hands down!
Nest has now introduced other pricing options for the Nest Aware recording service.
The 5 day plan is $5 monthly for the first camera, and $3 for each additional camera. They also offer annual pricing.
We switched to the 5 day, and feel it is a much better value.
We’ve had the cameras installed for a year and a half now, and they’re still going strong.
Other than occasional blips of WiFi connectivity, we’re had no issues with the cameras at all. Recommend them to everyone. We’re also picking up the new Nest Hello doorbell camera.
UPDATE: 9/8/17
I figured I'd give a quick update now that I've had the cameras for about a year and they've been through summer and winter. I've been very pleased with the cameras - in fact, we added more and are now up to 5 of them installed on our property.
The video quality has been exceptional - both day and night - even in below freezing and 100+ degree temperatures. We've had occasional situations where a camera has gone offline, but I attribute that to a flaky WiFi signal and not necessarily the camera.
Regarding the Nest video recording service, we pay the monthly fee for all of our cameras.
The cameras are a key part of our home security, and I view the cost of recording as no different than paying for a security monitoring service.
I guess it really depends on what you intend to use the cameras for, but for me it is worth it to be able to review past events and set up custom activity zones and notifications.
I agree that it would be nice if Nest would offer additional options regarding length of storage (currently limited to 10-day or 30-day options). I seldom need to review anything other than same or prior day.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I'm a longtime user of Dropcam and Nest products having owned several indoor cameras, 2 different generations of thermostats, and smoke detectors.
I've been waiting for years for Nest to announce an outdoor camera, and eagerly snapped up several of them when they were announced. I just got around to installing the first yesterday, above my front door.
The camera itself is very solid and seems durable for the outdoors.
The attached cable is about 10 feet long and ends in a USB male connector which attaches to a female USB port on a second length of cord - amounting to 25 feet of cord total.
The box also includes all the clips, wall anchors, screws you'll need for most installations.
In the simplest of installations, you'd mount your camera in the desired location and then run the cord to an outdoor power outlet, securing the cord along the way with the included clips.
In other instances, a hole might be drilled through the exterior wall or into attic space (7/8" is required to pass the connector through) and the cord connected to a power source inside, thereby hiding most or all of it.
In my situation, our home was built with cat5e wiring to various exterior points specifically for connecting security cameras.
I wanted to use this wiring so I was able to use a power over ethernet (POE) splitter and injector (bought on Amazon) to run power to the camera and then connected the splitter to the camera's power cable using a USB adapter. It worked flawlessly.
Including a link to the adapter. WS-POE-USB-Kit for iPad or Tablet, Remote USB Charger Via PoE Ethernet Cable up To 328 Feet With 5 Volts 10 Watts and Female USB
My biggest gripe about my installation is the length of cable that I needed to conceal. Because the cable is permanently attached to the camera itself (which isn't inherently a bad thing, and probably has to do with waterproofing), installations like mine which don't require the cable to span a long distance to connect to power end up with a long mess of extra cord.
I ended up buying a weatherproof electrical box at the local home improvement store, mounting it near the camera, and tucking the cables inside (see picture).
It looks clean, but it would have been nice to not have to take that extra step.
I'll probably paint the box eventually to better match the brick color. For my other installs I plan to route the cable through attic space which will fully conceal it. It would be nice if Nest offered a shorter or alternative cord option, but I made it work.
Aside from the physical installation, Nest makes it simple to connect and configure the camera to your home wifi.
Download the Nest app, select the option to add a new device, and scan the QR code on the camera.
The only remaining step is to enter your wifi password, and everything connects automatically.
Using the app you can view your camera's live feed, view past motion events (still images if you don't subscribe to the Nest Aware service to record your video), configure settings like night vision, sound, etc., as well as turn the camera off and on (if you ever need to).
Overall, I'm very happy with the camera. The image quality is great - full 1080p HD.
I appreciate the option to receive motion and/or sound alerts, which I can customize with zones to minimize "false alarms" from passing cars, etc.
There is also a built in speaker and microphone, so you can talk through the camera to "visitors" - invited or otherwise.
I've tried other camera options - ones with a DVR, Arlo (feared the batteries dying and hated the motion activated recording). Nest wins hands down!
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