Security cameras have become one of the most popular products in all smart homes today which is why Google updated its Nest Cam from 2015 with a new generation which is also now much less. Dear.
Design and build quality
The Nest Cam of 2021 is obviously a camera designed for indoors, with a long cable over 3 meters long through which it receives power, with a USB C connector that will allow you to install it even at a certain distance. high point on the wall or ceiling.
This is a camera primarily designed for interiors and, according to Google, its plastic parts are made of 45% recycled plastic, something that can be seen with the naked eye or when viewed. ‘has in the hands.
It has what is the sensor part of the camera, with the rounded back, as well as an integrated bracket designed to support it on a table or fix it to the wall, for which the corresponding anchors are included.
The orientation frame is very wide, so you can have a panoramic view of large rooms or places. However, the mount is fixed and doesn’t have a spin motor, so you won’t be able to remotely change the focus direction if you want to.
In our tests, this was not a problem, as the approximately 135º field of view allows wide shots of the visualized area to be captured, with a 6x digital zoom that provides detail on objects located at a greater distance.
The chrome ball joint that connects the camera to the base supports a wide variety of positions, which is ideal if you decide to place the camera high on the wall or ceiling of the house to manually orient it to cover long hallways or parts.
On the other hand, if you do decide to put it on a table or flat surface, be aware that the rubber material applied to the base allows it to remain quite firm. Thanks to its weight, it will be difficult for your cat to tip it over or change orientation when playing with it.
In Europe it is only marketed with white finishes, although in other countries like the United States it is possible to choose from other finishes in linen, mist and sand tones combined with a base. maple color that really looks great.
Camera features
As for the specs, the Nest Cam Indoor is a 2 MP quality camera. Although at first it may seem like a somewhat limited resolution, given the quality of the images, we leave doubts that it is enough to appreciate any detail.
We have already indicated that its viewing angle is quite wide, up to 135º, with an aspect ratio of 16: 9 and a digital zoom that you can activate at any time that reaches up to 6x.
Regarding the video quality offered, it is Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels with a range of 30 fps, very standard figures in the panorama of security cameras that you will find on the market. There is also HDR support and as it seems obvious infrared night vision.
For those wondering if there is the option of mainta ining audio communication, tell them that indeed the Nest Cam Indoor has a built-in microphone and speaker to allow two-way communication on both sides.
Operation and modes of use
If the configuration of Google devices stands out in anything, it is because of the simplicity during start-up and subsequent handling. Indeed, if you have installed the application of Google home, you will see that it is very easy to add this new camera.
Once the camera is located in your Wi-Fi network environment, it will be enough to add it to the room or to the place where you have it, whether it is the living room, a room or the entrance to the house. As long as you have it turned on, it will record in the background.
A tiny green LED located above the sensor indicates that the camera is on, to identify its operation. We scrolled through the interface options and couldn’t find the option to turn it off in case you want to remain anonymous.
However, this is a feature that can usually be adjusted to your liking, as many users will want to keep the camera hidden if they enter their homes so as not to persuade the thief that they are being recorded.
The Full HD quality image displayed on a cell phone screen looks quite good, with the ability to rotate it and place the cell phone horizontally to fill the entire phone screen.
We see that the wide angle leaves us a certain distortion in the form of a fisheye on the sides of the focused images. It can be a bit boring, but it’s not something defining that can obscure the good work of the camera. After all, these are not pictures for further editing.
Automatically, when the light intensity is not sufficient, the camera switches to night vision mode in order to continue capturing scenes with great detail.
By fiddling with the interface of the application, still within Google Home, we see that on iOS and Android devices, the options are simple, complete and identical. We can configure events for the detection of people, animals or vehicles if you want to point to a window.
It is also possible to mark out areas of movement on the focused image, so that the camera enters recording mode only when the area of the street door is open, and not when someone moves inside the house.
Under “Device functions” we have everything related to “Events, video and audio” so that we can adjust the controls as we like, such as audio volume or video quality with which scenes will be recorded.
Here we see the option to rotate the image 180º to the orientation of the base, something very useful if you decide to mount the camera on top of the wall and the sensor is rotated relative to its base.
In ‘Notifications’ we can activate alarms during movement, but always under the umbrella of Google Home, without any possibility that these notifications can be exported to other applications or that they can be sent to various members of the House.
Under the “History” tab you will find all the events that have occurred in the last hours and that have been recorded. The timeline is easy to navigate, and the interface reacts quickly to a quick review of what happened.
However, here is the big limitation when buying the Nest Cam Indoor from Google, and that is that by default you will only get the video history of the last 3 hours, always deleting the previous recordings in chronological order. .
In order to enjoy a full recording without any limitation, you must purchase the subscription service at Nest Aware, which has a current price of $ 5 per month or $ 50 per year (with a saving of $ 10).
It’s not a disproportionate amount for anything you get in exchange, without worrying about having to turn the camera on or off, or even limit recording areas or events if you don’t want to lose detail. of something, but it is a service cloud
Google also has another top tier called Nest Aware Plus with which video event history goes from 30 days to 60 days, on top of that, continuous video history reaches 10 days. The normal plan does not have this possibility.
Price
The current price of the Indoor Nest Cam (2021) is $ 79.99 (on sale against $ 99.99 at launch). This is an extremely attractive price considering that the previous generation model cost $ 159 at the time.
The competition is tightening and Google is aware of the large number of home security cameras out there, with frankly cheap prices starting at just $ 39. Consult our ranking of the best home security cameras.
In any case, the ease of setting up and handling the Google camera has no competitor, and if you really want to forget about incompatibility issues, with Google Home you can make the most of the possibilities of this camera.
Verdict
The Nest Cam Indoor (2021) is a simple security camera that Google developed for the smart home. It’s compact, well-designed, and affordable for beginners, although there are cheaper options on the market.
The camera works very well via the Google Home app, with the advantage of offering a complete and user-friendly interface, and which in a way centralizes all interactions with the various devices you have at home, such as the Google Nest. .
User experience is common to Android and iOS mobile users which is a big plus. However, Apple users will miss HomeKit compatibility to better interact within its ecosystem.
Characteristics
- 2 MP sensor
- 135 ° field of view
- 6x digital zoom
- 16: 9 aspect ratio
- Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution at 30 frames / sec.
- HDR quality support
- Night vision (via infrared LEDs)
- H.264 encoding
- 3 free hours of video event history
- Two-way speaker and microphone
- 802.11a / b / g / n / ac wifi connection (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz)
- Support WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA3 encryption
- Bluetooth Low Power Consumption (BLE)
- RGB status LED
- 3 meter connection cable
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