Google Nest Cam Outdoor Review

The Google Nest Cam Outdoor has all the features you want in an outdoor security camera plus a few extras.

Mindy Woodall

Managing Editor, Home Security & Smart Habitation

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As far as outdoor security cameras go, the Google Nest Cam Outdoor is ane of the best. It has just about everything you could perchance want or need in an outdoor photographic camera, including HD video, two-way audio, night vision, familiar face detection, and a 24/7 recording option.

That's not to say the Nest is perfect: it has a couple drawbacks. But on the whole, if you desire a durable, reliable security camera with cloud storage and excellent tech features, the Nest Cam Outdoor does not disappoint.

How the Google Nest Cam Outdoor works

The Google Nest Cam Outdoor has a magnetic mount that makes information technology easy to install (but might as well exist a flaw).

The Google Nest Cam Outdoor hooks onto but about any surface on the exterior of your house. It has a magnetic mounting base of operations that you can spiral into a wall or fifty-fifty attach to a flat metal surface similar a door frame.

This photographic camera is technically wireless, but that actually only means you lot don't have to connect it to your internet router with an Ethernet cablevision. You lot do nonetheless have to plug this baby into a wall outlet—and it has to be an indoor one. And then exist prepared to drill a pigsty through your wall or awkwardly thread it through a door.

nest outdoor cam out of the box

Google Nest Cam Outdoor model details

Model Google Nest Cam Outdoor
Price $199.00
Resolution 1080p
Field of vision 130º
Battery type Air-conditioning power
Zoom 8x digital zoom
Night vision Yes
Two-mode audio Yeah
24/7 recording Yes
Local storage No
Cloud storage Yeah
Learn more

Amazon.com List Prices (as of 06/fifteen/21 9:00 MST) Full Disclaimer

Google Nest Cam Outdoor installation

Aside from the part where you accept to figure out what to do with the power cord, the Nest Cam Outdoor's installation is pretty simple.

Once yous effigy out where you want to put the camera, you just secure the mounting plate to the wall with the screws that come up in the box. Nest includes some wall anchors, too, but non a screwdriver or drill—you'll need your own.

Included Google Nest Cam Outdoor installation tools:

  • Camera wall plate
  • Adapter wall plate
  • Screws
  • Wall anchors
  • Cable clips

Once you accept the mounting plate securely installed, the Nest Cam's magnetic base snaps right onto it. It's a strong magnet too. Information technology'll take you a bit of effort to pull the cam off the mount again.

Light Bulb

The bottom of the Nest Cam Outdoor's mounting plate is also magnetic, so you can merely put it on any flat metal surface exterior if you desire to. But we call up it's safer and more than secure if you screw information technology in identify. Information technology would be a shame if your photographic camera slid off and fell on your concrete patio.

Now this is where things become a footling trickier. The Nest Cam Outdoor has a power string that must be plugged in to an indoor outlet. The camera and the string itself are both weatherproof, but the AC adapter is not.

Y'all can drill a hole through your exterior wall and slide the wire through there, or thread the wire through a doorway. We recommend drilling because then the wire won't interfere with your door closing, and you won't get the clothing and tear of closing your door on the wire all the time.

Once the camera'southward up and plugged in, you need to download the Nest app and create an business relationship. The app will ask for things like your electronic mail address and your location. One time that'southward all finished, you lot merely scan the QR lawmaking on the trunk of the camera, and you're ready to catch your nosey next-door neighbour on (digital) moving-picture show.

One concern: the magnetic base

The Nest Cam Outdoor'due south magnetic base of operations is convenient, just it also makes it relatively easy for a thief to snatch your camera off its mount and take information technology with them.

If that did happen, yous'd all the same accept footage of the event. (It would only get straight to the cloud.) Just the Nest Cam is an expensive little camera, and you don't desire to lose it.

If you're worried near it, yous might want to consider upgrading to the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor. Everything the Nest Cam Outdoor can practice, the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor tin do better. Plus, the IQ requires a security screwdriver to take the camera on and off its mountain. Thieves can't just grab due north' go.

Nest Cam Outdoor

Google Nest Cam Outdoor monitoring

The Google Nest app makes it easy to adjust the settings on your camera, view the livefeed, and review by footage. Y'all can get push notifications and electronic mail alerts for absolutely everything that happens in your yard, or you tin can gear up specific activity zones to proceed an eye on the areas that matter to y'all.

Some cameras give you activeness zones in blocks, and you lot can select which ones are active. Information technology's imprecise, and you might get more alerts than you desire for one area but not enough for another.

Nest lets you describe custom activity zones, and so you can accommodate exactly which areas you want to get alerts about. You can even color code and label the zones, and so you go specific alerts nearly each ane. It makes information technology much easier to sort through your notifications and see which ones are important.

Megaphone

To get some of Nest's coolest features, including activeness zones, y'all accept to subscribe to a monthly Nest Aware program.

Google Nest Cam Outdoor pricing

The Google Nest Cam has mid-range pricing, but you lot'll want a monthly subscription to go with it.

None of Google Nest's products are known for being nice to your budget. Nest almost ever has the best tech around, and that comes at a price.

That said, the Google Nest Cam Outdoor is a bit of an older model, and so you'll pay less than y'all would for the Nest Cam Outdoor IQ (the newer, fancier model). If you however desire a high-quality Google Nest camera, simply looking to salve some money, the Nest Cam Outdoor is a good pick. Programme to spend effectually two hundred dollars.

Google Nest Cam Outdoor pricing

Amazon.com Listing Prices (equally of 06/xv/21 nine:00 MST)

For some of the features like familiar face up detection, 24/7 recording, and activity zones, you lot'll take to subscribe to the Nest Enlightened plan. Without Nest Aware, you'll only take access to iii hours' worth of motion-activated clips. Nest Aware is your gateway to all of Nest'southward coolest features merely information technology comes with an additional price tag.

Nest Aware monthly plans pricing

Plan Nest Enlightened Nest Enlightened Plus
Price* $6.00/mo. OR $sixty.00/yr. $12.00/mo. OR $120.00/yr.
Cloud video storage 30 days 60 days
Continuous video recording storage None ten days
Learn more than

Amazon.com List Prices (equally of 06/fifteen/21 9:00 PST)

Features that require Nest Aware:

  • 24/7 continuous recording
  • Timelapses
  • Clips
  • Custom activity zones
  • AI features (similar familiar face detection)
  • Smart alerts
  • Multi-twenty-four hours deject storage

Google Nest Cam Outdoor user experience

The Google Nest app is easy to employ and lets you lot customize the Nest Cam Outdoor's settings.

Nest Outdoor Cam

The Nest Cam Outdoor is pretty easy to operate through the Google Nest app. The app lets yous adjust alerts and settings, so yous don't have to sift through 50 one thousand thousand alerts about waving tree branches or passing cars every solar day.

The Nest app gets good reviews through Google Play and the Apple App Store. Google Play users give information technology a little over 4 stars,one and App Shop users give it nearly a full five stars.two Nosotros've as well found the app to be full-featured and intuitive. You won't have to spend a couple hours but trying to effigy out where everything is—information technology'due south pretty unproblematic.

Google Nest Cam Outdoor camera quality

The Nest Cam Outdoor has 1080p recording and 8x digital zoom. We consider 1080p pretty standard these days, and you lot'll get detailed, clear images with it.

The 8x digital zoom is also useful if you need to zoom in on a license plate of a passing car or need to zoom in to run across if that'due south a stranger in your yard or just your neighbor grabbing their missing football.

Desire even meliorate resolution?

Info Box

The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor has 1080p resolution along with a 4K image sensor and 12x digital zoom. The 4K image sensor means that, even though the photographic camera has 1080p resolution, you lot can zoom in on images and still run into every particular actually conspicuously. It also has Supersight, a feature that automatically zooms in on people and follows their movements.
View at Best Buy

Keep in listen that high-resolution video recording uses a lot of internet bandwidth. Brand sure your internet connectedness is upwards to the task before you go wild with Nest's 24/7 HD recording. If it's also much for your internet speeds or information parcel, you lot can lower the resolution through the Nest app.

Google Nest Cam Outdoor integrations

The Nest Cam Outdoor works with both Google Banana and Amazon Alexa. Information technology also works within the Google Banana app, so you tin connect other devices that likewise piece of work with Google Banana, like Philips Hue lightbulbs.

Of course, the Nest Cam Outdoor will also work with your other Nest devices. If you already accept a Nest Secure habitation security arrangement or a Nest Hello video doorbell, so your Nest Cam Outdoor will fit right in.

Similar products to the Nest Cam Outdoor

Check out some other options for outdoor security cameras.

If you're not sure the Nest Cam Outdoor is right for you, cheque out some other outdoor security cameras we recommend.

Arlo Ultra

Arlo Ultra 2-camera starter kit

If you lot idea the Nest Cam Outdoor had decent engineering, then the Arlo Ultra volition blow you lot away. With features like 4K resolution, color night vision, and a born spotlight, the Arlo Ultra is the crème de la crème of security cameras.

The Arlo Ultra photographic camera is all-time for:

  • People who want the best tech features bachelor
  • People who desire 4K resolution
  • People who want 100% wire-free cameras

Google Nest Cam IQ Outdoor

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor

The Google Nest Cam IQ Outdoor gives you everything the New Cam Outdoor does but more than. It has a wider field of vision, a longer range of detection, a built-in LED ring light, and a 4K sensor for amend prototype quality. It also costs twice as much every bit the Nest Cam Outdoor, but if yous desire the best tech, it'south an excellent option.

The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is best for:

  • People who similar the Nest Cam Outdoor but want an even meliorate version
  • People who desire better image quality when you zoom in

Check out our Nest Cam IQ Outdoor review.

Desire to protect more than than merely your thou?

Pin

For better security than a single photographic camera could ever give you lot, we recommend a smart security system. Check out our Best Abode Security Systems review to compare the best systems on the market.

Recap: Is the Nest Cam Outdoor skillful?

The Nest Cam Outdoor has top-notch features and excellent integrations.

The Nest Cam Outdoor is a great choice for an outdoor security photographic camera. It lets you lot keep an eye on your thou, talk to any visitors (or intruders) through two-way audio, and see everything clearly—even in the nighttime.

This cam isn't the latest and greatest model on the market, only its features however agree up, and you tin get them for cheaper than you'd pay for something brand new and fancier, like the Arlo Ultra. If you're a smart-tech fan who wants an outdoor security photographic camera, Nest volition serve you well.

Sources

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Mindy Woodall

Written by

Mindy Woodall

Mindy has been writing nearly technology for seven years. She covers all things smart home for Reviews.org, and keeps runway of the latest robot gadgets. Mindy attended the University of Utah and her work has been featured on the likes of Parents.com, Digital Care, Hostfully, and more.

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