Nest Camera 90-day Review

I currently work, and have worked, with many different video recording solutions.

However, after reviewing dozens of them, I choose to personally invest in a Nest-based surveillance system for my home. So I purchased one indoor Nest camera for my living room and two more outdoor cameras, one for the front door and one for the back door that covers my entire backyard. After using them for 90 days, I decided to share my thoughts on what I like and what I don’t like about Nest cameras, so if you’re currently looking for a surveillance solution, this might help you decide.

The Best Reasons To Consider Nest Cameras

The biggest reason I choose Nest was for its notifications, because cameras are really only useful during and after something bad has happened. Obviously the best time to know something is wrong is during the event and most cameras on the market today can’t inform you in real time. That’s where Nest notifications come into play. I love the messages my cameras send me. For example, I was out of town for a weekend and received a notification that someone was walking up to my front door. By the time they actually reached the door, I was able to access the camera’s feed and talk to them. Turns out they were just leaving a flyer, but had they intended something else, I’d have had video and photos of their face, the car they were driving and the date and time. Being able to know someone is there, see them, talk to them and hear them is an amazing way to know your home is secure no matter where you are.
Offsite recording; depending on how you look at it, you will either love it or hate it. With Nest cameras, the video goes to the cloud and you pay monthly for this service. It may sound like a bad idea to some people, but consider these two reasons why I feel this method is superior. First, imagine if someone breaks into your home and they steal or destroy all of your cameras in the process and steal/destroy your NVR/DVR…. what good are cameras at that point? Now, you have no record of the event because they took the device that recorded it. With Nest cameras, they can destroy and even steal your cameras, but you’ll still have access to the video, audio and photos of that event accessible online from your phone app, ready to hand to the police. Second, NVRs and DVRs are expensive, they can cost between $200-$5000. A good one can be had for $600-$1200. With Nest cameras uploading to the cloud, you pay per year, per camera. I have three cameras and only want to record for up to 10 days on two of them, so I’m paying $150 per year. In four years I would have paid for that $600 NVR/DVR, but I don’t have to replace any failed hard drives nor do I have to worry about upgrading or maintaining additional hardware. Both of these reasons pushed me over to the Nest cameras.
They just work and they work great! Nest cameras will inform you of any technical problems. I’ve had very little downtime so far. I also wasn’t expecting much from the nighttime video, but I was quite impressed with how well the infrared works. The audio recording and the built-in speaker also work better than I expected. Did I mention they retail for only $199.99? Installation is quite easy as well, you just plug the camera into the nearest power outlet. No need to run Cat6 back to your NVR/DVR or worry about power-over-Ethernet.

What I Dislike About Nest cameras

Nest Aware is a bit expensive, I have three cameras and even with the cheapest plan it still costs me $200 a year for 10 days of recording, which is why I’m only recording on two of them for now. Not including the cost of the cameras, that’s up to $800 for the first year to get going with Nest for just a three-camera system.
No local recording options, and yes I am aware that Blueiris now works with Nest cameras, but that costs money too. I would like to see a free option for recording to an SD card or a NAS drive in the future from Nest.
No option to hardwire into your network – I would really like to see this in the next-generation model. All three of my cameras are located in areas where hardwiring is an easy option, but since they don’t have that feature, I’m forced to use Wi-Fi. They work reliably but are less responsive. Expect a 1-3 second delay on the video most of the time.

Would I buy Nest cameras again? You bet! Do I recommend them to everyone? No. People have different needs when it comes to cameras and these may not be best for you (for example in commercial environments). However, for someone trying to make their home more secure on a budget, Nest cameras are a great option! There may be better products and even cheaper ones, but the features Nest offers is what won me over.

Indiana Lang

Indiana Lang is 26 years old and lives in Apopka, Florida with his wife Miranda. He is currently the owner of Emptor Audio, based out of Orlando. Originally from Wausau, Wisconsin he moved to Orlando at the age of 10 and started working in the AV industry at the age of 17, while still in high school. Within a few short years he quickly gained experience in the industry doing inside sales, pre-wires and custom installation working for some of the largest AV companies in Orlando. Indiana currently holds over 20 industry relevant certifications with major companies like Crestron, Lutron, Savant, Control4, CEDIA, Atlona, QSC and URC; as well as being a member of industry specific groups such as CEDIA, Infocomm and Azione.

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View Comments

AppleByter says:

January 25, 2017 at 3:18 am

Not a comment about Nest specifically but about cameras in general. They provide nothing in the way of deterrent and practically nothing in terms of catching someone who breaks in. Someone breaking in, aside from idiots that are easily caught anyways, is not going to show their face or easily identifiable features. So the advantage of a camera is to know that someone broke in. Except, you already knew that when you got home...

Nest notifications are an improvement on standard cameras, but given the delay in notification and time for you to check and respond someone will be in and out with what they want before you can do anything.

Is that a good $800 investment with an additional $200 per year?
- Indiana Lang says:
  
  January 26, 2017 at 12:45 pm
  
  I am going to have to disagree with you on that, cameras are a huge deterrent, especially the Nest cameras. I once had a break in when i didn't have any cameras up, after adding cameras anyone on your property thinks twice about trying anything. Even if I can't see there face, I can report info about there car, plate and other details to the police in real time. Most people that want to break in, go for the lowest hanging fruit, meaning the least secured home.
  
  Also In the above article I had someone come to my door while I was out of town. I was able to talk to them and if needed, call the police from 180 miles away. I was able to pull my front door camera up before he was even able to get to my front door. They really do work.
Jim Milton says:

January 25, 2017 at 6:57 pm

I'm considering Canary. It monitors temp, humidity, sound ( you can speak to the person at home), avoid false alarms with the family pet, night vision, extremely loud siren and a few other goodies. No contract, too.
Cost was around $200.
Now, if only it would only print money...
- Indiana Lang says:
  
  January 26, 2017 at 12:37 pm
  
  I looked into the Canary, however it seems to have lots of app and notification issues, so I passed.