Google Nest Cam test (Indoor – Wired): an entry-level camera that relies on intelligence

Mathieu Grumiaux November 05, 2021 at 10:332 © Google Nest

With the acquisition and integration of the Nest brand, Google has put more than one foot in our homes through a set of home automation products such as connected thermostats, the famous connected speakers, but also surveillance cameras.

With the Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired), the American manufacturer wants to address a wider audience with an entry-level product that is easy to install and use. Sold at a price of 99.99 euros, the device from Google keeps all its promises without making significant compromises on hardware and software quality? This is what we will see in detail in this test.

€7,114.04Read ConclusionGoogle Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired)

Google Nest Cam Datasheet (Indoor – Wired)

Camera

Video

1080p video streaming resolution 1080p video streaming 1080p video recording resolution 30 fps frame rate

Features

Privacy zones NoNight mode YesAlarm NoMotion detection YesFace recognition YesGoogle Assistant compatible voice assistantGoogle Home compatible software environment(s)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi YesEthernet NoBluetooth NoZigbee No

Physical characteristics

Height 98.47mmWidth 64.03mmDepth 56.93mmBuilt-in Speaker YesBuilt-in Microphone YesLED Indicator Yes

Design: a product without surprises, but very well executed

If you're already familiar with products from the Nest line, this Google Nest Cam (Indoor - Wired) will look oddly familiar.

The design teams didn't want to stray one iota from their aesthetic codes. This new indoor camera offers the same chubby and very eye-pleasing design seen on the brand's other devices.

This Google Nest Cam (Indoor - Wired) isn't too big (98.47mm) or very thick (56.93mm) and will fit just about anywhere in your home, whether you put it on a piece of furniture or the attach to the wall.

Above the lens, there is a green LED light, which signals whether the camera is running or not. It is possible to adjust the light intensity of this light, to make it more discreet at night for example. We regret, however, that Google does not offer a physical cache system, like Arlo with its Arlo Essential, which is able to reassure users concerned about the protection of their privacy.

Google offers in the package a complete hardware kit to install the camera in the corner of a room and cover the entire surface of a room or the entrance hall of your home.

On the back, we find the loudspeaker to converse with people passing in the field of the camera.

A hinge between the camera and the stand also allows it to be oriented to obtain the best possible monitoring angle according to your needs.

Wired model requires, the USB-A cable of the Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) is directly integrated into the device, without the possibility of removing it to transport it for example. Google offers in the box a round power adapter, characteristic of the brand.

Getting started: Google Home takes you by the hand for setup in minutes

After setting up your Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) and connecting it to the power, it is essential to download the free Google Home application to your smartphone.

The software is the hub for all the home automation devices of the American group, but also for third-party accessories. This can be useful for example to control your Philips Hue connected bulbs or your robot vacuum cleaner, if it is compatible with the Google ecosystem.

The procedure is arch-classic and consists of pairing the camera to the application, using the QR Code slipped into the box of the device, connecting it to the Wi-Fi network of the house (2.4 or 5 GHz), then specify the room in which the device is located.

Google Home will then ask for the various permissions to access your smartphone's microphone and offer you video feedback to verify that the device is working properly.

Next, Google Home will allow you to configure the various software features offered by the Google Nest Cam (Indoor - Wired) such as "Home/Away" routines, automatic camera activation, as well as options present in the subscription. Nest Aware. We will come back to all the solutions a little later.

We very much appreciated this start-up procedure, which was astonishingly simple and accessible to all audiences. Each panel is perfectly translated and very clear in its explanations, and the installation of the device is carried out very smoothly, in just a few minutes.

Video quality: a passable image, day and night

The Google Nest Cam (Indoor - Wired) offers a 2-megapixel sensor for 1080p image resolution. In the device settings, it is possible to select the quality of the video stream, “Max. or "High", and it was this first setting that we selected during our use.

Before even talking about the image itself, a quick word on the connection between the Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) and the smartphone. It takes no more than two seconds to access the video stream. And this, whether you are connected to a Wi-Fi router or to the mobile network of your operator, which is an excellent score compared to some leaders in the sector.

We weren't expecting transcendent image quality and the Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) immediately confirms our preconceptions. During the day, the image remains usable to monitor what is happening inside, but it is also very noisy and bland. We can easily recognize a face or even his pet, but not much more.

The lens has a viewing angle of 133°, with a rather very pronounced fish-eye effect that distorts the edges of the end of the image. Google chose a completely standard sensor for cost reasons and did not try to work more on the video rendering offered by its component.

In the evening, when the light is more subdued, the sensor is not doing too badly either, if we still take into account the price of the device. However, we lose detail and sharpness very quickly.

At night, the Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) automatically switches to infrared mode and offers an image that is just as average and not very detailed. A quality that remains sufficient to recognize a face if the person is within 1.5 m around the camera.

Audio quality: a surprisingly high quality microphone

We expected by activating the microphone offered by the Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) not to be dazzled more than reason by its recording quality, but surprise, it does quite well. In a quiet environment , the component is able to clearly restore the voices, but also the nearby sound environment with some very weak noises yet present during our listening.

The Google Nest Cam also offers a built-in speaker to chat with a loved one in your home or a delivery person at your doorstep. Simply click on the microphone icon in your camera's live stream window to initiate this chat mode.

Here again, we are amazed by the quality of the device, which presents a powerful and clear sound allowing excellent understanding on the part of your interlocutors.

Features: Google's software expertise hits the mark

If on a purely hardware level the Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) does not sparkle, it is on the software part that Google stands out from its competitors thanks to several very interesting and well thought out features.

We think first of all of face recognition. This option, disabled by default, allows you to limit alerts by identifying different family members or close friends.

The process is devilishly effective and all it took was a quick pass in front of the camera for Google Home to offer us a face to name. Then, at each passage, the camera can notify you of the presence of this individual by indicating his name in the alert sent to your smartphone.

The recognition does not stop there and Google also offers automatic identification of objects and vehicles, in the event that your camera faces the outside, thanks to its already very advanced image recognition process. The Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) can also alert you to the slightest movement in its field of vision.

The detection of a person or a movement takes just one second before the alert is sent to your smartphone. Google Home can display interactive notifications with a quick clip that shows the event recorded in the alert, without needing to enter the app to access it.

The Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) also allows you to create one or more surveillance zones in order to focus the attention of the device on a single part of the house, such as the front door for example.

Google Nest Cam (Indoor - Wired) can be turned on and off automatically using Home/Away Assist routines. To do this, the Google Home application needs to know your GPS position at all times, via your smartphone. Once away from your home, the software will send a signal to the camera to wake it up and start monitoring.

We only regret that Google did not think of users concerned about their privacy who do not wish to be continuously monitored by its services. Time slot options would have been an excellent compromise between practicality and confidentiality, in order to create routines according to his comings and goings. As it stands, these Home/Away Assist routines are practical, but at the cost of a permanent thread.

This camera also offers three hours of free video recording of events on Google servers. The online search giant specifies in its communication that the transmitted files are encrypted when they are sent to prevent the images from being accessible by a third party.

We find access to his images from the home screen on the left. Google offers a view in the form of a timeline that allows you to go back to a specific time of the day.

Google Home also keeps an event log, giving access to specific times when the camera was triggered. If familiar faces were detected, they are indicated in the title of each clip.

A good surveillance camera now goes hand in hand with a subscription plan and Google is no exception with Nest Aware. This program offers two subscriptions: one at 5 euros/month which offers 30 days of event recording on the company's Cloud, and the other, Nest Aware Plus, at 10 euros/month which offers 60 days of events, but also 10 days of full recording, 24 hours a day for those most attentive to their safety.

Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired): the opinion of Clubic

At less than 100 euros, the Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) is not the best surveillance camera available on the market and ultimately never tries to be.

By addressing the general public via this entry-level model, Google prefers to emphasize its strengths, namely its software expertise, rather than the quality of its hardware.

The Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired) is not lacking in appeal, despite a very average video sensor, and will satisfy users looking for a reliable and affordable solution for monitoring part of their home. It's finally all we asked from a device sold at this price.

Google Nest Cam (Indoor – Wired)

With this second generation of its Google Nest Cam, the search engine succeeds in its bet of a camera that is certainly average, but functional and very intelligent. Too bad the company did not seek to follow the trend initiated by its competitors and made little effort in terms of respect for privacy.

Most

The lessers

Manufacturing8

Daytime image quality7

Night image quality6

Audio quality7

Features8

Software8

€114.04

Manufacturing 8

7 day image quality

Night image quality 6

Sound quality 7

Features 8

Software 8

€114.04

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