And goodbye to the Hello as we finally get a 2nd-gen wired Nest doorbell
Following plenty of leaks and speculation, Google has officially announced the arrival of the Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen).
The $179.99 video doorbell takes plenty of inspiration from the Nest Doorbell (battery) released last year, though the footprint of the new device is actually 30% smaller than its sibling.
The main advantage aside from that smaller design, of course, is the fact that the wired equivalent also won’t require charging.
The wired part of the name refers to fact that it, as you probably guessed, it is powered by wires. It’s not a separate plug, it uses you existing 16–24VAC, 10VA, 50/60Hz doorbell transformer.
Sadly, unlike the top end Ring Doorbells, there’s no Power-over-Ethernet option, so you’re still relying on your Wi-Fi signal reaching the doorbell and being strong enough to relay the action.
The good news there is that the new Nest Doorbell works on 2.4 and 5GHz bands and, should your Wi-Fi stutter, there’s an hour’s worth of local storage built right in, so you can check activity at any time.
Interestingly, compared to the first-gen model it replaces (which was really just a renamed Nest Hello), the specs listed by Google indicate that the resolution has actually come down, and is in line with the battery model.
That means you’re getting the same picture no matter which new-style Nest Doorbell you choose, as both cameras feature the same 1/3-inch, 1.3-megapixel color sensor, 6x digital zoom and 3:4 aspect ratio.
When capturing, you’ll also receive an identical 960 x 1280 HD image up to 30 FPS, with HDR and night vision also enabled.
Google, however, notes that it’s spent a lot of time fine-tuning the image in testing, so we look forward to testing it out and seeing how it compares to the rest of the lineup and beyond.
Also akin to the battery version is the storage situation. You’ll get video history stretching back three hours out of the box, with this capable of being extended to 30 days with a Nest Aware subscription.
If you opt for Nest Aware Plus, that can be doubled to 60 days, which also includes 10 days of continuous video recording data.
It’s available in Snow, Linen, Ash and Ivy and is available to buy from the Google Store now.
New integrations with the Google Home app
It’s not just new hardware Google has announced, with significant changes coming to the Home app over the coming weeks.
A new Nest camera controller is hitting the app, allowing users to more easily dive into important moments captured by their security camera or doorbell, with each event labeled and organized by type.
These events -like a person or animal being logged – will also be available to view on the web, with Google expanding the Home app to Wear OS smartwatches and your browser.
This is also joined by improvements to Routines – giving users the ability to include more devices, like the new wired Nest Doorbell. Google says, for example, you’ll soon be able to set up a routine that alters your porch lights when the doorbell is pressed.
Fast Pair for Matter is also referenced by Google in its slew of upcoming changes, indicating that smartphones will soon automatically be able to detect Matter-enabled devices and launch setup as default.
Google Nest smart speakers, displays and routers, as well, are being updated to control Matter devices upon the full rollout.
