Know when boxes are dropped off or picked up, provided you're paying for Nest Aware
Google has announced that its Nest Hello smart doorbell can now recognize when packages are delivered, and notify users accordingly.
Starting today, if you own a Nest Hello in the US your video doorbell can monitor your doorstep for deliveries and ping you with an alert as soon as one is deposited or picked up. However, the service will only be available through Google’s Nest Aware subscription plan, which starts at $5 per month.
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The plan features other benefits – such as motion alerts tied to particularly marked zones of space, and notifications when recognized (or unfamiliar) faces arrive at your doorstep – and Google is looking to improve the service with this new functionality.
The tech giant has acknowledged that the package recognition will depend to some extent on the camera being able to view the space where your deliveries are left or carried from, which will be down to how it’s mounted on your door frame. Furthermore, it recommends that – if your porch or doorstep is poorly lit – you draw an activity zone to give the camera an assist in its tracking.
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If you’re a Nest Hello owner with a Nest Aware plan, you should find that your doorbell has an update waiting, after which you can use package recognition, which is turned on by default once available. If you’d like to turn it off, you can do so in the Nest app.
This is a further boost for the already impressive Nest Hello, which we’ve rated as one of the best smart video doorbells on the market. Although Amazon’s Key system can let you authorise delivery drivers to drop items ordered through Amazon inside your home (in some markets), being able to get a notification when a shipment from any source is detected outside your home is a first in the competitive smart doorstep market.