Google released a few new Nest cameras this yr: a wired, indoor-simply model; a wireless indoor/outdoor model; a doorbell; and a photographic camera with a floodlight. Nosotros've reviewed them all, and in each review, we were annoyed past Nest hardware's reliance on a paid subscription to a service chosen Nest Aware. And so what exactly is Nest Aware, and exercise you lot actually need it to use a Nest photographic camera?

What is Nest Aware? What does it exercise?

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Nest Aware is a suite of add-on features for Nest-branded cameras and speakers. A subscription comes with a number of benefits, including:

  • Thirty-day event prune storage. With Nest Aware, recordings of events — such every bit people or animals seen in areas y'all've designated — are saved online and bachelor to spotter or download for thirty days. Without Nest Aware, these clips are stored for three hours.
  • Back up for Google's familiar faces feature. This twelvemonth'south Nest cameras are able to distinguish betwixt different faces and larn over time who is typically around to better tailor notifications. Despite this being a hardware-level feature, it'southward merely unlocked with a subscription.
  • Alerts for the sound of a smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarm. Both your Nest cameras and your Google-branded smart speakers tin let you know if they hear a fume detector or carbon monoxide alert go off — every bit long as you pay for Nest Aware.

There's likewise Nest Aware Plus, which offers double the clip storage duration at 60 days, plus the ability to review everything your wired cameras (except the new Nest Doorbell, for some reason) have seen and heard for the past 24 hours. Nest cameras can't continuously tape on battery power, and then a wired connectedness is required for that feature.

How much does it cost?

Nest Enlightened costs $vi per month, or $60 per year if you lot bill it all at once. Nest Enlightened Plus costs $12 a calendar month or $120 annually. The pricing model used to be more complicated, merely currently, on either tier, a unmarried subscription covers all your cameras and speakers.

So, exercise I need information technology?

Technically, no — in that location'southward zero stopping you from buying a Nest camera and never paying another cent to utilise information technology. Just be aware that the Nest security experience is extremely limited without a subscription. Paywalling features like facial recognition is irritating, only the three-hr window you accept to review and download event clips means that if you lot're not awake and paying attending to your phone when your camera sees something, you may very well never know about it.

If all yous wait out of a security system is the ability to remotely monitor your dwelling in real fourth dimension, Nest Aware's video storage features might not be particularly valuable to you; you tin probably safely skip the subscription. Otherwise, you'll want to pony up — or make sure you're never abroad from your phone for more than 3 hours at a time.

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About The Author

Taylor Kerns (1173 Articles Published)

Taylor was a phone nerd long before joining Android Police in 2018. He currently carries a Pixel 6 Pro, which he uses more often than not to accept pictures of his dogs.

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