Pros & Cons
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- Clear 2K video
- Gemini AI
- Face recognition and intelligent alerts
- Voice control
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- Access to recorded video and many key features requires a subscription
- Doesn't support HomeKit or IFTTT
Google Nest Cam Indoor 2K Wired 3rd Gen Camera (Snow) Specs
| Alarm | |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi |
| Field of View | 152 |
| Integrations | Amazon Alexa |
| Integrations | Google Assistant |
| Night Vision | |
| Resolution | 2K |
| Storage | Cloud |
| Two-Way Audio |
The third-generation Nest Cam Indoor joins the Nest Cam Outdoor and the Nest Doorbell Wired as the latest additions to Google's smart home security lineup. Like those other models, it features 2K video and uses Gemini AI to help you search for specific events and provide detailed descriptions of what's happening in each clip. The camera delivered excellent video quality in our testing, and the Gemini features worked well. It's an excellent choice for Google Home users, though at $99.99, it’s twice the price of our Editors’ Choice winner for indoor security cameras, the $49.99 Arlo Essential Pan Tilt Indoor, which offers similar resolution and AI capabilities.
Design and Features: Well Equipped With a 2K Lens and Gemini AI
The third-generation Nest Cam Indoor shares the same puck-shaped design as the original, which we reviewed in 2021. Available in white (Snow), gray (Hazel), or red (Berry), it measures 3.9 by 2.5 by 2.2 inches (HWD). The camera sits atop a semi-round base and uses a thin metal arm for tilt and swivel positioning. The base can be placed on a flat surface or mounted on a wall.
(Credit: John R. Delaney)This is a wired camera that uses a 10-foot USB-C cable, which is hardwired to the back of the camera, just below the embedded speaker. It features a dual-band Wi-Fi radio for seamless connection to your home network and includes a USB-C adapter, mounting screws and anchors, cable clips, and a quick-start guide.
The front of the camera features the lens, a microphone, two infrared LEDs for black-and-white night vision, and a status LED that glows bright green when the camera is connected and working properly, pulses green when streaming live video, shines blue during setup, and turns red when there is a connectivity issue.
The HDR camera lens captures 2K (2,560 by 1,440) video at 30fps with a 16:9 aspect ratio, 152-degree field of view, and 6x digital zoom. For comparison, the Arlo Essential Pan Tilt Indoor captures 2K (2,304 by 1,296) video and features a 130-degree field of view and 12x digital zoom
(Credit: John R. Delaney)The camera will record video when motion is detected and store it in the cloud. However, you can only view 10-second previews unless you subscribe to a Google Home Premium plan, which allows you to access full-length videos and unlocks features such as Gemini AI.
The Standard plan costs $10 per month or $100 per year and includes 30 days of event-based video history, intelligent alerts (familiar faces, garage door detection, package detection, and smoke and CO alarm sounds), and alerts with zoomed-in previews. The $20 per month/$200 per year Advanced plan includes 60 days of video history, 10 days of 24/7 video history, and Gemini AI-powered features, including daily summaries of recorded events, descriptive event notifications, event descriptions, and video search, plus everything else in the Standard plan.
Gemini AI-powered descriptive event notifications provide concise explanations of what triggered the recording, and event descriptions offer a detailed overview of what is happening in a specific video. For example, instead of “person detected,” it may tell you the name of the person or what the person is doing in the video. Gemini AI-powered video search lets you use Google’s Ask Home to find specific events, such as when a pet jumps up on the couch. The Arlo Essential Pan Tilt Indoor offers AI-powered face and vehicle recognition, event descriptions, and custom alerts.
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(Credit: Nest/PCMag)The Nest Cam Indoor supports Google and Alexa voice commands, but it doesn't work with Apple HomeKit or IFTTT applets. It uses the Google Home app (available for Android and iOS) and gets its own panel in the Camera section of the Devices screen. Here you’ll see the last captured image and a button that turns the camera on or off. Tap the panel to open a screen that displays a live feed, which you can view in full-screen mode by rotating the phone sideways.
Tap the button with two arrows in the upper right corner to open a list of event thumbnails, which appears below the video panel. Each thumbnail displays a brief action clip of the event, and when you tap it, you’ll be able to view the entire clip. Tap the i button in the lower-left corner to see a detailed description of what happened in the video. Next to the arrows button is a three-dot button that offers access to the settings screen, the help menu, and a feedback form where you can leave comments about the camera.
At the bottom of the screen, there's a two-way talk button and a three-bar button that allows you to turn the camera on and off, open the familiar faces configuration, and access the event history. In the settings screen, you can enable/disable notifications, configure smart alerts (for people, animals, vehicles, and garage open/closed), turn on face detection, create activity zones, and choose which events should appear in your history list. Other settings allow you to optimize bandwidth usage, enable night vision, adjust status LED brightness, rotate the image 180 degrees, and adjust audio settings.
Performance: Clear Video, Highly Detailed Descriptions
Setting up the Nest Cam Indoor is easy. I opened the Google Home app, tapped the plus icon in the upper-right corner of the home screen, and tapped Add Device. I then tapped Scan QR Code and used my phone’s camera to scan the QR code on the label attached to the camera. When the app identified the camera, I tapped Next and plugged in the device. I was prompted to enter my Wi-Fi credentials, and after a few seconds, the camera was connected. I assigned it a room location, waited a few seconds for a firmware update, and confirmed that I could view live video. I enabled video history and audio recording, turned on the microphone, and turned on familiar face detection to complete the installation.
(Credit: Nest/PCMag)The Nest Cam Indoor performed well in my tests. It delivered sharp 2K video with well-saturated colors in daylight and highly detailed black-and-white video at night. Motion alerts arrived immediately and were accurate, and two-way talk was loud with no distortion.
My voice commands to stream video to a Google Nest Hub display worked without issue, and my Google automation to have a U-tec Switch turn on when the camera detected motion worked as expected.
Gemini AI features also worked smoothly. Short event descriptions were accurate, and the Daily Home Brief provided detailed information. Using the familiar faces feature, Gemini AI was able to identify who passed through the area during the day and what they were doing. For example, one daily brief mentioned that I was carrying a box and wearing a Guinness shirt, while another stated that a black and white cat (Oreo) had jumped on the couch. Video searches also worked as intended. I searched for videos featuring me, and was provided with a list of thumbnails for every video in which I appeared.