Nest camera cloud cheaper, on Google Home and Blue Iris
With a lowering of monthly cloud storage prices and integration into a desktop display & software, today's Google Nest Cameras are even more attractive than they used to be. Here's what's new:
Published May 29, 2020 8:17 AM EDT
UPDATE: I just got an email offering a free Nest Hub after subscribing to the annual new Nest Aware cloud service. Even better!
Original Post May 29, 2020: In January 2014, I penned a blog entitled "Dropcam: The Future of Weather / Security Cameras" in which I declared "This is the last weather cam / security cam / webcam you'll ever need to buy!" before they even had added their famous time-lapse feature in April. By June, I had published a "Nest Camera Hacks" blog and Google had purchased them for half a billion dollars.
Fast forward six years later and they have added outdoor cameras and an HDR doorbell camera (which got me to switch from Ring). Prices have also fallen, with the original Dropcam (now called Nest Cam Indoor) selling for $129 regular price (instead of $199 -- which is what the outdoor model now costs). Sales or multiple camera bundles can save you 25-50%. The 4K Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is intriguing, but I'm not yet willing to spend $300-$400 on it.
Nest camera models as of this writing. Click for current prices.
During that time I've continued to use and enjoy the Nest cameras for security and as weather cameras (live feeds are available on my personal website). With lowering of monthly cloud storage prices and integration into the Nest Hub desktop display and Blue Iris security camera software, they are even more attractive than they used to be. Here's what's new:
In 2014, it was unusual for a camera provider to charge a monthly fee to store your security camera's video, but now in 2020 it's quite common, and Google Nest remains the only camera provider to offer 24/7 streaming to and from the cloud (not just "motion events"). That's crucial for (weather) cloud time-lapses which we weather enthusiasts enjoy. It means that you don't have to worry about memory cards or hard drives filling up.
On October 16, 2019, an exciting Nest promotional email announced new pricing coming in "early 2020."
Originally, their Nest Aware cloud service gave you 7 days of video for $10/month for the first camera then $5/month for each additional cameras. I installed three cameras at my house, three at AccuWeather locations, and three at my relatives' houses, so I was paying upwards of $50 a month at one point, which was really too expensive. I saved money by keeping some of the cameras off the cloud plan (which meant they could only be viewed live) and eventually they added a new 5-day plan for $5 for the first cam and $3 every additional cam, and since then (I only run seven cameras now), my monthly fee had been a more reasonable $26.
In late 2019, after taking some hits from competitors who offered cheaper hardware and cloud storage (I assume), they announced new pricing that would go into effect in "early 2020" that would put multiple cameras under the same cheap plan. This month, they finally introduced pricing of $6/month for unlimited motion clips and $10/month for 10 days of 24/7 recording plus 60 days of motion clips. This cuts my bill from $26 a month to $10 month for twice the storage in Nest Aware, and I can add additional camera streams at no cost, which was holding me back before.
NOTE: It appears that they have increased capacity for their cloud recording as well. A timelapse of a few hours, which used to take, well, a few hours to generate, now is done in seconds.
One of the disadvantages Nest cameras had previously was that they didn't have a home inside your home where you could monitor the camera's feed (prior to the Internet, security systems came with a hardware console to show the camera feed). Sure, you could display the feed on your phone or computer screen but inevitably you'd have to use the device for something else and forget to restore the camera's feed to it. Because the camera has to send the video to Nest's servers and back to your ISP, the feed on the web/phone was also delayed by a few, sometimes up to 10, seconds, which could make or break answering a doorbell. With the introduction of the Google Nest Hub device in 2018, however, that problem was solved.
One of the less-advertised features of the Google Nest Hub is that it can display your Nest camera feeds in real-time.
With a simple voice command "OK Google, show me the Doorbell Cam," Google Nest Hub now sits on my desk right below my computer monitor and displays my doorbell feed all day, in real-time (I suspect it may be accessing the camera on the internal network somehow, because the website feed has never been real-time).
The new home, at home, for my Google Nest Hub, displaying the doorbell camera in real-time.
Nest cameras are now supported (kind of) in Blue Iris security software, the gold standard in displaying and recording security cameras. Here's how you can add your Nest cameras to Blue Iris:
Disclaimer: Nest cameras, of course, are built for their own proprietary cloud ingestion and serving, so this is not officially supported by either company and, although you could dodge the monthly cloud fee by doing this, the functionality could disappear at any time.
How to configure your Nest cameras in Blue Iris software (click to enlarge; see disclaimer)
Under "Make" pick "Nest/Dropcam." I have found that picking "HTTPS/JPEG via public page" and "1 FPS" for the "Max. rate" box is the most reliable and saves you the most bandwidth, but if you'd like a real-time feed, pick "RTMPS" instead (this appears to only work for more modern Nest-branded cameras, not Dropcam-branded cameras).
NOTES: If the camera feeds get resized incorrectly, check the "Anamorphic (force size)" box to 1920x1080, which is the native size of most Nest cameras. If the camera feed appears distorted or interlaced (this happens with one of my cameras all the time and another part of the time) use RTMPS or increase your frame rate.
My Blue Iris software showing 7 Nest cameras
Nest is also (unofficially) supported on ActionTiles, although when I tried it last year, I had trouble.
By the way, retrieving a static JPG from the Nest cameras is still easy, but it has changed since my original blog back in 2015. There's a new server, and a new variable in the URL which is the public identity of the camera (different from the UUID), bolded in the link below, which should display my current skycam:
As with previous instructions, the first thing to do is to make your camera public from the "Settings" menu on the Nest website. That will give you your live Nest camera page (here's mine, for example). Both the UUID and the Public variables can be found on ; "view-source" in your web browser on your camera's page to find what yours are, and insert them in.
Before you hit the comment button, yes, there are some disadvantages to Nest cameras. First, they are Wi-Fi only and cannot be plugged into a router. Second, the quality is not as good as a wired security camera, because the video has to be compressed to go to the cloud and come back. This means they could hog your Wi-Fi, and depending on the quality you want, they will use it at a rate between 30-300 GB/month, though I'd argue their ease of use and time-lapse functionality is well worth it. Still, if you have metered bandwidth, you might want to go another route.
And yes, they've been having some technological hiccups lately, meaning if you can't chance any lost footage, then Nest might not be for you. During the six years I've used Google Nest cameras, their cloud recording service has only had one serious series of outages -- last month. While that's concerning, I'm sure heads rolled and it's something Google can overcome.
DISCLAIMER: My opinions on this product/service are not the opinion of AccuWeather Inc. Although product was supplied for my original reviews in 2014, no product was supplied for this one.
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Weather Blogs / WeatherMatrix
Nest camera cloud cheaper, on Google Home and Blue Iris
With a lowering of monthly cloud storage prices and integration into a desktop display & software, today's Google Nest Cameras are even more attractive than they used to be. Here's what's new:
Published May 29, 2020 8:17 AM EDT
UPDATE: I just got an email offering a free Nest Hub after subscribing to the annual new Nest Aware cloud service. Even better!
Original Post May 29, 2020: In January 2014, I penned a blog entitled "Dropcam: The Future of Weather / Security Cameras" in which I declared "This is the last weather cam / security cam / webcam you'll ever need to buy!" before they even had added their famous time-lapse feature in April. By June, I had published a "Nest Camera Hacks" blog and Google had purchased them for half a billion dollars.
Read my blog on Nest Camera "hacks" from 2014
Fast forward six years later and they have added outdoor cameras and an HDR doorbell camera (which got me to switch from Ring). Prices have also fallen, with the original Dropcam (now called Nest Cam Indoor) selling for $129 regular price (instead of $199 -- which is what the outdoor model now costs). Sales or multiple camera bundles can save you 25-50%. The 4K Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is intriguing, but I'm not yet willing to spend $300-$400 on it.
Nest camera models as of this writing. Click for current prices.
During that time I've continued to use and enjoy the Nest cameras for security and as weather cameras (live feeds are available on my personal website). With lowering of monthly cloud storage prices and integration into the Nest Hub desktop display and Blue Iris security camera software, they are even more attractive than they used to be. Here's what's new:
2020 Price Cut For Cloud Service Multiple Cameras:
In 2014, it was unusual for a camera provider to charge a monthly fee to store your security camera's video, but now in 2020 it's quite common, and Google Nest remains the only camera provider to offer 24/7 streaming to and from the cloud (not just "motion events"). That's crucial for (weather) cloud time-lapses which we weather enthusiasts enjoy. It means that you don't have to worry about memory cards or hard drives filling up.
On October 16, 2019, an exciting Nest promotional email announced new pricing coming in "early 2020."
Originally, their Nest Aware cloud service gave you 7 days of video for $10/month for the first camera then $5/month for each additional cameras. I installed three cameras at my house, three at AccuWeather locations, and three at my relatives' houses, so I was paying upwards of $50 a month at one point, which was really too expensive. I saved money by keeping some of the cameras off the cloud plan (which meant they could only be viewed live) and eventually they added a new 5-day plan for $5 for the first cam and $3 every additional cam, and since then (I only run seven cameras now), my monthly fee had been a more reasonable $26.
In late 2019, after taking some hits from competitors who offered cheaper hardware and cloud storage (I assume), they announced new pricing that would go into effect in "early 2020" that would put multiple cameras under the same cheap plan. This month, they finally introduced pricing of $6/month for unlimited motion clips and $10/month for 10 days of 24/7 recording plus 60 days of motion clips. This cuts my bill from $26 a month to $10 month for twice the storage in Nest Aware, and I can add additional camera streams at no cost, which was holding me back before.
NOTE: It appears that they have increased capacity for their cloud recording as well. A timelapse of a few hours, which used to take, well, a few hours to generate, now is done in seconds.
Nest Hub Gives Your Nest a Home
One of the disadvantages Nest cameras had previously was that they didn't have a home inside your home where you could monitor the camera's feed (prior to the Internet, security systems came with a hardware console to show the camera feed). Sure, you could display the feed on your phone or computer screen but inevitably you'd have to use the device for something else and forget to restore the camera's feed to it. Because the camera has to send the video to Nest's servers and back to your ISP, the feed on the web/phone was also delayed by a few, sometimes up to 10, seconds, which could make or break answering a doorbell. With the introduction of the Google Nest Hub device in 2018, however, that problem was solved.
One of the less-advertised features of the Google Nest Hub is that it can display your Nest camera feeds in real-time.
With a simple voice command "OK Google, show me the Doorbell Cam," Google Nest Hub now sits on my desk right below my computer monitor and displays my doorbell feed all day, in real-time (I suspect it may be accessing the camera on the internal network somehow, because the website feed has never been real-time).
The new home, at home, for my Google Nest Hub, displaying the doorbell camera in real-time.
Blue Iris Support (Kind Of)
Nest cameras are now supported (kind of) in Blue Iris security software, the gold standard in displaying and recording security cameras. Here's how you can add your Nest cameras to Blue Iris:
Disclaimer: Nest cameras, of course, are built for their own proprietary cloud ingestion and serving, so this is not officially supported by either company and, although you could dodge the monthly cloud fee by doing this, the functionality could disappear at any time.
How to configure your Nest cameras in Blue Iris software (click to enlarge; see disclaimer)
Under "Make" pick "Nest/Dropcam." I have found that picking "HTTPS/JPEG via public page" and "1 FPS" for the "Max. rate" box is the most reliable and saves you the most bandwidth, but if you'd like a real-time feed, pick "RTMPS" instead (this appears to only work for more modern Nest-branded cameras, not Dropcam-branded cameras).
NOTES: If the camera feeds get resized incorrectly, check the "Anamorphic (force size)" box to 1920x1080, which is the native size of most Nest cameras. If the camera feed appears distorted or interlaced (this happens with one of my cameras all the time and another part of the time) use RTMPS or increase your frame rate.
My Blue Iris software showing 7 Nest cameras
Nest is also (unofficially) supported on ActionTiles, although when I tried it last year, I had trouble.
Getting that current, staticly-named JPG:
By the way, retrieving a static JPG from the Nest cameras is still easy, but it has changed since my original blog back in 2015. There's a new server, and a new variable in the URL which is the public identity of the camera (different from the UUID), bolded in the link below, which should display my current skycam:
As with previous instructions, the first thing to do is to make your camera public from the "Settings" menu on the Nest website. That will give you your live Nest camera page (here's mine, for example). Both the UUID and the Public variables can be found on ; "view-source" in your web browser on your camera's page to find what yours are, and insert them in.
Nest may not be for everyone
Before you hit the comment button, yes, there are some disadvantages to Nest cameras. First, they are Wi-Fi only and cannot be plugged into a router. Second, the quality is not as good as a wired security camera, because the video has to be compressed to go to the cloud and come back. This means they could hog your Wi-Fi, and depending on the quality you want, they will use it at a rate between 30-300 GB/month, though I'd argue their ease of use and time-lapse functionality is well worth it. Still, if you have metered bandwidth, you might want to go another route.
And yes, they've been having some technological hiccups lately, meaning if you can't chance any lost footage, then Nest might not be for you. During the six years I've used Google Nest cameras, their cloud recording service has only had one serious series of outages -- last month. While that's concerning, I'm sure heads rolled and it's something Google can overcome.
DISCLAIMER: My opinions on this product/service are not the opinion of AccuWeather Inc. Although product was supplied for my original reviews in 2014, no product was supplied for this one.
Report a Typo