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Google says support for Nest Hello doorbells and older cameras is still coming
Further Nest and Google Home integration started back in 2023
If you were one of the first to buy a Nest Cam Indoor and you still use it, you may have already run into some frustration managing the device. Because of Google Home’s slow integration with Nest and its apps, older-generation devices can be more complex. As of 2023, the company has said it is working on making these products seamlessly accessible within Google Home. However, there have been few updates on the progress — until now.
What is Nest Aware, and do you need it to use Nest cameras?
You might not need it, but you'll certainly want it
After Google acquired Nest, it grew the brand into a complete smart home ecosystem. This allowed it to become one of the market leaders, making some of the best thermostats, smart speakers, Wi-Fi routers, and intelligent security cameras. When it comes to the latter, Nest offers a range of indoor and outdoor cameras, including a wired indoor-only model, a wireless indoor/outdoor model, both a wired doorbell and a wireless doorbell, and an outdoor camera with a floodlight.
How to use Google Assistant
Smartphones can be frustrating—now you can bark your orders at them instead of stabbing at them with your digits
Google Assistant is the default on Android devices. That's why many people use it. You'll find the helpful assistant all over. It works on phones, Chromebooks, smart speakers, and your TV. It's a versatile assistant with a solid range of features, including answering questions about the weather, setting reminders and alarms for work, and helping you look for a new phone.
Google Assistant may be the best digital assistant, but the Google Nest speakers aren't the best-sounding smart speakers. The best smart speakers have great bass and full treble and fill your room. You must adjust the sound settings to get the most out of a Google speaker. Here's how to adjust your Google Nest's sound settings.
Google Nest Doorbell Battery vs. Nest Doorbell Wired: Down to the wire
It's mostly about power, but not entirely
We're as annoyed as anyone at increasingly mandatory subscriptions, but even considering the all-but-required Nest Aware fee, Google's Nest Doorbell is still one of our favorite doorbell cams. With good video quality and a number of attractive finishes, there's a lot to like about it. It comes in wired and battery versions, which look nearly identical and both cost the same amount. If you're wondering what the difference is — and which you should buy — you've come to the right place. Here's what you need to know.
Google Nest Aware gets a $20 per year price hike
New customers will start paying right away, while existing customers will see the price change on their next bill
Sure, you could get a traditional security system with big locks and barbed wire fences. But why not make things easier on yourself and get a smart home security system? You can control it all from your phone, and it's way more effective than traditional security measures with AI-powered alerts and smart detection features. A few companies have been at the forefront of smart home security, including Google, which introduced the Nest Aware subscription plan in 2019. That service has stayed flat at $6 per month ever since, but that's changing now with a price increase that brings the basic plan to $8 per month or $80 annually.
Google's killing these smart home products — but there's a happy ending for users
The Dropcam and the Nest Secure are going dark next year, but Google is offering replacements
Google is ending support for two legacy smart home products next year. According to emails sent by Google today, both the Dropcam security camera and the Nest Secure home security system will stop functioning in one year, on April 8, 2024. The company is softening the blow with discounts on more modern replacements — including vouchers for free Nest Cams and ADT security systems.
Google breaks back into monitored home security with new Nest-ADT system
DIY smart home security with a la carte hardware and monitoring
Google teamed up with Brinks to create the Nest Secure alarm system back in 2017, but that partnership was dissolved and products were discontinued, with Brinks slated to end its monitoring service for the Nest Secure later this year. This had been a long time coming, which is why Google made a half-billion dollar deal with ADT almost three years ago, but we didn't see much out of the duo until earlier this year when ADT announced new Nest integration with its mobile app at MWC 2023. Now, Google seems to be back in the monitored home security market after a new product line has appeared on ADT's website.
Nest co-founder wants to help turn food waste into chicken feed
For $33 a month, this kitchen bin will keep your leftovers from going to waste
If you’ve ever let some leftovers go bad in your fridge, you’re not alone. The US Environmental Protection Agency recorded over 63 million tons of food waste generated by households and businesses in 2018 alone, with only 4 percent of the bulk going to compost. That's bad enough on its own, and it’s even more outrageous to think about how all this food waste also feeds the climate crisis. Why not feed it to the chickens? A startup created by Nest’s co-founder saw an untapped opportunity in this growing societal problem and introduced a kitchen bin that converts food scraps into chicken feed.
How to watch the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch event
New Google devices will be revealed on October 6th
Made by Google starts this Thursday, October 6, at 10 a.m. ET. While the major reveals have been leaked in near entirety, it still promises to be a worthwhile show to watch (even if just to hit that pre-order button as early as possible).
The unreleased Nest Doorbell (Wired) waves 'hello' in these crisp renders
The new art is housed in a Google Home update
It's been more than four years since Google-owned Nest came out with its Hello video doorbell. Consumer demands have evolved since then and with last year's Nest Doorbell (Battery) unable to record video continuously, even Google was made to admit it's been overdue for an update to its Hello doorbell. We know Nest will have new products out during the Made by Google event on October 6, but we now know exactly what one of them will look like.
Google will launch new smart home gadgets alongside Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch
We don’t yet know what to expect, but it may be the new Chromecast
The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch launch is now confirmed to take place on October 6, with Google saying we'll be seeing the new smartphones and the smartwatch in full during the big launch. As part of the announcement, Google has confirmed it'll be introducing some other smart devices as part of its Nest branding. That means we'll hear about some new smart home gadgets during the big reveal.
Embrace your inner Big Brother with Nest live feeds on Chromecast with Google TV
See everything going on around your house, right on the big screen
One of the best parts about building up a smart home ecosystem is making all of your various gadgets work together with each other. After adding support for Nest video previews through the Pixel's At a Glance widget, the company is turning its attention to its latest streaming dongle. Chromecast with Google TV users can watch Nest footage right from their TV — and they don't have to wait long to start using this feature.
Google would rather ruin its products than pay Sonos, and that's unacceptable
Cough up the dough or start sending customers refunds, Google
The ongoing lawsuit between Google and Sonos probably isn’t in the forefront of anyone's mind right now, but after recently digging into a change YouTube made for the worse on its Chromecast app, I can’t really stop thinking about it. Did you know that if you have a Pixel phone and need to reset a Chromecast or connect it to a new Wi-Fi network, you’re basically screwed? One of the most popular streaming dongles in the world, noted for its simplicity and ease of use, now offers an inconsistent and degraded experience, adding to the other deficiencies Google itself announced for its Nest and Home speakers when it comes to volume adjustments and groups, taking away features and functionality customers paid for.
Ring Stick Up Cam Battery vs. Nest Cam Battery
Battery-powered cameras go head to head, but only one can win!
Battery-powered and weather-resistant, the Ring Stick Up Cam Battery and the Nest Cam Battery are both solid connected security cameras made to be used anywhere. Made by Amazon and Google, the two cameras share a lot in common — but at an MSRP of $180, Google's offering costs nearly twice as much, and that's before Amazon Prime Day brings the Ring's price down even more. So how do the two cameras compare, and which is right for your home? Let's discuss.
Google's latest generation of Nest cameras now works with Alexa
With the ability to stream live views from your Fire tablet, too
Read update
Amazon and Google are often framed as opposing camps in the giant war that is the consumer tech market. The reality, however, for many shoppers who are building their smart homes up is that they're likely mixing and matching their Ring doorbells with their Nest Thermostats or putting an Echo in one room and a Google Assistant speaker in the other. This opens up a gulf in domestic automation and there has been little effort to stitch it up, save until now as Google is introducing an Alexa skill for its Nest products.
Google's reportedly prepping a major upgrade for its next Nest Wifi router
Keeping up with the times
Apart from Pixel phones and Nest smart home products, Google sells Wi-Fi networking devices under the Nest and Google monikers. The company launched the current-gen Nest Wifi mesh router with built-in Assistant speakers back in 2019. A year later, this was followed by the launch of a cheaper Google-branded Wifi system. Fast forward to 2022, Google's Wi-Fi networking range is showing its age, with the missing Wi-Fi 6 support being a bummer for many. Now, the folks over at 9to5Google have uncovered evidence that points to the big G working on the next generation of its router lineup under the codename "Sirocco."
Google’s Nest Renew program is going live as early preview, helping you save money and the environment
The feature will help you use both cleaner and cheaper energy
Smart home controls aren’t just cool and seamless, they also promise to save you some money and can help combat the climate crisis, at least ever so slightly. Google wants to double down on these topics with its Nest Renew program, which it initially announced late last year. The program has finally started to roll out to the first few Nest Thermostat owners who report receiving invites, and we’ve got some screenshots showcasing the whole process.
Setting Google Assistant timers on smart displays is pretty broken right now
But a fix is on the way
Google Assistant usually knows how to handle things when you ask it to set a timer. In the past couple of days, though, it hasn't been able to do so from your smart display.
Nest’s new cameras are apparently so bad that people line up to buy older models at inflated prices
Color me surprised
Google acquired Nest back in 2014, and since then, the company has been looking for ways to integrate the smart home platform more deeply into its own services. As such, the business has been working on shutting down the dedicated Nest app and web app in favor of the Google Home app, but as with many of Google’s random software moves, the new product just isn’t as good as the one it’s replacing. With the latest Nest Cams only working with the Google Home app, many people are turning to eBay to get older, discontinued models that still support the good old Nest app.