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Pros mentioned:
Design, Field of view, Video quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great video and audio. Do you like subscriptions?
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Unboxing the Google Nest Cam Indoor was very straightforward. Inside the box is the camera (this thing is hefty for its size and feels like it’s forged from a single steel billet), a 10-foot USB-C power cable (hard-wired), power adapter, wall anchors and screws, and a quick-start guide. Packaging is clean and minimal and completely recyclable. Setup couldn’t be simpler: Plug it in using the included AC adapter, open the Google Home app, and follow the prompts. Easy.
Camera placement is limited only by the presence of the power cord. It must be within 10 feet of a wall outlet, and I’ll have to get creative to properly conceal the cord. The Google Nest Cam Indoor can be placed on a table, windowsill, shelf – wherever – and it can also be wall mounted.
I have currently placed the camera on a bookshelf in the office. The 2K HDR video is impressive. Colors are accurate, even in low light. Motion is smooth (I noticed no stutter or lag), and the field of view is wide enough to cover the entire room without distortion – though I do note a bit of a fisheye effect. Night vision is outstanding with illumination provided by two infrared LEDs. Yes, the night vision is black and white, but it is easy to identify faces and make out details in little or no light. The LEDs have sufficient range to view the entire office (about 15’) with the lights off.
Audio is full-duplex, and it works well. I tested the two-way talk feature with my wife, and it was like using a walkie-talkie with a built-in mute button. Again, no lag, and speech is easily intelligible. Solely based on the function and quality of the audio, I’m contemplating upgrading our video doorbell to Nest.
The camera’s built-in intelligence seems pretty cool. Documentation indicates it reliably detects people, pets, and motion, and it can send alerts. With Gemini integration, you can ask plain-language questions and get relevant responses complete with summary and pertinent video clips. Unfortunately, the camera is currently on a shelf in my home office where there is minimal activity. My plan is, come springtime, to set it up in the sunroom where it will have adequate shelter (it is an indoor cam) and a view overlooking the back yard and pool; it’s going to be awesome for monitoring activity.
If you’ve ever used the Google Home app, getting to know your Google Nest Cam is very intuitive. Everything works just as you expect, and the interface is clean and easy to navigate.
Here is my only complaint: Functionality is hobbled without a subscription. There are no event alerts (people, pets, cars). You’re limited to 3 hours of event video previews. No full video history. No continuous recording. To unlock the full feature set – like 30-day (Standard) or 60-day (Advanced) event history, facial recognition, and 24/7 recording – you’ll need a Google Home subscription, currently either $10/mo. or $20/mo. It’s not outrageous, but it’s a little disappointing. I wish more of the camera’s capabilities were available out of the box.
The camera picture and sound quality are excellent. Build quality feels solid. It has a pleasing, unobtrusive design. The performance is top-tier. If you’re already in the Google ecosystem and don’t mind the subscription, this is a fantastic indoor security solution.
Overall, the Nest Cam Indoor delivers sharp, colorful video with super-simple setup. Just be aware that full functionality resides behind a paywall. If you’re okay with that, it’s a great addition to your home.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Video quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Pretty nice indoor wired camera!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have two outdoor Google Nest cameras - a camera and a doorbell (more for the camera) but this is the first time I’ve invited Google as a “camera” into my home without it being attached to something else (Nest hub, phone, etc).
Some good / bad and indifferent first, then more details - and will include (pic) when I back it up with proof …
Good:
Weight / Balance
Daylight Clarity
Google Home App
USB-C to power
Meh:
Nighttime clarity
Can’t turn off the “I’m here” light
Bad:
Wall/ceiling mount angle
I have lots of cameras all around the outside of my home - wired PoE, Blink and a battery operated Google Camera (which is unfortunately out of battery today) - so I proudly display stickers that we record both audio & video.
I currently have a Google Home Premium subscription (I have the Nest Doorbell), so my experience may be different than those that don’t have it - since there are more benefits, so take that into consideration.
Initial thoughts - pretty heavy, nice grippy base and USB-C to the small sideways angled power brick. The gray is a nice look as well.
My first bit of use was while I was out of town & had people coming & going to feed the pets. I was notified promptly of the guests and got snippets of their actions when in the view of the camera. Listening remotely, I found the sound was clear and at times LOUD - as I caught my mom watching youtube on the couch at 110% volume.
With the subscription, it kept the videos, identified people vs pets and the quick clips and even gave a preview “zoomed in” on what made that trigger go off. Example: cat was jumping off the couch. Instead of the entire room being replayed for a small animal jumping, the preview showed a zoomed in cat - and when I clicked on the video to watch the replay, it was the entire room & I could choose to zoom where I wanted. Pretty slick.
More common App customizations are motion zones, if you want to record audio with your alerts (or only during live view), how bright to make that stupid “I’m here status” light, (and none of those are “off”), and to use faces to let you know who’s there (if you set that up).
I did find that when looking at night across a very open room with high ceilings, it looked rather hazy - as if the IR + camera were trying too hard & was making it look bad (pic). However, the color & clarity of the videos during daylight hours were great - no complaints there (pic).
After those few days, the camera was relocated to its final destination - the garage. In the Google Home App, it’s ready for this designation! You can set it to watch for open garage doors & then alert numerous times at specified intervals; I set it for 5 reminders at 30 mins apart - mainly because I forget to shut the garage door in the late afternoon & with it getting dark earlier, I don’t want to find a coyote in there staring at me when I go to grab a beer.
As the garage has a lower ceiling and is a much smaller room, night vision is perfectly fine (pic) and I am happy with how it looks - live, or recorded.
I initially wanted to mount it to the ceiling & point at the garage door specifically but found that I hit the base when angling the camera back for a higher view. Even swiveling the camera so it’s facing the rear of the base didn’t help, so it landed on the fridge (pic).
All in all, this is a very good camera. I do wish the larger area night vision wasn’t so hazy and that the ceiling mount could angle properly for me, but to me, it’s a solid wired camera.
Recommended!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Design, Video quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent video quality and nice Gemini AI feature
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Google Nest Cam (indoor, wired, 3rd generation) is a fantastic home security and monitoring camera. The camera design looks modern and has pleasant aesthetics that make it look like it belongs in my home decor, without looking obtrusive or out of place. There are many colors to choose from such as snow, hazel, and berry. Elegant design and loaded with Google's Gemini AI features.
This camera has a very crisp and precise 2K (2560x1440) video quality for both daylight and nighttime video playback. Make the most of this camera and it's capability with a Google Home Premium subscription that will allow for video history playback, detailed notifications, and AI feedback. The Gemini capability will give you a recap and summary of the events that took place in the camera's viewing area and get you up to speed on the activity. Hours of video content summed up in a short concise recap to give me the ability to know if I should dive into finding a specific event or if the day was a non eventful day. The monthly subscription to the Google Home plans is a fee associated cost but you'll get one month of access with the Nest Cam for the first month of usage. The Nest Cam works well on my Apple and Android devices with the Google Home app. The video playback is great to watch with high detail and vivid colors. The zoom in and cropping ability works well to be able to see the details of what's happening in my wide and tall field of view. The Nest Cam indoor is also made with recycled materials so it is a bit more eco friendly and that's a win in my books. Being able to use this Nest Cam with it's provided base or to wall mount it is very easy to do since the installation components are included. Two way audio works effectively well so I can communicate with my guest or intruder on camera in real time. Night vision in this camera allows for 15 feet of illumination and has 2 high powered 850 nm infrared LEDs. Included in the package is a 10 foot power cable with a USB-C connector for the camera.
Overall the Nest Cam indoor wired 3rd gen is a fantastic tool for home monitoring. It’s easy to use and navigate for all my family members. The Gemini AI features incorporated into this make this a smarter camera for today and for the future.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Design, Setup ease, Video quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Google Nest Cam Indoor 2K
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve been using the Google Nest Cam Indoor 2K for a little while now, and honestly, it’s been pretty great. Setup was super simple, I basically plugged it in, scanned a code with the Google Home app, and in a few minutes was added and ready to go. The video quality is really clear, even at night, which surprised me compared to the previews two generation and the Nest IQ. I mostly use it to keep an eye on my pets when I’m not home, and the motion alerts are accurate without being annoying. The design is nice and minimal, so it doesn’t look weird sitting on top of my entertainment console. My only small complaint is that you really get the most out of it if you subscribe to Nest Aware, which is one of the most expensive services compared to the competitors, but the overall quality of the service and the quality of the hardware when compared to the rest can be worth it. Overall though, it’s reliable, easy to use, and gives me peace of mind which was exactly what I wanted.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
My first Nest camera was the Hello Video Doorbell. It was revolutionary to me, discovering the ability to capture all what occurred outside my residence. Based off that experience, I added the Nest Cam IQ Indoor camera. Even though there were more affordable options, my decision to go with that model was the fact that it was years ahead in terms of technology back then. The Google Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen) has a similar appearance with a smaller formfactor. While not as expensive as the Nest Cam IQ Indoor was when it was available for purchase, this new addition to Google’s indoor cameras is a genuine contender to the IQ’s reign in my household.
As packaged:
• Google Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen)
• 10ft power cable with USB-C adapter
• Cable clips (x2)
• Wall screws and anchors (3 each)
• Quick start guide
• Safety & warranty document
As previously mentioned, the Google Nest Cam 3rd gen is smaller than my previous Nest Cam IQ but actually weighs more at about 393g. It features a wider 152-degree diagonal field of view and is capable of 2K video resolution (2560 x 1440) at 20fps. Zooming capability is capped at 6X. Night vision is excellent thanks to two high-powered infrared LEDs. There is a status light to indicate video activity. Wireless connectivity is via Bluetooth and along with 802.11ac standard (2.4GHz/5GHz) for Wi-Fi. As formidable as the technical specifications may be, software capable of harnessing all of this is equally important. The device works with the Google Home app. My older generation Google Nest devices work with the Nest app and are accessible via the Google Home app albeit with limited use; timelapse for example is only available via the Nest app for these devices. In the Google Home app, there is no such feature. With incorporation of Gemini in the Google Nest Cam Indoor 3rd gen, review of footage is easier than actually scrolling through time lapse. One simply asks the Gemini via the Google Home app and wait on the response. One of my favorites is the daily brief where all observations are summarized for the user. It must be added that along with responses, Gemini provides clips to back them up. Another pleasant surprise was the seamless integration of my familiar faces from the Nest app. With Gemini onboard, captured events are displayed with description for notifications and to see faces tagged is quite refreshing to me.
Setup was fairly straightforward. From the Google Home app, there is an option to scan the provided device QR code or search using your smartphone/tablet’s Bluetooth. Hardware appears well-built. Videos are clear with crisp audio. Two-way communication works the same way they have with my other devices: unmute the microphone to speak and then mute to hear the other person. Activity zones can also be created to focus on specific zones should you choose. Various settings for heard and seen events can help you fine tune your events for notifications. Given that my other Nest/Google devices are still actively working, my new Google Nest Cam 3rd gen should be around for a while.
I have always had a subscription for my cameras. The previous Nest Aware Plus was the only option which provided 10 days of continuous video recording and 60 days of stored events I found useful for my needs. It is now called the Advanced plan under the rebranded Google Home Premium moniker. This subscription tier allows me to harness the most potential of Gemini, in my opinion. 60 days of access to stored events implies 60 searchable days by Gemini. The descriptions delivered with the notifications are also only available with the Advanced plan. While I am a loyal subscriber, this may be a dealbreaker for others once realization sets in they may not be using their devices to their utmost potential. The tradeoff in my opinion is the relatively lower price of the device itself compared to the Nest Cam IQ in its prime. Gemini is without fault but it is also continuously evolving.
In summary, the Google Nest Cam 3rd gen is the culmination of years of development. With the integration of Gemini, a new era of boundless possibilities may be upon us, in my opinion. If there was any improvement for the next iteration, I would recommend a larger zoom capability and a possible return of the Supersight feature for tracking. As packaged, this device provides robust security with subscription which is priceless in my opinion. I totally recommend.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Setup ease
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Google Addition
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I really like the Google ecosystem and all of ways that it intergrates all of my Android, Chrome, and general Gemini products into my daily routine. The Google smart home and smart things apps help my keep everything in a neat and manageable package. That being said, I love how my security cameras are a part of that interface. The Google Nest Cam 3rd Gen is great and easy to set up with my smart home( Home) app. Just make sure that you've got your wifi on your phone during the set-up process and you'll up and running in no time at all. If you've got a Nest Hub, this makes eveything feel like it comes together in your own command center.The camera comes ready to go with a very long power cord and something I never quite expected( sadly), a power brick. The thing is, they didn't need to package it in the box since there's a type C plug at the end, which could pretty much find a female port almost anywhere in the house. But it's there.YAY! There's also tools for wall mounting, if you'd like. Ichose to just post mine upright. Follow the instructions and save that QR code sticker, fr later on. You never know when you'll need it again. And believe me, you will. It works great. And that's more than acceptable. It's a great way to keep an eye on your office tech when you're on the go.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Setup ease
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
A set it and forget it camera
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Google has been known for trying to have easy to use devices as of late. This camera is one of those set it and forget it kind of devices. Packaging is simple and effective. I was able to set it up with just a minor hiccup initially where I needed to scan the QR image more than once, for some weird issue, since the Google Home app didn't process the connection. Once that was successfully connected to my home devices, I went in easily to setup the event notifications in settings. What makes this worth a consideration is the ability to setup your event recordings for specific people, pets, or even smoke or carbon monoxide alarms. You can even define these further by selecting zones. Whether you are home or not, you are able to configure the recordings to save and or notify you of those activities. I will say, your new security camera will benefit from having the Google Home Premium subscription but it isn't necessary. I'm unfortunately in Illinois where face detection isn't allowed by local law. This is the main feature I would love to have in order to identify when family versus strangers come to my front door. There are other Gemini features that you may find are worth looking into.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great 2Kcam addition to your Google Home arsenal!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Google - Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen) - Latest Model - 2K Video and Gemini – Snow
I’m new to Google Nest cams. I’m an apple fan boy and always have been. Their products are faster and they limit access to 3rd party garbage that slows down their products and infects them with malware. This review is not about Apple, just adding that for context. If I were to convert to the darkside, it would be to use Google products like this. Samsung, Bah…it’s like comparing a Hyundai to a Toyota.
My need for a Google Nest cam was very specific. My parents own a house in Northern WI. It gets extremely cold there in the winter, and it is 5 hours from our home town. They had an issue with the pipes bursting one year, due to the furnace not operating properly. We bought them a Google Nest thermostat so we could monitor the temps from home. It’s been fantastic and has worked great. We wanted to get a camera for the basement to cover all bases and keep an eye on the area in case something happens again. The furnace will throw flashing codes when problems arise. Also, the camera picks up the water heater and piping, in case there’s ever a leak we can now physically see it.
This is a 2K camera, with night vision which is especially perfect for the basement. The night vision is good for up to 15’. There is an AC Adapter/Plug-in cable that has got to be 6-10’ long, sorry I didn’t get the exact length. All I know is it’s more than long enough to reach the one outlet in our basement. You can wall mount it, or set it on a flat surface with the pedestal mount. See pics for the mount configuration. It is a hidden base which makes it look nice. You screw the base into the wall and then the camera turns and locks onto it to make it look professional. The camera connects via WiFi. I don’t have google home but you will need it for this camera. My parents have it with the Nest thermostat so it was a snap to add this camera and get everything up and running. This also can be added to any Alexa device which is nice! We don’t need to pay for the service, because we just want it to run when we tap into it and check in periodically. It seems like 2K is the latest definition quality for Google Nest cams. No complaints here, I’m Gen X so I appreciate anything digital quality video lmao.
This supposedly has AI, but we do not need that feature. Everything has AI integrated now. There's a rush to integrate AI so much so that I don't think we’re assessing the necessity of it in most cases tbh. Does not lose any stars or gain stars from me for the AI.
It checked the boxes on my main concerns, connectivity, ease of use with the existing Google Home app and existing Nest thermostat, and quality. This camera is sturdy and well made with great video quality.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve always thought that the best smart home devices depend on the user, their particular ecosystem, and what they’re willing to put up with in terms of different manufacturers’ devices working well together. I’m a Google user, but I’ve acquired a number of different devices over the years (Wemo, Hue, Arlo, Nest, etc.) and while Google Home does a great job of organizes all your devices, far and away, Nest devices work the best.
To be more direct, I have difficulties accessing my Arlo cameras within the Home app (they take forever to refresh and it’s inconsistent). Meanwhile, my Nest Floodlight camera works like a charm each and every time I look at it within the Home app.
I mention this because despite the features a particular device might have, the ease of use, management, and setup, is a critical component. A smart home device that becomes a burden to use becomes more trouble than it’s worth.
If you are a Google user, or at least willing to jump in, the Nest cameras are phenomenal. They work well and offer lots of smart and helpful features. And they’re relatively straightforward to adjust settings (which I can’t say for all smart home products as many features/settings are buried in a convoluted app).This is especially true if you have any Google Home smart devices. These items just work well together and almost without fail. But I might think twice if you have a a variety of smart home devices already. If you are heavily invested in say, Arlo, I’d stick with that same ecosystem. But if you’re starting fresh or wanting to transition, I think the Google Nest cameras are a terrific route - especially given the price point (although most smart home cameras have dropped in price substantially since they first hit the market en masse).
IN THE BOX AND DESIGN
Like most Google products, the camera is well designed and packaged. Inside the small box you’ll get the camera, a lengthy USB-C cable, an unnecessarily large USB charging brick and some mounting hardware. Basically all you need to get going and nothing else.
I like the design of the camera, although it’s a little bulky. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a big camera, but I’ve seen smaller designs and the camera housing just seems bigger than it needs to be. But for those worried about privacy, it is something that’s noticeable and difficult to completely conceal, so maybe that’s a benefit. I love the red color and it’s very sturdy. It has some heft to it which prevents it from tipping over when placed on a flat surface. The power cord is plenty long for most circumstances. In fact, the bigger problem is concealing the extra cable but that’s all very subjective and depends on your circumstances. The USB charging brick, however, is awkwardly shaped and large. I wish it was a smaller brick that didn’t extend beyond the outlet which could, in some instances, make it difficult to use. But that’s a minor quibble.
SETUP
Setup is a breeze. There’s a QR code you scan that’s on a sticker attached to the lens. You scan that with your phone and your walked through the setup process through Google Home app. You can give it a name, and place it in any rooms you’ve already created within the app. The app is where you’ll make any adjustments to the settings.
It’s easy to mount with the included screws and anchors, so no issues there, again, a lot depends on your house and where the outlets are in relation to where you want the camera and how much effort your willing to undergo to hide the cable.
PERFORMANCE
The video is 2K resolution with HDR images. It provides crystal clear images. When viewing it live, it may not be as sharp, but recorded portions are of really high quality that allow you to zoom in closely of your video without losing fidelity.
There are a lot of smart features, which are unfortunately, tied to a Google Home Premium subscription (this camera does come with a trial). The Google Home Premium subscription gives you historical event recording (which is in my opinion necessary since there’s no local storage). A premium subscription also gives you features such as familiar or unfamiliar face recognition. So if it detects a face that is familiar - generally determined by your Google Photos - it will let you know. And if it detects an unfamiliar face, it will alert you to that as well. I found the notifications to be smart and reliable and not too burdensome. For example, it won’t constantly ding your phone if one person is walking back and forth in the room. But if someone leaves for a little while and then comes back, it might alert you again. I found the notifications to be almost instantaneous with little delay (something I can’t say for Arlo cameras). My only concern was TV shows. I noticed that it will detect characters on the TV assuming a TV is in view of the camera and the camera is on.
Obviously, choosing your notifications is up to you, I have mine set up to where I’ll only get notifications when it detects that no one is home. What I’ve noticed is that when I’m gone for the house all day, it will give me one notification at the first detection of someone. If they’re familiar, then it won’t give me any more notifications because it’s detecting someone is home. But this feature is difficult to truly test out absent catching a burglar.
There is unfortunately no ability to pan and tilt the camera. You can manually adjust it obviously, but there’s no way to look around from the app which other competitors have. It’s also a bummer that there’s no local storage. It’s no big concern of mine since I’m a Google Home Premium subscriber, but for those that don’t want to purchase it, it really limits its utility/value.
PRIVACY
I’m very concerned about having indoor cameras. I don’t like the idea of spying on anyone in my house. I use mine as a quasi security camera, but primarily to keep tabs on my little ones. There is a setting to turn off the microphone which is beneficial as I don’t want to be storing all my audio with Google. There is a green light on the camera that lights up whenever the microphone is active, but for those that are way more conscious about their privacy and data than I, you’d have to take Google’s word at that…
CONCLUSION
This is a terrific performing camera for a certain subset of people. Those are Google users/adopters and those that have or are willing to pay for the subscription service. Absent that, it’s tough to recommend to the broader public as the full features of what makes this camera one of the better performers is tied to a subscription. But it does get points for ease of setup and the quality of the image.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
When it comes to home cameras, there are Nest Cams, and then there’s everything else. I’ve been a big fan of Nest since before Google acquired them, and I’ve been consistently impressed with how Google has continued to improve both their quality and reliability.
My first Nest Cam purchase was back in 2015, when my son was born and we wanted to use it as a baby monitor. Ten years later, that same camera is still plugged in, still working, and the video quality looks just as good as the day I bought it. That reliability alone says a lot. However, this new Indoor Nest Camera takes everything up a notch. The video quality is dramatically better, and it comes with several new features that make it a real upgrade.
One of the biggest strengths of the Nest ecosystem is how seamlessly everything works together. The thermostat, temperature sensors, doorbells, and cameras all communicate for a truly connected home experience. When paired with a Nest Aware subscription (now called Google Home Premium), which stores cloud history for an unlimited number of cameras, you get a ton of extra functionality that’s actually useful in day-to-day life.
One of my favorite Nest features has always been continuous recording. It lets you scroll through an entire day (or week) to see what happened, rather than just relying on short event clips. When my son was a baby, that feature solved more mysteries than I can count. We used it to find lost toys, check in on him at night, and even caught moments like his first steps, all because Nest records continuously. Most home cameras only record short motion clips, and once you’ve used full-day playback, it’s hard to go back.
This Nest Camera also includes automatic night vision using infrared lights, and the results are outstanding with the higher video quality. The night-time clarity is noticeably better than my older model. Probably my favorite new feature, though, is the integration with Google Gemini AI. As soon as I added the camera to my network, I was prompted to enable it. Now, instead of vague alerts like “Animal seen in den,” I get specific notifications such as “Kittens playing with toys in den.” These events are also tagged in the app, so you can easily filter or search across multiple cameras.
The camera comes with a wall mount, which is especially helpful if you’re using it as a baby monitor. It’s flexible and easy to position exactly where you need it.
Areas for improvement: While this model is wired, I’d love to see a small backup battery added in future versions to keep it running through brief power outages or surges. I also miss the timelapse feature from the original Nest app, which hasn’t made its way into the Google Home app yet.
After trying so many different home cameras over the years, Nest continues to be my favorite. My original camera has outlasted every other brand I’ve tried, and this new model appears to be even higher quality, with better integration, and smarter features. You'll be hard pressed to find another camera line this polished and reliable, especially when paired with the Google Home Premium subscription.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Summary
The Nest Cam Indoor is now powered with AI. The 3rd Gen Nest Cam Indoor has arrived. It has basically all of the same features that the Gen 2 camera had, but now those who subscribe to the Google Home Premium plan can utilize AI features powered through Gemini.
Features
There’s not a whole lot new with the camera itself. The new selling point here is really the added Gemini AI concept. Here’s the basic list of features:
• 2K video (2 settings for quality in the app)
• Night Vision
• Meant to be used indoor
• AC Adapter powered
• Phone alerts for movement
• Learning facial recognition (in the settings)
• Audio recording and speaking
• Google Home & Alexa compatible
• Wireless Connection (2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz)
• Gemini AI
Important to Know
Subscription – You will need a Google Home Premium subscription to do things such as use the Gemini AI, record 24/7 video, use facial recognition, get detailed summaries of events, or create home automations.
Subscription Price – The price for the Google Home Premium went up in 2025. I assume that this is to pay for the Gemini addition. I do not see an alternative price for those not interested in using the AI features.
My Experience
I’ll skip describing the use of the camera as it’s basically the same thing that the Google Nest cameras have always been. This one does 2K video instead of 1080P, but otherwise mostly the same as previous versions.
Gemini Summary – The camera can produce a daily summary of events that took place within the camera’s view. If it recognizes a face it could use the person’s name and tell you what that person did.
My experience with the summaries were that they weren’t always accurate. For instance, I moved a trash can behind my dog’s crate, and AI thought that I placed a trash bag in my dog’s crate. The bag never left the can, so the interpretation was off. Another time, the summary said that a person picked up a blue dog and placed it in a bag. Well, we don’t have a blue dog, so I don’t know what it was talking about.
My family finds the summaries amusing sometimes because the descriptions are specific but vague at the same time. We set up this camera to be our doggy cam (it’s focused on our dog crate so that we can check in on our crate training dog.) We have a cropped view of just the crate. Because of the cropped view, the camera never sees anyone’s faces, so it tries to describe each person by their pants. The camera never knows us by name. It just says the person in the tan pants versus the person with the black pants. I have attached screenshots of the Gemini summaries in my review so that you can see an example.
Video Clips and AI Tags – Every time something moves in front of the camera it gets registered as an event. The AI program will generate description tags to go along with each clip so that you can find the type of event easier. For instance, if your dog chewed through a toy the AI clip might say “brown dog tore up stuffed animal” or something similar. Or if you fed your dog the tag might say “black dog eats from white bowl”.
Overall
The Google Nest Cam Indoor 3rd Gen is an interesting progression in security cameras. It has all of the features of the previous cameras, but has added AI and updated to 2K video. I’d like to see a 4K camera in the future. The AI is still buggy, but I do like the added clip tags. The camera comes at a decent price point, and I am considering getting an additional camera (or more). I have decided that if I must pay for a Google Home Premium subscription (since I want the 60-day recording), I’d rather have multiple cameras to justify paying for the subscription (doorbell, outdoor, and indoor). Since the AI is not perfect and there’s still room to upgrade the video quality, I am giving this a 4 star rating.
Good Quality Camera with fairly wide viewing angle
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have a few Google Nest devices in the home now and have been slowly adding them in to spots that could help with home safety, and ensuring our boys at least make it out the door for school.
In the packaging you get the camera (built in cable), a USB C wall plug (to plug in to an outlet), some documentation and mounting hardware if you choose to use it. The bottom twists off, which I believe would be used if wall mounting, I set mine on top of a shelf.
I had a previous generation indoor/outdoor battery camera in roughly the same area. I wanted to switch to something wired as it made more sense. Plus, it saved us from needing to take it down to recharge and readjust the angle after doing so. As I already had several Google Nest devices, I was able to go into my Google Home app and scan the QR code to add the camera fairly quick. Once added I was able to modify the notification and angle of the camera, with a small tweak from my previous camera I was able to include the front and back door in my view.
Being a 2K camera, the feed looks a little nicer and handle the light well, we have quite a bit of natural light coming into the space with a couple large windows and a windowed back door, the camera handles this all well and we can always see into the space when needed and can even keep tabs on our cat (which is mostly white). The night vision is nice too as you can always tell who is wandering around the space. There is also a built-in speaker you can talk through which allowed us to simply tell one of the boys what time he would be picked up to go to hockey.
The Nest Cam works well, looks nice and gives us the peace of mind while away from home.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
AI features not quite ready for Primetime
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Nest Indoor Cam wired 3rd gen is more than just Google’s next iteration of their smart camera. The 3red gen indoor Nest camera comes equipped with upgraded specs and Gemini capabilities. So, what’s new for the 3rd gen edition?
1. The Nest Cam 3rd Gen comes equipped with a 2k (2560X1440) sensor that’s an upgrade from 1080p.
2. The field of view has been increased from 135 degrees to 152 degrees.
3. The event-based previews have been increased from 3 hours to 6 hours’ worth of history.
4. New color options for the 3rd Gen
5. Nest Aware has been replaced with Google Home Premium.
There are many manufacturers with smart cameras however, Google has integrated Gemini in the software which sets them apart from the competition.
After spending some time with the new Nest Cam indoor, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not about the hardware at all. I’ve spent most of my time getting comfortable with the software surrounding the Nest Cam. For this reason, I have some thoughts on the Nest Camera 3rd Gen, and Google Home Premium Standard/Advanced.
Nest Cam 3rd Gen
Google kept the same design language and upgraded some parts of the Nest Cam. Night vision mode incorporates infrared LEDs and displays awesome picture clarity. The field of view is massive and the resolution of the image quality is on point. I don’t have any complaints surrounding the camera itself. The only issues I have, is most of the best features are locked behind a paywall. The best features require a yet another subscription.
Google Home App
Using the Google Home App has vastly improved from years past. I don’t mind managing all my devices from the Google home app now. The app has been refined and it’s less clunky. All of my favorite devices are right on the home screen of the Google Home app which allows me to access them quickly.
Google Home Premium and Gemini –
Although the concept is pretty cool in theory, the AI features aren’t ready for primetime. I currently subscribe to Google Home Premium Advanced which is Google most capable plan. The 60-day event and 10 days of 24/7 video history are nice to have. The familiar face alerts do not work consistently. I have several family members saved and it either doesn’t recognize the people I have saved, or it may think it’s another family member all together. The daily summary within Gemini is pretty cool as well, but most of them are marred with incorrect statements. I continue to provide feedback within the Google Home app to get some of these issues rectified daily. Having the ability to have Gemini scrub through footage for specific events is awesome while using the summary feature, it’s just not reliable yet. Most of the descriptive notifications work as intended however the familiar faces really suffers at recognizing saved faces. I can’t recommend paying for the Advanced subscription until Google irons out the issues that I have mentioned above. Once those issues are ironed out, the Nest Cam 3rd with Google Home Premium will be well worth the cost of ownership.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have been using Nest doorbells and cameras for quite a few years now. I have a wired Nest doorbell in front, and a battery Nest doorbell on the outside of my garage. I also have a Nest Indoor camera in my garage, and one in an upstairs bedroom overlooking my driveway. I found the Nest ecosystem to be reliable with great video quality, and good night vision. I love the peace of mind being able to see inside my garage while i'm away, making sure my door is closed, etc. I also love having a camera overlooking my driveway so I get notifications when somebody stops by. These new 3rd gen model took everyone I loved about my existing cameras, and added higher resolution. I decided to put this camera in my upstairs bedroom overlooking my driveway, just because it requires a wider shot and higher resolution to see what cars are outside. My front door is on the other side of the building on my townhouse, so most everyone just comes in through the garage. I have attached a screenshot of my driveway view so you can get an idea of the video quality. This is a live video video feed, and I just took a screenshot of it. My old cameras still work fine, but I really like the added resolution of these new models.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
image quality is good, integrates with google's HOME app to view cam. the AI summary and features are a pricey upcharge, but i'm trying them for a month. in low light this tends to shift to B&W, my wyze cams dont. also wyze can seemingly see better in the dark. the google cam is rather heavy and doesnt adjust as much as id like,. it tilts DOWN but not up. the green light that it's viewing is very bright - others tell me this can be lowered in the app. I just wound up putting painters tape over it. the panning and scrubbing via the cloud based app can be iffy, and sometimes cams lose connectivity w the HOME app.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Setup ease, Video quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great camera, pricey subscription
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Easy set up, and fantastic video quality. We've used these as baby monitors in my house, and then have transitioned them into traditional security cameras. The yearly cost is getting a little on the higher side, but that doesn't detract from the quality of the cameras for the money.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
-Mounting is a pain: The camera's shape is familiar, but the way it mounts stinks. You can't swivel it much, so whether it's on a wall or a shelf, it usually points down, not straight out.
-Rotation is limited: Forget about mounting it on the side—you can only rotate the image 180 degrees (for ceilings), not 90 degrees.
-Picture quality is sharp (mostly): The camera sensor is great. During the day, you can zoom in and actually see people's faces outside. Inside, the colors are pretty accurate, and it's nice and sharp.
-Night Vision: Night vision outside requires the camera to be outside or there will be too many reflections. Night vision inside gives a decent picture due to the infrared LEDs.
-Wide-angle lens has distortion: It gives you a great view of a large room, but the full image looks a bit stretched or distorted until you zoom in.
-AI features are good: The face detection works really well, so you can tell it which faces are "friendly" to stop getting annoying alerts.
-Installation is annoying, but quick: You have to use the Google Home or Nest app, sign in, and agree to their arbitration policy, which means no class-action lawsuits. That's a lot of trust you're putting in Google for a device that collects so much info. Once you scan the barcode, you're pretty much ready to go.
-Overall feeling? Disappointed: I appreciated the older Nest camera's small size and flexible mounting. This new one is bigger, the mounting is terrible, and the corporate policies are worse. Even though the sensor is sharp, the rest of the problems make it hard to recommend. This is definitely a step down.
Thanks for sharing your feedback with us on the Nest Cam Indoor (Wired, 3rd Gen), Dan0Sterling. Your input is valuable to us and we’d appreciate it if you could share more with us — when you get a moment, here’s a survey to fill out: https://support.google.com/googlenest/gethelp?
Pros mentioned:
Video quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Night and Day Difference!!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Here’s a clean, straight-shooting review you can drop anywhere:
Review: Google Nest Cam Indoor (Wired, 3rd Gen – 2K, Gemini)
I switched over from a Eufy pan-and-tilt, and honestly, this Nest Cam is on a different level. The recording is far more consistent, the motion detection actually catches what I need, and the Google integration is seamless. Setup was quick, it stays connected, and the 2K video looks sharp day and night. If you’re already in the Google ecosystem, this is the camera to get... reliable, simple, and it just works.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Highly impressed with the upgrades that were made to the picture of this camera. A step in the right direction by going to 2K, looking forward to seeing when they will go to 4K
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Setup ease, Video quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nice upgrade
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Easy to setup and connect to Google account. Picture is much clearer than previous generations.