Customer Ratings & Reviews

Google best Nest Doorbell Wired (2nd Generation) - Snow yet!

disappointed that it only works with google home and not with the google nest app like the rest of my cameras

Older version is better, the camera is not wide for this version.

Not pleased at all. Cannot even hear the doorbell ring. This is the 2nd one I purchased!

Would be nice if i didn’t have to convert to the google home app as i like Nest better. Camera quality doesn’t seem as good also.

IT DOES NOT WORK!!!! MY INTERNET SERVICE WORKS FOR ALL OTHER DEVICES EXCEPT THIS DOORBELL!!!!!

Returned it. It doesn’t work. I had 4 geek squad technicians working on it. The tone would only ring at the doorbell not to the indoor chime.

Returned it. Could it make it work. Bought a Ring and all is well

I DON'T LIKE IT!. YOU NEED TO BUY MORE TOOLS FOR INSTALATION.

I returned this item yes but I also bought one.. !!

After Google bought Nest, they improved the specs on the camera doorbell yet largely ruined the product. With my old Nest doorbell, I could purchase an inexpensive subscription to see two months worth of captured video 24x7. This product does not work with the legacy Nest app, which is far more user friendly than Google Home. Furthermore, it doesn't benefit from that existing subscription and provide no obvious way to purchase a new one. All I can see is events and only those that happened within the last 3 hours; returning home from work, most of the day is already erased. So while it is a technically better product, in terms of being truly useful, it is actually far worse. Minor additional gripe - the addition of the google logo on the front of the doorbell is also tacky. Who wants a corporate logo on their doorbell?

Once a rare exclusive luxury, Video Doorbell systems now come in a wide range of prices and features to fit every pocketbook and security need. System features vary, so it’s important to find the video doorbell that best suits your situation and needs. The most important features FOR ME in the Google Nest Wired Doorbell (2nd Generation) is the fact that the outside part of the system is WIRED to utilize the continuous ~20-volt dc power that is available next to my front door I was upgrading from a traditional push-button chime or buzzer. Also, it integrates nicely into the popular Google Nest family of devices and Apps. Depending on your climate, extreme heat or cold can adversely affect the lifespan of replaceable batteries installed on some video doorbell outside wireless wall units. Taking power from the house electrical system means that failure due to exhausted batteries will not shut the video doorbell system down. This wired Google Nest system has an internal backup lithium battery that (depending on use) will keep the system running for an hour or so in the event of a power failure. It will automatically recover from a utility power failure when the power comes back on. In my particular case, I’m using the wired Google Nest Video Doorbell as part of a security system on a secondary residence that could be vacant for an extended period of time, so a replaceable battery might fail unexpectedly. There are a lot of things going on in this very capable system (high end camera, infrared lights for night vision, recharger, audio mike and speaker, etc.) that draw power. I ran into intermittent problems at first and was able to identify the problem as undersized wiring. My simple analog chime and button was installed over 25 years ago and used sheathed multi-wire telephone cable common at that time. However, the original installer only used 2 of the 6 thin wires available inside the cable. That was enough for the simple chime plunger when the button was pressed, but it couldn’t keep the voltage up to run the electronics inside the new Nest button housing as well as drive the plunger 50 feet away. I solved the problem by also using the 4 unused wires in the cable, so that they became two parallel sets of 3 wires twisted together at each end. After the easy fix, the system works just fine. If you home is old enough and the distance between the button and the indoor chime is very long, this might help you too. FEATURES: • Trim attractive outside unit (H – 5.1” X W - 1.6” X D - .1.4”) with white and infrared light illumination for day and nighttime detection and identification. • Uses your original inside mechanical Chime unit for a familiar alert sound that everyone will recognize. • 960 x 1280-pixel resolution and 6x digital zoom. The 2nd Generation Nest Video Doorbell camera’s physical pixels are 125% larger than the original 1st Generation Google Nest’s camera so it captures more light and thus detail at night. • The captured picture is 3:4 Portrait ratio to capture a view of the floor in front of the door to see packages. • The extra electrical power available to the wired version of this video doorbell is used for better internal AI processing when compared to the wireless version of the otherwise same Google 2nd Gen wireless video doorbell. This means that (similar to a UHD TV picture), the onboard AI processes backlit lighting (bright sky behind the visitor) so that the face of the visitor is much clearer and identifiable. • The Google Nest Video Doorbell is one part of the Google Nest family. Using the Google Home App you can integrate other Nest devices like cameras, lights and switches to produce events like the porch light coming on if the button is pressed or a human is detected after dark. • The video doorbell will work by itself, but there are subscriptions available to store more captured video etc. • Works with Google Home Assistant and Amazon Alexa • The optional subscription service offers online AI that can be changed to alert-to or ignore things like human faces, cars passing by, pets and packages showing up on or leaving the porch. Other detection reactions are also available. • 6X Digital Video-Zoom from App. PROS: • Attractive Design • The 145° Portrait 3:4 camera view gives a good head-to-toe picture of the visitor and gives a good view of the floor to see delivered packages. CONS: • It’s a powerful unit that needs good wiring to supply a constant ~20 volts DC. In my personal installation experience, the tiny .0345” single strand copper wires found in old household telephone cables cannot supply enough power for long runs alone. If your home is old enough to be hard wired with telephone wires, there’s a chance they used the same kind of wire for your old doorbell. If only 2 of the 6 solid copper wires are being used as was my case, twist the 6 into two pairs of 3 or replace the telephone cable with modern low voltage two conductor doorbell wire. CONCLUSION: The 2nd generation Google Nest wired Video Doorbell is a good choice for homes with a relatively strong (3 of 5 bars) Wi-Fi signal at the outside door area to transmit all of the video, audio and other data onto your Wi-Fi network and the internet. If you integrate it with Google Home and other Nest devices, you can really get a lot of features out of it.

I was excited to upgrade my old traditional doorbell with this one when purchasing my home a year ago. It looked sleek, installed well, and the alerts were pretty accurate. I had no complaints for the first few months until winter came. Suddenly, the device was plagued with battery/power issues (despite being hard-wired). In below-freezing temps, the device would often go hours at a time without being able to record footage. I reached out to Google support, who told me this is inherent in the design of the doorbell; ultimately, it is a battery-powered device that periodically charges itself by pulsing the chime wiring. At certain cold temperatures, the battery simply cannot hold a charge/charge quickly enough, thus the hard wiring claim is misleading. I was surprised to hear Google Support admit this so freely. I chose the hardwired model specifically because I need constant recording given the area I live in. Google Support's parting advice was to temper my expectations in cold weather (which is a third of the year where I live)--and that they were very sorry to hear of my difficulty, of course! Then, recently the doorbell was ripped off and stolen from its mount. I learned Google offers replacements for stolen devices and was thankful to hear this. I did everything requested of me: filed and received copy of police report for the incident, kept the device registered to my Google account, saved final footage, etc. After half an hour of submitting my case to Google Support, I received a message informing me that I would NOT be receiving a replacement doorbell, given that the submitted police report mentioned the doorbell being damaged rather than stolen, which technically is considered customer-inflicted damage and not theft by Google. Wait, what?! Why wasn't this advertised in the procedures for requesting a replacement? I had problems with another Google camera device and received similarly unhelpful/disappointing support. Google Support's mantra might best be described as "Our default is to shift blame as much as possible, but we're very sorry to hear about your problem!" If Google won't stand by this expensive product that is subject to so many types of damage, I'm not going to waste my energy and money replacing it, only to be disappointed by it again. If cold temperatures and theft are concerns, I'd recommend considering a hardwired camera near the doorway instead.

I had the original Nest Hello for years and loved it. We do the 24/7 recording with the subscription for the multiple Google cams we have around the house. When the new version came out last year it was labeled as (battery) but with the ability to be hardwired. I don't think I was alone in thinking that this would just give a battery backup for power outages. Instead, it eliminated 24/7 recording and had issues in cold weather. I had to get a replacement of that one from Google under warranty because the battery wouldn't hold a charge. It remains to be seen how this one will fare in the cold but so far I am extremely happy to have 24/7 recording back, and the picture quality is improved as well! The night vision is excellent and the vertical field of vision allows us to see the entire porch from ceiling to floor, which is great for when packages are delivered. Notifications are quick and precise and easy to customize in the Home app. I still think that the older Nest app is superior to Google Home, but Home is improving and I'm hopeful it will eventually get to the point that I won't need both apps. This doorbell does not work with the old Nest app, by the way. Also, coming from last year's battery version, I had hoped installation would be a simple swap. Instead, this doorbell is slightly shorter, so it required full removal of the old doorbell and mounting hardware. I also had to replace the doorbell chime component with the newer version. Slightly annoying but overall it was an easy process and the app walks you through it with pictures and animations. Overall, I still think that the original Nest Hello was the best doorbell Google ever did. However, this one is a much closer replacement to that compared to the battery version last year. It looks great and has all the functionality I want, although I wish the camera had a slightly higher resolution. I get that there's a lot of wizardry going on in the background that makes this image "better" than a higher pixel count, but the old Nest Hello had a great picture for anything in the distance. Night vision is better with this one, so it's a wash for me, and I like the vertical picture vs horizontal. As long as Google continues to update the Home app to mirror the functionality of the Nest app, this will be perfect. Also, the Seasonal ringtones, especially Halloween, have been getting lots of laughs from delivery drivers!

I have been thinking about a “smart” doorbell for some time, and while I probably waited too long, it seems the tech has gotten even better. Beyond all the smarts, which I will comment on in a bit, I just really like the design here. I mean, it is a doorbell, but I just don’t really like the looks of most of the competition in the space. They are fine, I guess, but this has a more simple, clean, compact, and modern look to it. Kind of the like the rest of the products Google is putting out these days. Perfect for me. Further, it blends in better with the doorframe and looks more like it is part of the house than some random add on. It seems well-built and I imagine it should stand up for quite some time. Installation was one of the things holding me back from making the move sooner, and, honestly, after getting this in, I feel a little foolish for putting it off. I am sure each situation will be different, but it went a lot better than I was expecting. I would say it was about 25 minutes, but a lot of that was me going slow and making sure. Also, I more or less had a “plug and play” set-up that did not require a lot of work from me. They provided everything I needed (and some) with the kit (and a window decal lol). Again, take it with a grain of salt, and look into your own situation, but I think most should be ok doing it on your own. If you opt for a professional install, it should be a breeze for that individual. Once up, I was very impressed. Admittedly, when I saw the resolution specs, I was a little hesitant. Frankly, while Google excels in imagery, they have been a “little” behind in video, and I did not know what to expect. Well, I don’t have a lot of other experience here, but I think the picture looked great for what it is. Images are crisp and there is a nice tall and wide view. Day or night. I am sure there is some computational video work going on somewhere. Whatever it is, it looks great, and I am happy. I think where the doorbell really shines in on the software side. As I am already in the Google ecosystem, using the Home App is second nature to me, and I found everything familiar and easy to set-up, customize and use. That said, it is all pretty intuitive, and most should be able to pick it all up quickly. Everything here is done pretty well. It is definitely worth the time investment to go to the settings to get everything dialed in to how you really want the doorbell to work. Set up activity zones. Set up your notification settings. They give you a ton of control to get whatever level of notification/alert you want to deal with. I found all of the communications arrived quickly and in a timely manner, which having no experience in this space prior, was another thing I was a bit worried about. It is a non-issue. Hand in hand with how well the software works is what you actually get. I would say, out of the box, you get just about everything you are looking for. To their credit, a bit, Google does a pretty good job here. It would be great to have all of the premium features (familiar face detection, 30 or 60 days of video event history, etc…) added in, but I get it. They are there if you want or need them. If not, they are not truly needed, and the device excels as is out of the box. In the end, this is exactly what I was looking for. I am quite happy with it. The video looks good, detection works well, the notification/alert system is timely (and highly customizable), and the software is fantastic. Regardless of setup, I think it is a great choice, but if you are already invested into the Google Home ecosystem it’s really hard for me to recommend another choice. It integrates so well with other devices in the chain, it really makes for a nice cohesive setup.

I currently have an inexpensive doorbell camera that gets the job done but doesn’t have a whole lot of advanced features, so the Google Nest Doorbell definitely piqued my interest and I gave it a test drive. I’ll give my overall impressions first and then break it down a little more afterward for those that are interested. Overall Impressions: The Google Nest 2nd Gen Wired Doorbell does just about everything right. With its incredible wide lens that lets you capture packages that are right up against your door, easy configuration and operation via Google Home, and even the installation process itself, Google just seems to get everything right with this product. The omission of a plug-in chime seems odd at first, but the way that the Nest doorbell integrates into your phone and your voice assistants, like Google Home, it won’t be a concern for long and free up an outlet to use for something else. Some very specific features like longer recording retention still remain behind a monthly subscription fee and the lack of an option for an SD card to locally record is disappointing, but those are features that most won’t use or need. There’s not much to nitpick here and that’s what makes the Google Nest 2nd Gen Wired Doorbell one of the better doorbell cams on the market. Installation: You’ll get everything you need to install the Nest doorbell in the box. The installation is super simple if you’re replacing an existing doorbell, especially if it was already a smart doorbell. If not please follow the directions on how to redirect power from your old chime to the doorbell for power. Everything is lined up and straightforward forward and there are plenty of videos on the web that will guide you through in detail if you need extra help. You won’t need much more than a screwdriver for most installations unless you’re drilling into brick or harder siding. Operation: The Google Home app will be the center of your Nest Doorbell experience. You’ll receive alerts and notifications of people at the door through the app. It seemed to work great on my iPhone and I had no issues getting notifications when someone was at the door. One of the coolest features was the ability to reply with a pre-recorded message to people that were at the door. Being able to actually talk to the person at the door in real-time is also useful, but I don’t see myself using that function all that often. Reviewing events is easy as well on the app as is setting your detection zones and other individual camera functions. Functionality and Features: All your standard security camera features are included with the Nest doorbell, with only continuous recording and longer recording retention really being kept behind a subscription paywall. Night vision, detection zones, and all levels of alerting will be accessible without paying anything extra, which is awesome to see as some lower-priced cameras will keep a lot of these features behind a subscription in order to recoup some of their costs. Camera clarity was fantastic, even with its advertised 960p which is lower than some other cameras that advertise 1080p and even 2k and 4k resolutions. I saw no discernible difference from the 1080p camera that it replaced and actually thought the quality, color, and motion were much better than my previous 1080p model. I believe most people will be totally happy with the Nest Doorbell and it exceeded all my expectations, even surprising me at some points with its ease of use and ability to function great even without an add-on chime. This doorbell will suit just about anyone looking for a doorbell camera and especially those already integrated into a Google/Nest system in their home.

The second generation Google Nest Doorbell is a great doorbell camera to replace your existing traditional doorbell. If, like me, you have a first generation Nest Doorbell, you will notice that the second generation is smaller – thinner, and about an inch shorter. This is great, as one of my few complaints about the first generation device is that it’s a bit bulky. Everything you are likely to need is in the package, and installation is generally simple. I say generally, as the Nest requires a doorbell transformer that operates between 16 and 24 VAC. If you have a relatively new doorbell (say, from the last few decades) then you’re probably okay, but it’s best to check anyway. The VAC should be listed on the transformer case, but to be safe you should probably use a voltmeter to measure the current. If you have an older 9VAC transformer, you’ll need to replace it. This is simple enough if you’re comfortable working with low-voltage wiring, and the transformer can be purchased at a very low cost from your local hardware store. Once the transformer issue has been resolved, installation is a matter of connecting a couple of wires and installing the mounting screws and optional angle plate. Once installed, the Nest delivers crisp images and a great field of vision. If you’re concerned that the resolution is only 960p, you shouldn’t be. Through some combination of an excellent lens and intelligent software design, the Nest makes it easy to make out details. Alerts arrive quickly, as the logic for detecting people / packages / vehicles is contained in the camera. I receive alerts while the delivery person is still there, not 30 seconds after the pull out. One thing that carries over from the first generation, though, is that large animals generally get reported as people. I’ve had bear, elk, and deer reported as people at my door. One of the more refreshing things about the Nest camera is the length of recording time without a paid subscription. The most recent three hours of activity is always available. Using the enhanced Google Home application, you can now filter history by keywords, such as “vehicle” or “person.” With a subscription, you can store up to 30 days of history and add detection of familiar faces, or see around-the-clock monitoring of the last 10 hours. The Nest Doorbell is a great smart doorbell, and comes without the privacy concerns that have dogged some competitors. I highly recommend this.

I first started out with an Arlo wireless doorbell, and after having it die constantly I switched to the gen 1 Nest Hello. I've had that for a few years, so I decided to upgrade to this doorbell, and I have to say I was impressed. The camera quality is good, the fact that it can see a package coming from the end of my driveway is a feature I absolutely love, especially since FedEx has a habit of literally throwing packages over my fence. The familiar faces feature is great as well. I'm glad I decided to upgrade my existing doorbell to this one.

The 2nd gen wired Nest Doorbell is a great improvement over the previous generation of Nest doorbells. My sister has the wireless gen 1 doorbell and the picture, audio, and night vision quality on this new gen 2 wired doorbell are greatly improved over the earlier version. The new smaller size of the doorbell and the included wedge kit make it easy to install this doorbell in most doorways quickly and easily. The step-by-step instructions for installing the doorbell are easy to follow and are available inside of the Google Home app when adding the doorbell as a device. It takes you through all of the steps for installing the doorbell including the steps required for wiring up the chime adapter depending on the configuration of your homes chime. One thing to note is that unlike other wired video doorbells that completely bypass your home chime and make it necessary to have an external chime, the Nest Doorbell just hooks into your existing chime allowing you to power the doorbell and still have your original house chime still working. This is not entirely clear in the instructions as it states that you need either a Nest Hub or one of the Nest speakers to have notifications, this is not entirely true as long as your existing house chime works you can still get the doorbell sound, however, if you want the smart notifications where the doorbell announces who is at the door, you will need either the Hub or a speaker for that functionality. The best thing about the Google Nest Doorbell is the fact that basic functionality is NOT locked behind a paywall, all of the smart features are included out of the box with the only exception being familiar face detection and the length of video history that you can save varying on which Nest Aware subscription you have. So if you don't want to pay an additional monthly cost after buying this doorbell you will have the included intelligent alerts, activity zones, and 3 hour event history. If you want additional event history length as well as the familiar face detection you will need to pay for a subscription but as long as you are fine without those you can buy this doorbell and be happy knowing that it works straight out the box (after installing) with no subscription required.

I was looking to upgrade my front doorbell to a video doorbell and got Google - Nest Doorbell Wired (2nd Generation) – Snow. It came with a Nest Doorbell, Base plate, Chime puck, wedge, wire connector, Hex key, 2 sets of wall screws, anchors and spacers, extra security screw, window decal, and quick start guide. The setup is easy. I have turned off the power and removed the old doorbell. I have watched the installation video which was very helpful to install the doorbell. Google Home app does provide step-by-step instructions as well. The entire installation took only 15 mins, and the latest firmware was available to update. The video quality is superb during daytime as well as nighttime with HDR. There is no subscription required for recording and 3 hours of event video history are included by default. The wired Nest Doorbell spots and records important activity with clips up to 5 minutes long and 2-second previews for context. If the Wi-Fi goes out, the Nest Doorbell automatically records events for up to an hour. When it’s back online, it is easy to see exactly what happened during that time. I have subscribed to Nest Aware plan which provided more functionalities like Facial recognition, package recognition, and recordings for 30 days. Visitor announcements (with Nest Aware plan) can be enabled in the Google Home app under the settings. It is easy to view the live camera feed on the Nest display by saying “Hey Google, show me my front doorbell”. I have used Quick Response which is handy during meetings and quiet time is another great feature to disable the doorbell ring for a specific time. With the recent launch of Google home on the web, it was very convenient to watch the live video feed from a laptop or desktop. With Software tuning and Machine learning improvements, the video quality is better than other doorbells quality I have seen at other places. With the vertical field of view, it is easy to see head to toe, including packages as close as 8” from the doorbell. It is definitely a great addition to the existing Google ecosystem at home.