Nest Labs announced Thursday sweeping changes to its security camera portfolio with the introduction of Nest Cam Outdoor, additional features to the Nest Aware service, and a brand new way to interact with the entire range of Nest products through the Nest app.
With a brand new, completely weatherproof industrial design created for permanent outdoor use, Nest Cam Outdoor extends security outside the home. Customers can keep an eye on their homes 24/7 with full high-definition (1080p) video quality anytime, anywhere and in any weather. Customers also get all the great features Nest Cam Indoor is known for, including activity alerts and Talk and Listen.
Subscribers to the Nest Aware service will receive person alerts, allowing Nest Cam to distinguish between a person and another activity, and alert when someone comes into view. Person alerts are the first of a new generation of alerts from Nest that leverage Google’s expertise in machine learning and algorithms to deliver deeper insights to customers about what’s happening at home. Nest Aware features including person alerts are available on all Nest Cam and Dropcam cameras.
The redesigned Nest app delivers new software features and makes existing Nest products even better, including earlier versions of Nest Cam. With the introduction of Spaces, the Nest app delivers a brand new user interface that groups Nest products by room, across multiple platforms, making it easier to access and control Nest products.
Since its last year launch, Nest Cam has become an integral part of client homes and many use the Nest Aware service to record the video they are capturing. In fact, Nest Cam customers collectively upload several thousand hours of video every minute. Currently, most Nest Cam Indoor customers use it primarily for home security, and 30 percent of them point their cameras outside. Customers have been asking for an outdoor-facing camera and Nest Cam Outdoor is designed to satisfy the demand.
Nest Cam Outdoor comes in a weatherproof design to meet a range of temperatures and conditions faced by outdoor cameras. It has a quick and simple setup that allows users to plug in the cable and adapter, mount the camera, and go. A magnetic base allows people to securely place it in even more locations and capture the view they want.
The 130° view through a high quality glass lens shows the full picture in crisp 1080p HD. When it’s dark, Night Vision illuminates the whole scene with eight infrared LEDs. With the Nest app, customers can control and watch live video from anywhere, anytime.It also streams and stores video content using encryption technology seamlessly (2048-bit RSA key with 128-bit SSL connection).
Nest Cam Indoor, Nest Cam Outdoor and Dropcam customers with a Nest Aware subscription will benefit from 24/7 continuous recording, cloud storage and key alerts. Beginning September, subscribers will start receiving a new alert called person alerts, in addition to existing methods of motion and sound detection.
Nest Cam uses the power of the cloud and vision algorithms to provide more accurate alerts. With person alerts, Nest will notify customers with a specific alert when it detects a person, versus a dog or a car, for example, highlighting moments that matter.
“The future is about intelligent alerts. Customers want to know when something is happening that genuinely deserves their attention. Person alerts are the first of many innovations that will make Nest Cam a more helpful partner in securing the home,” said Maxime Veron, director of hardware product marketing, Nest.
The redesigned Nest app will unlock new features for current camera customers. Users can create and share private, password protected livestream links with multiple people, such as close family members who are watching the house for them. Nest is making automatic bandwidth adjustments to match the bandwidth available, to ensure a clean video feed and avoid buffering. Currently available, Dropcam Pro customers can get high resolution viewing when they upgrade to the new Nest app.
Another notable update in the new Nest app is that it now supports Apple Watch, as well as Android Wear which was released earlier this year, so customers can control the temperature of their Nest Learning Thermostat from their wrist.
Currently available for pre-order in the US and Canada, Nest Cam Outdoor is available at nest.com, bestbuy.com, and bestbuy.ca with a suggested retail price of US$199.00, same as Nest Cam Indoor. It will be on shelves this fall. Multi-packs will be available later this year. Nest Cam Outdoor will be available in the U.K., France, Netherlands, Belgium and Republic of Ireland later this year.
Nest Aware can be purchased on www.nest.com or through the Nest app as a 10-day or 30-day subscription for $10 or $30 per month, respectively. New customers receive a free trial. Person alerts, which comes with a Nest Aware subscription, will be available in September 2016. Spaces will be available in Nest app version 5.6 in the Google Play Store and iOS App Store later this month.
