Enhance Home Security with Google Nest Doorbell 720p (Wired, 2nd Gen) – Ash

I had a original Nest doorbell camera that I loved, until the company was bought out by Google and I slowly started losing functionality. I have tried many doorbell cameras, including the most popular, and hated all of them. I only put this one on the back burner because I think it’s ugly. However, this works very well for me. I love all the settings, face and animal recognition, and the package notification (that it sees one and when it detects that it’s no longer there). I’ve learned through this device that my front porch is a regular cut through for the neighborhood animals (cats and dogs). Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to family or friends.

I purchased the Gen 2 Nest Doorbell (wired) to replace the original Nest Hello Doorbell (also wired) for a few key reasons. The Nest Hello developed some serious lag over the years…when someone was at the door and rang the doorbell, the video would fail to load through the Nest app. This was really annoying. Secondly, you needed the Nest Aware subscription ($6 per month) for most the features…video recording, face recognition, package recognition, etc. Without the Nest Aware subscription, the Nest Hello was severely limited. Despite that, the Nest App was decent, no complaints. I had the Nest Hello for over 5 years just outside my front door, and it never failed on any given day, even in subzero temps during mid-Winter.

The Gen 2 doorbell installation was nearly identical to the Nest Hello installation. The only difference was the chime module was slightly easier to install (somewhat less wiring on the Gen 2 model), otherwise it was an easy swap. If you’re replacing the Nest Hello, as I did, you WILL need to swap out your doorbell chime module for the new one. The rest of the wiring is the same. Video quality on the Gen 2 is slightly better than the Hello, but not substantially better. The most significant benefit of the Gen 2 is you get many of the Nest Aware features without the need for the subscription…face/package recognition and the ability to record and review “events.” Video history is fairly short however…events such as package deliveries and people only remain available to view for a few hours before being removed. Also note that the wired model does not have a battery, so it will not function during a power outage. Unlike the Nest Hello, however, the Nest Gen 2 will function and record video during an Internet outage.

What you lose with the Gen 2 Nest doorbell is the Nest app is gone, and so is email notification. The only way to access/configure the doorbell is through the Google Home app. The Google Home app seems more limited than the Nest app, and the video frame is quite small within the Google Home app. If you have Google Home displays (including Google Home compatible smart clocks) within your household, video from the Nest doorbell will pop up on those screens whenever someone rings the doorbell. The Nest Hello did the same…however, as I mentioned previously, the Nest Hello was so laggy that video would fail to load when the doorbell was rung. The Gen 2 is much more responsive and snappier than the Hello, as it should be considering it’s the latest and greatest. It would’ve been nice if the Gen 2 had a wider viewing angle, and a 16:9 frame vs a 4:3. Some may be disappointed with the video quality, considering there are $25 plug-in cameras that provide higher res video in addition to many more features for motion detection, etc. compared to the Nest doorbell which costs over $150.

Overall Nest Doorbell Gen 2 (wired) is a good product…great for knowing who’s at your door before you answer it, and a fairly effective theft-deterrent. Installation is not difficult and clearly explained on the website provided within the product documentation. Loses a star because the Google Home app lacks features and seems immature but it does provide great person/package recognition and the basic functions you’d expect from a fairly pricey doorbell camera.

Good and night camera vision and wide angle. No need for subscription pymts unless I want extra features. Battery mode works great so no need to have it wired in. Get notifications no matter where I am. Keeps an eye on my car

I absolutely love Nest cameras. I had the original but left it behind when I moved. I thought I would try a cheaper brand, because let’s face it, Nest is pretty pricy. Well I learned why it is worth the money and I returned the other system I bought because of the annoying notifications, short video time and many other flaws.
Nest provides amazing video quality, you can set it up to recognize familiar faces so it will announce your guest by name, it will alert you when a package is dropped off, or is picked up. It works perfectly with the Google home app and you can connect to your camera with almost no delay. You can also connect it to your Alexa devices, so when someone presses the doorbell, it will play across the speakers in your home and you can talk to the doorbell from the speakers.
If you are looking for a quality camera, without all the annoyances of the cheaper models, step up to the Nest, I will never try to purchase another brand again.

Easy to install and works great.