Long-term Nest Doorbell (Battery) review: An unsatisfactory choice for fans of Google Home {Video}

A wide variety of wired and wireless doorbells are compatible with the Google Assistant and significantly improve your smart home setup. Here are some reasons why the battery-operated Nest Doorbell is a terrific choice for just about everyone in the appropriate circumstances, based on our extensive experience with it.

I finally had the chance to install a front door camera for more security after moving to a new home. I have missed essential packages far too frequently, and we all have.

Although there are products like AAA and AAA2 available, it’s difficult to ignore Google’s first-party offers. Do they merit it? Review of the Nest Doorbell (Battery) is shown here:

A SOLID BUT IMPERFECT SOLUTION: A Long-Term Review of the Video Nest Doorbell (Battery) Subscribe to 9to5Google on YouTube for more videos

I had never used a digital doorbell before, but after moving lately, I made the decision that I did, in fact, require a package, post, and even take-out food delivery early warning system. I had my sights set on a far less expensive option to the Nest Doorbell, but after giving it some thought and using some unused Google Store credit, I decided to get the battery-operated camera-powered door ringer.

The simplicity with which the battery-operated Nest Doorbell could be mounted on the wall next to my front door was a major factor in my decision to purchase it. As someone who is constantly overcome with fear when DIY is required, this felt like the ideal solution. Only two screws were required.

Nest Doorbell Battery
Nest Doorbell Battery

When mounted, the sleek white model sits flush against the wall, giving the impression that it has always been a part of the house because it complements the brickwork of my house. The doorbell button’s ring light may be a little more noticeable in bright sunshine, which is my main complaint. The button appears to be pressed eight out of ten times by visitors. It is still better because I know someone is there even though it’s far lower than the ideal score of 10 out of ten. I’d imagine that this might be resolved with better positioning close to or around your door, thus I’d advise you to mount the Nest Doorbell in a strategic location.

If it’s possible, I’d also advise adjusting the camera’s angle. The 145-degree field of view is excellent, however due to Google’s placement recommendation during the initial setup, I am unable to see faces of persons standing immediately outside my door. Fortunately, the box has a wedge you can use to have a more door-centric perspective, but to be quite honest, I believe seeing the person approaching my house is a better answer for me and where I reside. You might wish to give a few things a try before committing for apartments and houses with enclosed porches.

Even if you are able to manually wire the Nest Doorbell, it is still very important to realize that you cannot access 24/7 recording with the battery-operated Nest Doorbell. In light of this, the Nest Aware or Nest Aware Plus subscription might not be as useful unless you wish to retrieve recordings from the previous 60 days.

The onboard storage auto-clearing and my perception that the base recordings were sufficient for my need made things easier for me. However, given that Google has advertised it as having three hours of storage, the fact that it automatically clears after just three hours is extremely immoral. That would entail quite a few 30-second video, but there is undoubtedly an effort here to persuade viewers to subscribe to Nest Aware. If you receive a noteworthy notification on your phone, tap the details button as soon as you can to store it to your local storage; otherwise, it may go before you remember to check back later.

Another issue is that you can’t download video of these movies until the Nest Doorbell has decided whether something is an activation event. It works just fine the most of the time, but it doesn’t always.

Due to its imperfection, I frequently observe the This video is not yet accessible. Before it finishes processing, check back here to see whether I can view it properly. If you live in a busy neighborhood, changing the borders when people, objects, vehicles, and dogs are spotted does assist, but it can be a little intrusive with notifications pinging on your phone all the time. Although downloading videos is reasonably simple, the Google Home app is just not up to the task of controlling the Nest Doorbell in its current configuration.

The organization of the history management and clips might be much better. Direct interaction with the At a Glance widget, which other phones lack, is a key selling point for Pixel phones. When someone presses the Nest Doorbell, you’ll see a small gif preview, which will urge you to unlock your phone or launch the live video preview.

Since I’ve been using the Nest Doorbell every day for a few months, the event detection recording restriction has been a pain. However, I reasoned that screen recording my Pixel display would be sufficient for live video if I really wanted long-term storage, but it would risk missing out on potentially crucial information if your doorbell hasn’t yet figured out what is happening. In all honesty, I’d think it will also be a very firm solution for the majority of folks. However, when something doesn’t go as planned or as expected, this shouldn’t be your go-to response.

Even if the video quality on the Nest Doorbell (Battery) is only 1080p, it is sufficient to see what or who is knocking on your door. Even though the night vision mode is quite good, the overall clarity suffers. I have enjoyed having access to the notice ping more than anything else when someone is at your door with a package or an animal.

Having the doorbell’s ability to relay a live video stream to my office’s Nest Hub has been very useful ever since it was connected and associated with my account. I may instruct FedEx, DHL, UPS, and others to deliver packages to my doorstep so I can pick them up later. The Nest Doorbell has occasionally been a blessing for people with pets because it keeps everyone safe while delivering packages. I think this is a particularly good Google Home addition because it gives you just a little bit of advance notice before someone arrives.

With a recent update, you can now broadcast live video from your Nest Doorbell to an Android TV device or a Chromecast with Google TV. Personally, I’d adore it if this could be more fully incorporated. For instance, a live video of your doorbell could appear on-screen as an additional reminder to go and make your collection when I’m watching Netflix and a delivery person knocks on the door. However, having all of my Assistant-powered speakers alert me when someone is at the door is still really great, especially whether I’m upstairs or elsewhere in my three-story home. The noise is also not quite as shrill as a typical doorbell ringer. The sound is more tranquil and mellow.

The Nest Doorbell’s lifespan determines whether it survives or (literally) dies, just like with every battery-operated device. If it runs out of battery just as someone is knocking on the door, it isn’t really much use. Although I could have modified the motion detection to the low level due to the busy pathway in front of my house, I left it on the default setting.

This implies that I charge once every three to four weeks. When it’s getting close to the lifespan limit, I’ll simply disconnect, charge it for a few hours overnight, and then reposition it on my exterior wall first thing the next morning. Because of this, if you already have a wired doorbell, as I have, it’s definitely a companion rather than a single all-purpose fix.

The battery-operated Nest Doorbell is most useful for people who reside in apartment buildings or rental homes. When you relocate, you may simply take the Nest Doorbell with you. This means fewer problems and no residual damage. Yes, charging is a pain, and there is a chance that someone would unclip the camera and take it without paying for it. However, it’s still a choice. An solution that integrates well with your current smart home and avoids the majority of the early setup hassles.

FINAL CONCLUSIONS

Nest Doorbell Battery

Due to the battery-powered alternative, the Nest Doorbell is a respectable entry-level device that is made even more affordable. If you don’t want or need round-the-clock security, a wired doorbell is still a good addition. Working from home, in my experience, simply receiving a warning that an item is being delivered at the door is sufficient for me. If you are already a Google Home user, though it is a bit more expensive, it is a little better.

Another significant benefit has been not needing to transfer money in just to put things up. It’s a non-destructive approach to upgrade your smart home technology for people who are leasing or renting, with the added benefit of introducing some very basic additional protection.

Since I’ve been using the Nest Doorbell, I’ve purposefully avoided subscribing to an Nest Aware subscription , even though it offers more features and functionalities. However, it almost makes a case for its inclusion in some very particular situations as a simple augmentation of your regular smart tech.

It’s a nice but ultimately flawed solution best suited to individuals who want a little bit of Google Home coherence without an excessively disruptive installation if you don’t need access to multiple days’ worth of recordings or desire 24/7 streaming.

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