Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) Review

Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) Review

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned
Buy it at Amazon: Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: HD video, good audio, short event history without subscription.

In the box you’ll receive the doorbell camera, metal wall bracket, 20° wedge plate, USB-C charging cable, video recording decal, two plastic wall anchors, two rubber washers, two wood screws, two mounting screws, removal tool, wire harness for optional hardwire installation, and a quick start card.

This is the video doorbell. It measures 6.25” tall, 1.75” wide, and 1” thick and weighs about 7 oz. At the top, you have the head-to-toe HD camera lens with LED indicator and pinhole mic. Then at the bottom you have the doorbell button with LED ring around it. On the back of the device is the release button, USB-C charging port, screw terminals if hardwiring, which would be used with the included wire harness, registration QR code, and a metal mounting post.

The first thing we’ll need to do is plug the device in to charge, and it’ll power on when you do so with a tone and the status light on the front will start pulsing white. It’ll take about 5 hours to fully charge. Next, open the Google Home app, and go to add a device. Scan the QR code on the back of the device or on the quickstart card, and proceed through the next few screens to connect the device to your account and add it to your home WiFi network.

You can select battery power only or choose to hardwire the device. If using battery only, you’ll need to take the doorbell down and bring it inside to charge every couple of months depending on usage. Alternatively, there are solar panel chargers for this doorbell that can keep the unit charged and powered. If you do hardwire this device, you’ll need to make sure the transformer the wiring is connected to has a voltage of 8 to 24V AC and power of 10 to 40 VA at 50 to 60 Hz. Connecting it to my old doorbell's wiring to keep it powered relieves me of needing to take it in the charge every so often and was pretty simple. In the Google Home app you can view the doorbell's live video with audio and communicate with someone in front of it, customizing the settings, and check on the device’s battery life, though if it’s hardwired you’ll see an infinity symbol instead.

When the doorbell button is pressed, the device makes an audible chime from its built-in speaker. If you have Google smart speakers or displays in your home, they can play a chime or display its video feed. However, since we use Amazon Alexa, this was not an option, so I only get push notifications from the doorbell on my phone. As an alternative, you can connect an in-line wired chime. The video footage is clear and crisp with plenty of detail at 960x1280p, and the viewing angle is wide with a 160° field of view. The audio picked up from the doorbell is also quite good with decent volume. However, when speaking through the mic in the app, sometimes the audio gets garbled or clipped, so sometimes it's hard for your visitor or guest to hear you. You can opt, instead, to respond to doorbell rings with a scripted message.

Note however, that if you don’t have a Nest Aware Plus subscription, you can only see recordings of events that have occurred within the past 3 hours. During that time you can download the video clip, but if you miss that window the clip will no longer be accessible. A Nest Aware subscription also adds benefits like a longer event history period, familiar faces recognition allowing your google devices to announce your visitors' names, sound detection like glass breaking or smoke alarms, and emergency calling to 911.

However, this doorbell camera cannot perform 24/7 recording to capture non-event footage, like a security camera, even if you choose to hardwire the unit and get a Nest Aware subscription, as they’re only triggered by motion events or doorbell presses. At night, the infrared LEDs make the video grayscale, however, I found that brightness and contrast as well as details are still quite good. If the camera loses its WiFi connection or can’t reach the internet, it has enough onboard storage for 1 hour's worth of footage.

I do like that you can select intelligent motion detection options for specific types of events like people, vehicles, animals, or packages versus general motion, and you can also define multiple detection zones within the camera’s view for specific event activity, allow you to customize the alert settings for each one separately. You can also manually trigger a recording by activating the microphone to start a two-way conversation.

Overall, I like the features of the Google Nest Doorbell battery, from the high quality video and audio capture to event recording and push notifications. You have the flexibility for a wired or battery installation which only takes about 15 minutes, and if you’re already using Google smart home devices, they can all function as chimes; or you can use an in-line wired chime like me. However, if you’re not a paid subscriber the event history review period is only 3 hours.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned
Buy it at Amazon: Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) [Affiliate Link]

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