To Google’s credit, I get a remarkable amount of detail from a face picked up given the size of the sensor, but I can’t help but want just a bit more at this price. If you have a lengthy driveway, for example, it won’t capture anything useful beyond some splotches of color as seen with my mailbox when zoomed in. It’s fine for closer subjects that are perhaps 30 feet or less from your house. Not only is the camera limited to 6x digital zoom because of the lower resolution, but important details such as faces are even harder to make out if they’re at a notable distance. I can easily make out details that aren’t very close to the camera itself, but things fall apart when zoom is necessary. Colors are on point and distortion isn’t much an issue despite the 130-degree field of view. However, it doesn’t help the situation with detail.ĭespite the low resolution, though, the camera captures surprisingly solid video. The new model has a 2MP 1/2.8-inch sensor, which is slightly bigger in its physical size, an advantage for light capture, especially at night. It’s actually dropped in quality from the older Nest Cam Outdoor, which had a 3MP 1/3-inch sensor and debuted at $199. That comes from a mere 2MP sensor which is pretty low-end for a product of this $179 price point, especially when $50 cameras are packing 4MP and higher nowadays. The new Nest Cam captures video in 1080p resolution. On average, it takes around 4-5 seconds to load the feed on constant power, and around 4-8 seconds on battery power. In the first few days I used this camera I had some instances of the feed taking up to 15 seconds, but those instances have been nearly non-existent in the months since. Because the camera is presumably going into a form of sleep while on battery, the connection takes longer to establish for live feeds. The other trade-off that I’ve noticed is with connection speed. You lose 24/7 recording of course and instead only get event-based history. Is there any trade-off when using the battery? Yes, definitely. If this feature is working correctly, you shouldn’t notice it at all. Over the past few months, this is a feature I admittedly haven’t used much, but that’s primarily because it fades into the background. Given the number of Nest service outages that have come just in recent memory, this feature shows that Google is finally listening to what its customers want – and both make Google’s option much more compelling in a quickly evolving market. Google says the camera can capture about an hour of “event history,” which gets uploaded to the cloud after the connection is restored. While this isn’t as flexible as a microSD card you’ll find on some other DIY home security cameras, it means that a power outage won’t leave your home security gear useless. The battery also really makes this a better security camera since it can keep recording going when the power drops, which would be especially useful in indoor settings.Īdding to that advantage is the local storage. An upstairs window, as pictured throughout this article, was my favorite location because I could simply grab the camera from the window to recharge it. To this day, I think the addition of a built-in battery is one of the features that makes the new Nest Cam such a good product because it allows for so much flexibility in the installation. The primary source of battery drain was live viewing, where I noticed that around 10-15 minutes spent livestreaming the camera feed to a phone or Nest Hub would result in around 1-2% of battery drain. I found that battery life could last up to about one month on a charge, but I averaged around 2.5 weeks during that testing period. I ran the Nest Cam (battery) in an outdoor, driveway setting during the months of September and October entirely on battery power, and Google’s varied estimates certainly proved true. Google rates the battery life at a few weeks to a few months depending on usage. For one, it means you can put this camera virtually anywhere. That starts with a built-in battery, which is good for two purposes. To kick things off, let’s talk about the two biggest upgrades Google is delivering in its new camera. This review has been updated to reflect usage of the Nest Cam (Battery) and Nest Cam Floodlight between Augand DecemLocal storage and battery power are compelling upgrades Is it a worthwhile upgrade? Let’s dig in. After several years, Google is finally refreshing its Nest Cam lineup with the arrival of a brand-new lineup that’s headlined by the Nest Cam (battery). Google’s Nest lineup has long been among the best in this arena even though it comes at a cost. Do-it-yourself home security has been the way to go for many, with the costs of cameras and other smart home gear coming down and getting more reliable.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |