Nest Cam (battery)

SECURITY CAMERA ❘ £180 from Google www.snipca.com/39475 Big budget film

While we’re on the subject of new Nest devices, Google has also launched a security camera that can be used inside or outdoors and is weather-proof rated to IP54. You can buy one unit for £180 or a twin pack for £320. Each camera comes with its own charging cable and magnetic plate for mounting. Attach the plate to a wall using screws or magnetically (depending on what you’re attaching it to) and the camera clips on and off easily.

The camera is capable of recording 30fps video at 1080p resolution (1920x1080 pixels) and a reasonably wide 130-degree field of view. There’s a built-in speaker and microphone for two-way audio communication and the camera provides automatic, black-and-white night-vision recording with the help of six infrared LEDS.

Image quality and audio quality are both excellent, and object detection generally works well – the camera can differentiate between a person, an animal and a car, for example.

The problem is that you need to spend £5 per month on Google’s Nest Aware service, otherwise you can record only up to three hours of footage, which may not get you through a night if there’s a lot going on.

Because of this limitation, we prefer the Eufy Solocam E40 (£99 from www. snipca.com/39483 – see Issue 615, page 28). This has most of the same features as the Nest Cam for less money, but crucially includes its own internal storage, with plenty of space for recordings.

SPECIFICATIONS

1920x1080-pixel video resolution • 30 frames per second • 130-degree field of view • 6.10m night vision • Wi-fi 4 (2.4GHZ only) • USB port for charging • 830x830x830mm (HXWXD) • 398g • Two-year warranty www.snipca.com/39475

VERDICT A capable security camera, but it requires a costly monthly subscription to get the most from it ★★★ ★★

ALTERNATIVE Eufy Solocam E40 £99 A cheaper camera that has similar features but captures higher resolution images (2560x1440 pixels) and doesn’t require a subscription