Will Nest unveil a new Dropcam at its press conference? (Update)

By Jenny McGrath June 10, 2015

DropCam-PRO_Wall_B_300dpi — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When a company like Nest sends out an invite saying ““Please join us for a Nest press conference” with few other details, it’s an invitation to speculate. Just what Nest, the re-imaginer of “unloved” products known for smart thermostats and smoke alarms, will announce on June 17 isn’t clear, though there are a few clues.

A Federal Communications Commission application that 9to5Google found suggests Nest could be debuting a new version of security video camera-maker Dropcam. Nest acquired the startup in 2014, a few months after Google spent $3.2 billion to buy Nest.

Now, almost a year later, there could be something new from Dropcam on the horizon. While you can still buy the current version of the Dropcam Pro on the product’s site, Amazon is only selling it through third parties, 9to5Google points out.

The wireless camera is an “Identical Prototype,” according to the FCC evaluation report. It’s equipped with Bluetooth LE 4.0 and the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard, which 9to5Google notes is a proprietary technology called Nest Weave that’s similar to ZigBee.

Recently at its I/O developer conference, Google introduced Brillo, its Internet of Things development platform, and Weave, a common language that lets connected devices communicate with each other. These two players may assist Nest as it continues to make inroads into the smart home, since it will likely look for entry points beyond thermostats and smoke detectors.

For example, after Nest’s press conference announcement, we speculated that the company may introduce a smart speaker, similar to the Amazon Echo. The company hired a Head of Audio back in March, and it likely wants to keep pace with Amazon’s and Apple’s voice-control capabilities, though users can already control the learning thermostat with Google Now.

The FCC filing may hint at a new Dropcam, but who’s to say Nest won’t have two announcements at the press conference?

Updated 6/11/2015: Droid Life has leaked photos of the new version of Dropcam and its app.

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Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…

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