Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Google Home adds new camera features and support for Nest Cam Outdoor

Jon Bitner
By
The interface on Google Home allowing you to capture custom clips.
Google

Google Home is one of the best smart home platforms, and it’s just gotten more exciting with the rollout of new camera features and support for the Nest Cam Outdoor. These updates are currently limited to Public Preview users, though we expect to see them launched to all users soon.

One of the biggest additions is support for the first-generation Nest Cam Outdoor. Google will be rolling out eligibility to users over the next few weeks — so if you’re a Public Preview user and don’t have access right away, you may have to wait a bit longer. Once the feature has been pushed to your camera, you can use it like you would any other device in Google Home. This includes having access to an updated camera history interface.

Recommended Videos

Aside from support for the first-generation Nest Cam Outdoor, Google is giving users the option to create and download custom clips using their video history. This will allow you to trim your alerts and save only the portions you want to keep. The useful feature will be available on the following products:

  • Nest Cam (indoor, wired, 2nd gen)
  • Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery)
  • Nest Cam with Floodlight
  • Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen)
  • Nest Doorbell (battery)
  • Nest Cam Indoor (1st gen)
  • Nest Cam Outdoor (1st gen)

The final piece of this Public Preview update is enhanced garage door detection. This allows certain Nest Cams to send you alerts if you forget to close your garage door without the need for additional sensors. The cameras will use updated AI image detection to determine if your garage door is open or closed, and then send you any necessary alerts.

Related

Only a handful of products support the technology, including the Nest Cam (indoor, wired, and 2nd gen) and Nest Cam (battery) when wired for power.

Interested in checking out the new features? Then consider signing up for Public Preview, which should only take a few minutes.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
Ring Stick Up Cam Pro vs. Canary Pro: Which is the better security camera?
The Canary Pro next to the Ring Stick Up Cam pro

When it comes to premium indoor security cameras, few are as popular as the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro. Available in both wired and battery-powered formats, it’s a versatile camera that's well-suited for most home security systems. However, the lesser-known Canary Pro offers many of the same features as the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro -- yet is often on sale for a much lower price.

But is the Canary Pro better than the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro? Or should you just buy the popular Ring product? And, more importantly, what sort of ongoing monthly fees are required for these cameras? Here's a look at everything you need to know.
Pricing and monthly fees

Read more
Do Arlo Essential cameras require the Arlo Smart Hub?
An Arlo Smart Hub on a wooden table.

Arlo makes some of the most popular smart home cameras. They're reliable, easy to install, and supported by platforms such as Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. Many of its best devices fall into the Essential family, which includes the Essential XL, Essential 2K, Essential Indoor 2K, and Essential Video Doorbell.

Alongside these products, Arlo offers something known as a Smart Hub. This is available in two formats (Ultra Smart Hub and Pro Smart Hub), and both make it easy to connect your Arlo devices to the internet. But do you need an Arlo Smart Hub to use Arlo Essential cameras? Or can you get them online without purchasing the secondary hub?

Read more
The most common Google Nest Mini problems and how to fix them
A coral Google Nest Mini mounted on a brick wall.

The Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen) is one of the best smart speakers of 2024. Despite its low price, the Nest Mini gives you full access to Google Assistant, provides surprisingly great audio for a device its size, and is compact enough to fit nearly anywhere in your home. Whether you want to listen to music, dish out commands to other smart devices, or check the news, the Nest Mini can do it all.

However, the Nest Mini isn't without its faults. Setting up and using the smart speaker is typically a straightforward, hassle-free experience. But like all electronics, some owners have noticed strange issues when performing simple tasks — such as connectivity problems or an unresponsive unit.

Read more