Google Home is continuing to expand its roster, with Google today adding support for the Nest Cam Indoor (1st Gen). This allows you to manage all aspects of your camera, such as checking your notification history and accessing your camera feed.
There’s a bit of a catch, as support for Nest Cam Indoor is only available in Public Preview. To join Public Preview and gain early access to the feature, you’ll need to dive into the Settings on your Home app and select Join Public Preview. You’ll then get a prompt to update Public Preview — accept this invitation, and you’ll see another prompt letting you know when you’re eligible to transfer your camera to Google Home.
Google notes that the team is adding more Nest Cam Indoor users every week, so if you don’t have access today, be sure to check back in the coming days.
Since this is essentially an early access phase, you’re bound to encounter a few speedbumps. Google has big plans for Nest Cam Indoor compatibility, and it might take a while for them to iron out the wrinkles. If you encounter any problems, be sure to report them directly through Google Home.
As for why you’d want to add your camera to Home? Here’s a look at the perks, directly from Google’s community blog.
“The Home app offers an easier, more personalized, and more organized way to manage all your compatible third-party and Google Nest devices in one place, while bringing the best of the Nest app experience for controlling your camera, checking live video directly on the home screen, and viewing historical clips. The refreshed camera controller includes quick switching between event and timeline views, and fine-level video scrubbing to help you quickly find the footage that matters to you.”
Keep in mind transferring your camera to Home means it’ll no longer be available in the Nest app–though you can reverse the process at any time by removing the device from Public Preview.
Once the Nest Cam Indoor is properly working with Google Home, the team will work on bringing Nest Cam Outdoor to the smartphone app. There’s no timetable for this rollout, but Google says the process will maintain privacy and security standards for all users and their devices.
