Google’s Nest Announces $199 Outdoor Security Camera With AI-Based Person Alerts

It's been just over a year since Nest released its first security camera, an inside model with obvious Dropcam DNA, but what about setting up surveillance for outside the home? That's been one of the most requested product updates and now Nest has answered the call with the Nest Cam Outdoor, a security camera that's designed for the rigors of outside life.

The Nest Cam Outdoor can do everything its indoor sibling can, only it isn't afraid of rain or snow—it sports a weatherproof design to protect it against the elements. It's also purportedly easy to install on a variety of surfaces, including wood, brick, and stucco. There's even a magnetic mount that you can stick on a rain gutter. And unlike the some security cams, Nest's outdoor model plugs into a power source so you don't have to worry about batteries running low.

Once installed, the Nest Cam Outdoor seamlessly and automatically integrates with the rest of your home. If a prowler is casing out your joint (or a Pokemon Go player aimlessly wanders onto your porch), the outside camera will detect the movement and flip on your Philips Hue or LIFX light bulbs to give the appearance that someone is home.


The last thing you want from a security camera that's hooked into your smart appliances is an overzealous security protocol that's triggered by every little event. To that end, the Google owned venture taps into algorithms in the cloud to determine if there's a person in the frame, and if so, it will send a special alert to your smartphone.

"So you'll know if someone's actually there, or if it was just a car passing by—and get fewer false alerts overall," Nest explains in a blog post. "Nest Cam will even tell you it thinks it saw a person but wasn't sure."

The human detection feature is a new perk available to "Nest Aware" subscribers. It's free for the first 30 days, then costs $10 per month (or discounted to $100 per year) for a subscription that keeps a history of videos for 10 days with 100GB+ of rolling cloud storage, or $30 per month (or discounted $300 per year) to bump up the video history to 30 days with 300GB+ of rolling cloud storage.

You can pre-order the Nest Cam Outdoor now for $199. Shipping is estimated in 11 to 12 weeks.