At long last, Nest is bringing video surveillance to the outdoors, announcing the Nest Cam Outdoor — the outdoors version its Wi-Fi-connected home surveillance camera, the Nest Cam.
The prime appeal of this new camera, obviously, is that it's designed for outdoor use. Using an IPX65-rated camera, the system is impervious to rain and snow. Furthermore, it is constantly powered with a two-part AC adapter that includes a more than 20-foot cable. The adapter is also IPX67-rated, preventing it from shorting out or suffering water-based damage in the event it gets caught in a downpour.
However, beyond that, the Nest Cam Outdoor features many of the same specs as the Nest Cam, now known as the Nest Cam Indoor, thanks to the introduction of the new camera. It possesses the same 1080p resolution, along with a 130-degree view of focus, as well as the array of eight infrared LEDs to bring light to said areas when the camera is utilizing its night-vision mode.
A magnetic base for mounting is including for the camera, which features a microphone and speaker, allowing users to communicate with visitors remotely by using the Nest app.
While on the subject of the Nest app, with the release of the Nest Cam Outdoor comes the release of several updates to the Nest's subscription-based Nest Aware service, as well as to the aforementioned app.
The updates coming to the Nest Aware service are the lesser of the two, so that comes first. Simply put, Nest will be adding a person alerts feature to the service, implementing a new algorithm that will allow it to distinguish between people and other sources of movement, like pets or vehicles. Cam and Dropcam users can subscribe to Nest Aware to take advantage of the feature, among other specialized services such as cloud storage.
The updates coming to the app, on the other hand, are a bit more meaty. To start, Nest has redesigned its namesake app, and included the Spaces system to help users who rely on multiple cameras. Spaces are specific locations where users can set up multiple Nest products, so if these products are near one another, they can be joined together and quickly found on the app under a single heading.
Furthermore, the app will be getting private camera-sharing, which allows users to share password-protected streams of their Nest Cams with friends and family members for house-sitting while they're away on vacation. Lastly, the app will finally add support for smartwatch users with Android Wear or Apple Watch devices, allowing them to adjust the devices in their smart home without having to be limited to using their smartphone or tablet.
The newest Nest app version, with Spaces, will arrive on the Google Play Store and App Store in late July, while the Nest Aware update, with person alerts, will arrive in the fall. Meanwhile, the Nest Cam Outdoor is also slated to arrive this fall, but the cameras are already available for preorder for $199, the same price as the Nest Cam Indoor.
