Nest is back with a new home security camera called the Nest Cam IQ, joining the family alongside the Nest Cam and Nest Cam Outdoor.
The new Nest Cam IQ is somewhat similar in design to the Nest Cam Outdoor, but it's designed for the indoors and it sports smarter features to neatly complement its high-resolution video sensor.
Nest Cam IQ: 4K Video, Facial Recognition And Smart Monitoring
The Nest Cam IQ boasts a 4K video sensor to capture high-quality video, but it won't record everything in 4K. Regular things such as your dog playing in the living room while you're away will not warrant 4K, and the camera is smart enough to know it.
The camera will capture 1080p footage for regular occurrences, and will intelligently switch to 4K when it detects something unusual, such as if a stranger entered the house. It will automatically zoom in and track the person as they move across the house.
Those extra pixels should count a great deal when zooming in on certain areas without compromising fidelity. The new Nest camera packs a Qualcomm processor and it also features a night vision mode with two infrared LEDs for nighttime surveillance. The LEDs are now basically invisible, as they no longer glow red. The smart tracking features employ Google's deep-learning technology.
"When designing Nest Cam IQ, we focused on what we've learned from our customers, which is that people don't want more information, they want insights," says Matt Rogers, Nest co-founder and chief product officer. "So we combined intelligence with excellent image and sound quality to deliver the insights customers need, at the right time. These insights can range from telling you the kids are home from school to sending an alert if an unfamiliar person is in the living room."
Nest Aware
The Nest Cam IQ also features facial recognition capabilities, which means it can distinguish between known family members or friends and strangers and notify the owner accordingly. For this feature, however, customers will have to subscribe to the Nest Aware service, which costs $10 per month or $100 per year.
The camera also has a powerful speaker baked-in, along with three microphones with echo and noise suppression. Thanks to those microphones, Nest Aware can also take audio cues into account, such as the sound of a smashed window, a dog barking, or other such audio indicators.
"A powerful speaker can scare off intruders from afar," says Nest. "And with noise cancellation and echo suppression, you can hear them loud and clear."
The camera also sports an outer multicolor LED to indicate when it's active so that the owners know exactly when it's recording.
It's worth pointing out, however, that the facial recognition feature will not be available in Illinois, as stricter laws are in place there regarding the collection of biometric data.
Nest Cam IQ Price And Availability
The Nest Cam IQ is currently available for preorder in the United States and will start shipping in late June. The smart camera costs $299, which means it's $100 more expensive than the Nest Cam or Nest Cam Outdoor. Interested customers can save $50 if they purchase a two-pack, however, which costs $498.
It may not be the cheapest home security camera available on the market, but its 4K video sensor and smart features aim to deliver a superior experience. To get a better idea of what the Next Cam IQ brings to the table, check out the video below.
