To date, smart-home products from Nest Labs have been shut-ins, quietly working exclusively inside the 4 walls of a dwelling to help manage heating and cooling systems, provide smoke and carbon monoxide detection, or security camera surveillance functions. With the planned launch this fall of the Nest Cam Outdoor, the company moves their technology set outside for the first time with a smart, compact security camera designed to weather the elements.
Joining the Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest Protect Smoke + CO Alarm, and the Nest Cam Indoor through a redesigned Nest app, the Nest Cam Outdoor has a magnetic mounting system and requires a nearby or accessible electrical outlet to get its power. Nest says that up to 30% of their existing customers have been pointing their Nest Cam Indoor cameras to the outside, so the outdoor version of the device was a natural next step in smart-home product progression.
“Nest Cam provides customers with peace of mind and the ability to stay connected to the things they care most about,” says Maxime Veron, the director of hardware product marketing at Nest. “Now, Nest Cam Outdoor brings thoughtful security outside of customers’ homes, helping them secure their property and giving them more ways to watch over their families, even when they’re miles away.”
In addition to the Nest Cam Outdoor, the company is also announcing Person alerts—a feature available to users of their subscription-based Nest Aware service—which will enable their indoor and outdoor cameras to distinguish between a person and another activity and then generate corresponding alerts. This capability for producing deeper, more meaningful insights and fewer false alarms—a feature slated for release in September—is accomplished by integrating machine-learning technology and algorithms from parent Google.
Furthermore, the company will deliver a new user interface in version 5.6 of the Nest app through the debut of Spaces, a feature that can group Nest products by room for easier access. This version of the app, slated for release later in July, will support the Apple Watch for the first time—and will also continue to support Android Wear devices, a capability released earlier this year.
Among the features of the forthcoming Nest Cam Outdoor:
- A standard high-definition video feed in 1080p format
- A high-quality glass lens with a wide, 130° angle of view
- A Night Vision feature to illuminate the scene through 8 infrared LEDs
- Weatherproof design suitable for a broad temperature and condition range
- Magnetic base for tool-free mounting, with the option to secure the camera with screws on non-metallic surfaces
- Talk and Listen for two-way conversations, facilitated through a built-in speaker and microphone
- A Secure Streaming feature to stream and store video content with powerful encryption technology
- Capability to automatically switch on Philips Hue or LIFX light bulbs when motion is detected.
Consumers in the US can pre-order the Nest Cam Outdoor for delivery in the fall, at a cost of $199. Nest says they will also release the product in the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Belgium, and Republic of Ireland later in the year.
