Google unveils new Nest Cams and Doorbells

Google has revamped its home-centred Nest lineup, unveiling its next-generation Nest Cams and Doorbell.

The Google Nest Cam (battery) is the company's first outdoor/indoor battery-powered camera, while the Google Nest Doorbell (battery) is its first battery-powered doorbell. Google has also released its Google Nest Cam (wired), the wired version of the indoor camera and the company's cheapest yet at NZ$189.

In a post on its New Zealand blog, the company says: "One of Nest's first goals was to simplify home security, and it helped millions of people across the globe do this.

"So when we started dreaming up what our next generation of cameras and doorbells would be like, we wanted to incorporate the way the connected home — and your expectations — were heading.

"That included smarter alerts, wire-free options for installation flexibility, greater value and beautiful designs, plus enhanced privacy and security.

"We wanted our newest line to give you the most comprehensive set of intelligent alerts right out of the box, and easily work with your other Nest products, like displays.

Both the Google Nest Cam (battery) and the Google Nest Doorbell will retail for $359. They will go on sale on August 25 and are available for preorder from Google Store, Noel Leeming, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, PB Tech and 2Degrees.

"We've heard how much people appreciate it when their Nest products all work well together. These new devices are no different," Google said on its blog.

"With the new Nest Cams and a display, you can keep an eye on the backyard from your kitchen and get alerts when the doorbell rings.

"Our new cameras are also fully integrated with the Google Home app. The Google Home app works with any compatible Android or iOS device, giving you access to all your compatible home devices in one place.

The news comes following the recent unveiling of Google's second-gen Nest Hub, which included new features like sleep sensing, built-in Thread radio, and better connectivity to apps and other Nest speakers.

The new voice-controlled smart hub's speaker is based on the same audio technology as Nest Audio and has 50% more bass than the original Hub.

The new Nest Hub also shows all compatible connected devices in one place — and its built-in Thread radio facilitates a new connectivity standard being created by the Project Connected Home over IP working group.

The primary hallmark of the second-gen Nest Hub is its new sleep feature — Sleep Sensing.

An optional, opt-in tool, Sleep Sensing is a sleep analysis feature that allows users to understand and improve sleep. It's available as a free preview until next year.