Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA perfect outdoor camera option for any home user **Works with POE
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2016
So far this is the outdoor camera I've been looking for.
I had every intention on buying 3 Hikvision 3 megapixel outdoor cameras since the night vision is so great on that particular camera. My problem was recording and storing video. I'm a normal home owner who just wants a camera installed to watch over my vehicles at night and keep an eye on my front door when I'm not at home. The problem with this kind of set up is I would either have to purchase a DVR for an additional $100-$150 and have the ability to record and store 2 months of footage. Or I'd have to run a server off my PC at all times.
Which leads me to the next issue I was planning on dealing with. After purchasing all of this great equipment, getting it installed, spending hours in my attic running cable to the DVR and getting the web server set up, I still have to make the entire system easy enough for my wife to use.
With the Nest Outdoor Camera I don't have to worry about that.
I pre-ordered the camera figuring I could just return it if I didn't like it. The box came just like my Nest Thermostat and Nest Protect did, well packaged and ready to install. Installation was easier than I thought. I opened my cell phone app and added the camera, scanned the QR code and no more than 10 seconds later had video set up and recording. My wife's phone updated about 30 seconds later. I mounted the little bracket the magnetized base attaches to, and routed the USB cable into the hole I drilled leading to my attic space. The next part was the worst part of the whole process but this has nothing to do with the system itself. I climbed in my attic (which was currently 120 degrees of the most viscous South Texas air you can find) and made my way to the wire I fished through the hole. I used the supplied wire clips to attach it to the roof rafter (it's low voltage wire so this is kosher) which I then routed to the area of my attic that my home builders were kind enough to install a 120 outlet in. Once I got that situated it was only a matter of plugging the power in and getting my rear out of there before the complimentary installation heat stroke was delivered.
That's it...Well, not exactly, I did put some silicone caulking around the hole I drilled. A tip for you self installers out there, pull the cord out 3 or 4 inches and wrap 1 or 2 layers of regular packaging tape around the cable, that way when you seal the hole you won't get the cable all goopy.
Video quality is fantastic. It's slightly less clear than the Hikvision during the day, but comparable at night. As a normal home user, this is more than adequate for my household.
As great as this thing is, there are a few negatives I'd like to point out.
- The App constantly reminds you to upgrade your free trial to the paid version of Nest Aware, it's a bit intrusive
- I would have liked the magnetic base to have the ability to route the cable directly through it so none of the cable is exposed, a small gripe
- 10 day monitoring is a bit pricey at $15 a month for 2 cameras, 30 day monitoring is out of reach for some home users ($45 a month for 2 cameras)
- As far as I know, you're locked in to using the Nest Aware for recording and storage of video
- Color options would have been cool, I assume they went with white to keep the unit as cool as possible
-The magnet base is awesome. I do worry in the Houston heat that the camera could begin to droop or slowly slide down over time.
Overall I don't see a scenario where I'd return these cameras. Well worth the $400 investment.
**9/23/16 UPDATE**
For my second camera installation, I decided to try the POE route. I purchased an 8 port POE injector and 2 USB POE splitters, set up took about 10 minutes. Works perfectly.
