Nest Cam IQ Outdoor review

The nest is back again this year with a new security product for Home automation. We’re talking about the new Cam IQ Outdoor (Check on Amazon.com), which integrates what was already seen in the previous outdoor model along with what it did in the IQ variant of the indoor cam.

The common point with the indoor model is the quality and performance of the new sensor, now in 4K. Just like the indoor IQ model, this higher resolution sensor is not used for streaming (video is “only” Full HD), but rather to create a lossless 2X zoom or up to 10X digitally. In addition to this, we also find the HDR support which for an outdoor cam is even more interesting than the indoor counterpart.

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is much bigger than the previous model and that might make it a little less discreet. The real advantage, though, is the base, which is no longer magnetic but is really tough to be tampered with. The Nest Cam IQ is screwed to a base that can be attached (and screwed) to the wall with an included accessory with a proprietary thread (beware not to lose it!).

The set-up is quick and now the camera also supports 5GHz Wi-Fi, if installed close enough to the router, which offers higher transmission speed. As always, you will receive notifications on your smartphone. You can program it to turn on or off automatically or choose for it to activate based on geolocation. The camera will notify you in case of movement or suspicious sounds, and you can also talk through the device’s speaker which is 10 times louder than before.

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is at its best if you activate the Nest Aware paid plan. If you do not have this plan, you will only have 3 hours of backup screenshots of the various events. The cheapest plan offers you instead 5 days of continuous recording and video notification that capture the moment of movement detection. In addition, you can download clips and create time-lapse videos, as well as, through the web interface, create different activity zones and receive separate notifications based on where the movement took place. Last but not least the paid subscription gives you a face recognition feature that lets the camera distinguish between people and send you notifications based on who has shown up in the shot.

Regardless of Nest Aware, this new Outdoor Cam IQ has full support for services such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and IFTTT.

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor comes with a high price: (Check on Amazon.com). However, it is the price of the best outdoor smart camera. It is safe, flexible for many uses, has a precise operation and a great video sensor.