For the past year, whenever Alphabet Inc’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Nest smart home division has been in the headlines, it typically has been for something negative. Nest has suffered bad publicity over shutting down the acquired Revolv hub, glitches that took down its Nest Learning Thermostat, pressure over a lack of new products, and employee turmoil that ended in the departure of CEO and co-founder Tony Fadell.
But today, Nest is celebrating.
The company on Tuesday announced the Nest Cam IQ, a new high resolution indoor security camera that uses machine learning to identify pets and even faces, alerting you if a stranger is detected in your home.
New Nest Indoor Camera Features 4K Resolution
The new Nest Cam IQ is designed to be the ultimate choice for smart home installations. Visually, it takes design cues from the popular Nest Learning Thermostat and last year’s Nest Cam Outdoor.
The camera has 4K resolution with HDR support and a 130-degree field of view. Streaming is limited to 1080p to keep bandwidth use reasonable, but that ultra-high resolution image sensor lets it zoom in on objects while retaining detail. Infrared LEDs offer night vision capability.
Nest also bolstered the audio capabilities of the Nest Cam IQ, after recognizing that a home-owner’s vocal intervention is sometimes enough to stop a burglary. The new camera is equipped with a 3-microphone array with noise cancellation an echo suppression, plus a speaker that Nest says is seven times louder than the Nest Cam Indoor’s.
For those who are wary about internet-connected cameras and potential security issues, the Nest Cam IQ has an LED status light to show when it’s live. It also features 128-bit AES end-to-end data encryption.
It’s Called Nest Cam IQ for a Reason
The high tech camera and other upgrades make the Nest Cam IQ a significant improvement over the Nest Cam Indoor. But what really sets this new security camera apart is smarts.
Hence, the “IQ” part of the name.
The camera is equipped with a six-core CPU from Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM), and it leverages Google’s machine learning technology. That lets the Nest Cam IQ intelligently identify objects, such as pets, that enter into its field of view.
Much more impressive is its ability to automatically lock onto a face if it detects a person. If the owner subscribes to Nest Aware, the camera analyzes that face to determine if it’s a family member or friend. If it determines the person is a stranger, the 4K image sensor is put to use as the camera zooms in for a close-up, snaps a shot of the intruder and sends that to the homeowner. It simultaneously streams video footage.
The microphone array is also used intelligently, listening for audio cues of a potential break-in such as a barking dog.
More Coming From Nest
The Nest Cam IQ breaks a long product dry spell for Google’s smart home division and is its first all-new indoor product in several years. But more is on the way.
The company’s marketing director spoke to The Verge, saying, “I am very excited about the next six months, we’ll talk again soon and you’ll understand why.”
Speculation is that Nest is working on a cheaper version of its Nest Learning Thermostat, a camera-equipped doorbell and a home security system. The smart home market is estimated to be worth more than $121 billion by 2022, so the pressure is on the company to expand its product lineup. That way GOOGL can capture as much of that spending as possible.
When and How Much?
The Nest Cam IQ is available for pre-order now in the U.S. for $299, with shipment in four to five weeks. As with many Nest products, bundling will save you money — a two pack goes for $498.
A free trial to Nest Aware is included, but to continue taking advantage of the facial recognition feature after the trial, you’ll need to pony up $10 per month for the Nest Aware service.
