If you've taken an interest in Google's Nest Cams or Doorbells for your smart home, you've most likely encountered some mention of Nest Aware, a paid subscription service you can sign up for to augment their features. So what do you leave a Nest Aware membership, and is it worth the recurring fee?
What is Nest Aware?
The primary benefit of a Nest Aware membership is extended recording history. By default, Nest cameras record just three hours of occasion history, an "occasion" being a short clip triggered by sound or motion. That's good enough if you're awake and within quick reach of your phone, but not for incidents tape-recorded overnight or while you're away on a trip.
The basic Aware subscription extends event history to 30 days. Google sells an upgrade option, Nest Aware Plus, that stretches this out to 60 days and adds 10 days of continuous video history if you require to see more footage. Simply recognize that not all Nest cams support continuous recording, the main constraint being anything battery-powered.
The main advantage of a Nest Aware subscription is extended tape-recording history.
The next biggest advantage recognizes face detection. While the latest Nest Cams and the Nest Doorbell Battery can distinguish between people, packages, animals, and vehicles utilizing onboard AI, activating appropriate notices, Aware customers can teach their cameras to recognize private friends and family. So instead of getting an alert that a "person" is at the door, you'll be told if it's, state, Roger, Lakesha, or Stephanie.
Something less commonly understood about Aware is that it enables sound detection of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, not simply by wired Nest Cams, but (in the US) by any Google smart speaker or display screen. Speakers and screens can likewise set off notifies when they hear glass breaking.
The Nest Hub Max can function as its own camera under Aware, if you're comfortable with that. That includes alerts when an individual is seen, familiar or otherwise.
Lastly, Aware makes it much easier for United States subscribers to connect with a local 911 call center. This will not matter to the majority of people, since you can constantly dial emergency situation services on your own, but it might come in handy if you're out of town-- Google's "e911" tech connects you to the 911 dispatch closest to your home, rather than one where you're currently located.
