Google’s new Nest cams are cheaper and can record footage without a hefty subscription

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Google just unveiled some new additions to the Nest line, including three new cameras and one battery-powered video doorbell. They’re cheaper than the existing models and come with features that used to be hidden behind a subscription.

It’s pretty much a complete overhaul of the Nest camera line-up, with the Nest Hello doorbell being the only existing device to stay in the product line-up, as a wired alternative to the new battery-powered doorbell.

The $179 Nest Doorbell (battery) is WiFi only, has IP54 weatherproofing, speakers, and mics for voice communication, and motion sensing. It’s also got a 1/3 inch, 1.3-megapixel sensor, which gives you 960p video resolution.

READ MORE: Google Nest cameras can now be viewed live on your TV

Oh, and a 6,000 mAh battery, which Google says can run the doorbell for a minimum of 1.5 months, or up to seven months if your house has low foot traffic.

The new Nest Cam (battery) is also $179, has IP54 weatherproofing, speakers, and mics for voice communications, and is Wi-Fi only. The camera sensor here is a 1/2.8-inch, 2-megapixel sensor which can handle 1080p at 30fps. It’s got the same 6,000 mAh battery as the doorbell, so expect similar battery life depending on how many motion events happen per month.

They’re both magnetically mounted to your wall, so it’s easy to yank them off when the battery needs a charge.

Then there’s the $279 Google Nest Cam with Floodlight, and the $99 Google Nest Cam (wired). Google hasn’t released detailed specs or release dates for these two, but they’re probably fairly similar to the other devices announced today.

The best news isn’t the lower price of the devices, it’s that you now get three hours of local video recording for free. Before this, you had to pay for Nest Aware to have recordings, so they were hidden behind a minimum $6 subscription. Kudos to Google for finally giving core camera functionality for free, even if it did take them this long to do so.

You can still pay for Nest Aware ($6) or Nest Aware Plus ($12) if you want longer recording history, things like “familiar faces” or up to 10 days of 24/7 video recording (although you’ll need a wired Nest Cam to do this as the battery-powered cam or doorbell can’t do continuous recording).

The battery-powered Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell are available for pre-order now, in 18 countries including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Availability is slated for August 24 for most of the list, two days after that for Japan, and Mexico is getting them later this year. The $100 Nest Cam (wired) and $279 Nest Cam with Floodlight are coming soon.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.