While it’s not entirely fair to pass judgement on a product that hasn’t yet been released, there’s no way I’ll be purchasing one. And, no, it’s not the $10 monthly fee for continuous recording and supposedly smart alerts. It’s the 25′ of power cable you need to screw into your siding. I do recognize Nest’s approach is designed to accommodate a large percent of households unwilling or unable to hardwire and their technical implementation isn’t exactly battery-friendly. Regardless, it just doesn’t work for me.
With that in mind, here are some similarly priced alternatives that solve this problem with a more sophisticated approach:
Kuna
Kuna replaces an entrance light (in three different styles) and cleverly integrates a positional camera into the casing.
Ring
Ring replaces or augments a doorbell and can be either hardwired or rely on a rechargable USB-powered battery.
Arlo
My personal favorite is Netgear’s battery-powered, magnetically mounted camera. Unlike Ring, there is an added expense in replacing the cells every few months. However, the generous free tier of service largely makes up for it.
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Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't the magnetic mounts on Arlo make them super easy to steal? Walk up, grab it, walk away. Oh, and wear a mask :)
Mine can't be reached without a ladder or a pole to knock it off - assuming the bad guys know it can be knocked down. Possibly a little more effort than unplugging Nest. ;) None of these are foolproof or sufficient for security by themselves. They're more of a nice-to-have -- I usually benefit by knowing when FedEx or UPS has arrived and catching the trespassing wildlife. https://twitter.com/davezatz/status/706166050627330048
Agreed with general idea. Nest's subscription NVR is show stopper for me.
There are also plenty of 3Mp Outdoor POE cameras in $100 range, but requires vendor install or a bit or knowledge.