Google this week revealed that Nest Aware, the service required to make the most out of Nest Cam, is getting a major price hike, and it’s a tough one to accept as the hardware just keeps aging.
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Price hikes are inevitable. They arrive one way or another, either through higher prices or through lesser functionality (“shrinkflation”) – or, the worst way, both. But in tech, that usually comes with the understanding that you’ll get something in return. Better performance, better uptime, new features, etc.
Google’s latest price hike for Nest Aware doesn’t really feel like it fits into any of those boxes. It’s just a higher price to pay because, well, what are you going to do about it?
I’ve argued in favor of Nest Aware in the past because it offers a relatively easy, “set it and forget it” experience for home security. Set up your Nest Cam, sign up for Aware, you’re done. Footage is saved, you don’t have to worry about the monthly cost increasing as you expand your cameras, and the bill was pretty reasonable compared to the competition too. But with a ~20% increase, the balance of that equation is thrown off.
Google is still, I’d argue, offering a better experience that many of its competitors, but the issue comes in the hardware. Google hasn’t updated its core Nest portfolio in four years now, and it’s getting harder and harder for those devices to feel not only worth their price tags, but relevant in today’s market.
Take the core Nest Cam (battery). This $179 camera works over wired power or a battery and has great battery life and physical hardware, but has its fair share of limitations. Video resolution is the biggest drawback, with the mere 2MP sensor only shooting 1080p video, and only supporting black and white night vision. This simply doesn’t stand out in today’s market. Arlo has an equally-priced camera with 2K HDR recording, color night vision, and twice as much zoom as Nest Cam. Ring, for $80 less, similarly offers higher resolution and improved low-light and night vision.
That’s not even to talk about low-cost alternatives like Wyze, many of which are offering clever hardware ideas for a fraction of the cost of Nest.
Google, in my eyes, has two main ways to catch up in the hardware department, at least in my eyes.
The first option would be to refresh its lineup. A new “flagship” camera with higher resolution, better night vision, the works. This is what’s sorely needed. Then, perhaps add a new form factor. I’d love one of those indoor cameras that can adjust its position, but something as simple as a camera with a built-in light to deter intruders would be a welcome addition. This path also
The other option is to go all-in on building out the Nest Aware software stack. If you need to charge more, that’s fine, but give users a selling point. That means addressing long-standing complaints about Familiar Faces not working, improving notifications, and more. Google has shown it can make these improvements, with the Home app recently, finally fixing loading issues with camera history, but there’s more to be done. Then, there’s the AI of it all. Google has teased some of the advancements coming to Nest through Gemini, but it’s not here yet. Rolling that out alongside the price hike may have softened the blow.
The almost pointless to mention third option is offering a subscription-free local storage option. This will likely never happen, but a good middle ground would perhaps be introducing a lower tier that solely gives Nest owners cloud storage for a smaller fee. This also seems unlikely, but it would go a long way for users.
But, as it stands today, it doesn’t seem like much of that is happening. This is just a price hike users will have to deal with.
The problem is that, if you’re already invested in the Nest ecosystem, there’s really no choice but to suck it up and keep going. There’s no other choice for hardware, and the high cost of these devices means that to switch is to give up hundreds, potentially even thousands of invested dollars, only to spend more money on the replacement.
For Nest owners, this is a frustrating situation to be in.
What do you think? Will you ditch Nest? Will you pay the higher price? Let us know!
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