Google Nest Doorbell (battery)
Picture Resolution: 960 x 1280 pixels
field of view: 145 degrees
battery life: up to 6 months
Implementation: Google Home
This is one of two Nest video doorbells (the other is wired) with a futuristic design that records clear footage when the doorbell is pressed or motion is detected. It even identifies when packages are left or taken, as well as animals and face recognition. But three hours of video storage or facial recognition isn’t much, and there’s no Siri or HomeKit support either.
to
- Clear shots
- Easy to install
- facial recognition
against
- Limited free storage
- No Siri or HomeKit support
Picture Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
field of view: 160 degrees
battery life: 6 months – 1 year
Implementation: episode
Ring has six video doorbells in its range with the Doorbell 4 being the brand’s latest battery-powered video doorbell. It’s easy to install, has an impressively long battery life, and delivers clear video footage. However, it is not compatible with the Google Assistant and you will need to sign up for the subscription service to view the recordings when your free trial ends.
to
- Easy to install
- Clear video quality
- An app full of features
against
- There is no free video storage space
- There is no Google Assistant support
As smart, affordable home security becomes the norm, many companies have entered the market with devices that promise peace of mind when it comes to protecting our homes. Leading this wave is Ring and Nest, two brands responsible for some of the most popular security cameras, alarms, and video doorbells. But which one offers the best products?
That being said, smart home technology has gotten smarter, smaller, and cheaper over the past decade, and devices from these companies are no different. There’s a slew of the best home security cameras and best video doorbells on offer, all of which connect directly to your Wi-Fi network for HD or 4K video, two-way audio, cloud storage, and more.
They do this via your mobile device, with both Ring and Nest featuring excellent apps for monitoring your camera feeds and talking to anyone outside. You can also connect them to other smart home devices, like the best smart speakers, and some projectors and streaming devices can be used to display your feeds on a larger screen.
We’ve taken an in-depth look at Ring vs Nest smart security devices below, so keep reading to see our verdict.
Ring vs. Nest: The key similarities
- Both come with a battery-operated wired option across the range
- Ring and Google Nest are compatible with Alexa
- You can build your smart home security system with all the products in the range (as long as they are of the same brand)
Ring vs. Nest: The main differences
- Ring has the upper hand in terms of product selection with 8 video doorbells and 3 security cameras, while Google Nest has 2 video doorbells and 3 security cameras.
- Google Nest works with Alexa and the Google Assistant, while Ring is only compatible with Alexa
- Both brands have a slight difference in field of vision. For example, Nest video doorbells have a field of view of 145 to 160 degrees, while Ring doorbells range from 150 degrees in the Video Doorbell Pro 2 to 180 degrees in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation video doorbells.
Ring vs. Nest: Range
Google Nest currently offers a much smaller range than Ring in both home security cameras and video doorbells. The brand currently only offers three cameras; There’s the Nest Cam (battery) that’s designed for indoor or outdoor use; Nest Cam (wired), which is for indoor use only; Finally, there’s a Nest Cam with (wired) floodlight, which is designed for the outdoors and illuminates a wide area when a motion sensor is triggered.
Nest also offers two video doorbells, the Nest Doorbell (battery) and the Nest Doorbell (wired), formerly Nest Hello.
The scope of the episode is more comprehensive. It offers eight video doorbells ranging from the entry-level Video Doorbell (Wired) to the best-in-class Doorbell Pro 2 and includes both wired and wireless options.
For cameras, there are Stick Up Cams, Spotlight Cams, and Floodlight Cams. The Stick Up Cam is a high-resolution, go-anywhere camera available in wired, wireless, and solar versions, as well as an ethernet option. Floodlight Cams are wired and provide lighting for a wide area. Spotlight cameras are smaller with compact cameras
Ring vs. Nest: The price
So how far back do these home security cameras and video doorbells set you back? Ring’s range of cameras is slightly cheaper than the Nest, but the pricing is evenly matched by its best-in-class devices.
The Google Nest Cam (wired) is the brand’s entry-level device and is priced at a premium $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$169.99while the Nest Cam (battery) will set you back $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$329. Finally, the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight is priced $279.99 / £269.99 / $549.99.
When it comes to video doorbells, the (battery) doorbell is slightly cheaper than the Nest (wired) doorbell. $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$329, compared to $229.99 / £229.99 (about AU$325). However, the Nest Doorbell (wired) is not currently available in Australia. This isn’t surprising given that the (wired) doorbell can take HD footage, has a wider field of view, and offers 8x zoom as well.
Since Ring has more products, it also has a larger price list. It costs the Indoor Cam, an entry-level mains camera $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$94. Next is Stick Up Cam, which can be used indoors or outdoors and comes in both wired and wireless options. priced at $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$139, Or if you opt for a version with a solar panel, it will set you back $139.99 / £129.99 / AU$199 solar energy.
Are you still tracking? Next up, we have the Spotlight Cam, which again comes in a wired or wireless option but is designed for use outside and comes with a built-in light that can be set to illuminate when motion is detected. it costs $199.99 / £179.99 / AU$289, Although this goes up to $229.99 / £229.99 / AU$339 For the solar powered version.
The last option in Ring’s line of security cameras is the Floodlight Cam Wired Camera, which has not one spot light, but two lights attached. $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$299While the Pro model, which adds HDR to the mix for clearer video no matter how good or bad the lighting is, costs $249.99 / £219.99 / AU$379.
Now let’s take a look at the brand’s video doorbell. the $99.99 / £49.99 / AU$119.99 The Video Doorbell Wired is the most affordable device that Ring offers. However, for battery power, you’ll need to fork out $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$131.99 For the second generation video doorbell.
Video Doorbell 3 is $149.99 / £159.99 / AU$299.99 And the Video Doorbell 4 is $199.99 / £179.99 / $329.99. Video Doorbell Pro is $169.99 / £159.99 / AU$279.99 And the Video Doorbell Elite is $349.99 / £349.99 / AU$499.99.
These prices do not include optional cloud storage and additional features offered by the brand’s subscription services. For example, Ring Protect starts at $3 / £2.50 / $4 per month for one device and $10 / £8 / AU$15 for your entire home. Nest Aware is an apartment $6 / £5 / AU$9 per month for as many devices as you want $12 / £10 / AU$18 for Nest Aware Plus, which has a longer storage space.
Ring vs. Nest: Video and Audio
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get good quality video: even Ring’s cheapest camera, the indoor camera, offers 1080p video. Except for the Spotlight Cam, you also get two-way audio so you can communicate with visitors or confuse your pets. The cameras also provide night vision. On cameras without built-in illumination it is infrared, which has a reasonably long range and is displayed in shades of gray; In cameras with a built-in light you also get color night vision, which makes it easier to identify items, clothes, etc. but it has a much shorter range.
All Nest Cams have 1080p HD video, night vision, two-way audio, and HDR (high dynamic range) for clearer video.
When comparing cameras, it’s essential to look at the field of view: this is how wide an area the camera can see, and it’s especially important with video doorbells because they’re usually much closer to the subject. Nest doorbells, for example, have a field of view of 145 to 160 degrees, depending on the model (the higher the number, the wider the view). By comparison, Ring doorbells range from 150 degrees in the Video Doorbell Pro 2 to 180 degrees in the second, third, and fourth generation video doorbells.
Ring vs. Nest: Features
All of these cameras are designed to integrate with smart home technology. As you would expect from an Amazon-owned company, Ring products integrate well with Alexa and the Alexa app. You can also communicate with them via Google Assistant, though it’s a bit more tricky: you need both the Ring app, the Google Assistant app, and Ring Action for Google Assistant. This enables you to start recording and review the latest notification.
For the Google-owned Nest, it’s the same but in reverse: It’s fully integrated with the Google Assistant, but you can add a Nest skill to Alexa. This enables you to show off your Nest Cam on the Amazon Echo Show, but not all cameras are compatible: battery versions of the Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell won’t work with an Alexa skill.
In addition to smart home integration, the cameras here have smart features in their own right. For example, Nest video doorbells have smart alerts that can distinguish between moving objects and people; The Nest Doorbell (battery) can also recognize parcels, animals, and vehicles. Likewise, the Nest cameras’ smart alerts differentiate between motion, people, cars, and animals, and they can even continue recording for up to an hour if the power goes out. You also get three hours of free online recording without paying a subscription fee.
All Ring cameras offer motion detection with customizable zones, letting you disable motion detection so your pets or passing traffic won’t trigger a notification. In the case of cameras with built-in lights, you can also create separate bases for the lights. More advanced cameras have more advanced motion detection, for example, the Floodlight Cam Wired Pro has 3D motion detection and a “bird’s eye view” that gives you more information about detected motion.
With both Nest and Ring, you can get additional features with a security plan subscription. For example, Ring Protect will store your video for 30 days and let you save and share video footage, while Nest Aware gives you 30 days of event storage (excluding the Nest Doorbell battery), which only records video when the camera is triggered; The more expensive Nest Aware Plus doubles the storage time and adds 10 days of 24/7 video storage.
Ring vs. Nest: The Verdict
Both are impressive and flexible security systems, but the choice will largely depend on two things: what, if any, smart home technology you already have, and how much you want to spend. Nest has the advantage when it comes to technology, but Ring beats it on price.
If you already have smart home gear, Ring works best with Alexa, and Nest works best with Google Assistant. Unfortunately, neither system currently works with Apple’s HomeKit, though apps for them are available for iPhones and iPads, so Apple users can still control them.
As much as price isn’t the only consideration when it comes to wireless security cameras, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that Amazon prices its Ring products pretty aggressively and offers them deep discounts during every one of its sales events. So if this is your first step into smart home technology, Ring is the one to go with if price is your priority or if you intend to purchase multiple indoor and outdoor cameras.