At Home with Tech

Here’s my cautionary tale when I tried to add a battery-powered Google Nest Cam into my existing Nest ecosystem and then position it in my backyard.

I maintain several Nests in our home. These different smart home devices have worked great together across the years with my Nest iPhone app.

• I can peer in from afar using my Nest Cam.
• I control the temperature with my Nest Learning Thermostat.
• And my Nest Protect monitors my home and updates me with any smoke or carbon monoxide detection. (Fortunately, it’s my least-used device.)

Google bought the Nest product line a decade ago and began integrating it into the Google Home ecosystem. Yes, all my Wi-Fi Nest gear still worked fine with my old Nest app. But every so often my app nudged me to migrate to the Google Home app. I’d be stalling, simply because I didn’t want to mess with a good thing.

Then, a new variable entered the equation.

Adding a Google Nest Cam to my Nest
I decided to add an outdoor, battery-powered Google Nest Cam into my Nest world. I wanted to put it in my backyard to track occasional wildlife that meanders by.

Buying a battery-driven device is both a blessing and a curse. You can’t quite set it and forget it, as it will need to occasionally be recharged. But you also don’t have to run an electrical line into your backyard.

So, there’s amazing flexibility with a wire-free, battery-powered security camera that you can pop most anywhere (indoor or out). What’s not to like?

Mandatory Upgrade to Google Home
So, I bought my Google Nest Cam, opened the box and eagerly pulled out the gleaming white orb. I then plugged it in to juice it up. But when I started the installation process using my Nest app, I immediately ran into trouble. A message popped up that said this Nest Cam will only work with the Google Home app.

Okay. Sorry Nest app. It was great working with you. Now, I finally had to download Google Home onto my iPhone and migrate my Nest account over to Google.

The process went smoothly, and I was welcomed into the Google Smart Home world. I scanned a QR code with my iPhone, and the app did the rest.

So, I was quickly back on track.

Two Apps Instead of One
Yes, my new Google Nest Cam was ready for action. But what about the rest of my Nest ecosystem? Everything showed up on my Google Home app except my Nest Protect. Where did that go?!

I did a bit of online research and found the unfortunate answer. The Nest Protect hasn’t yet been integrated into Google Home.

What?

I would still have to use my old Nest app to stay connected with my Nest Protect. (I’m not saying goodbye to my Nest app after all.) So now, I’ve got two apps to use instead of one.

• The Google Home app for my two Nest Cams and my Nest Learning Thermostat
• My old Nest app for my Nest Protect

I don’t think that’s fabulous integration.

But it’s a minor inconvenience. You can’t get distracted by the little things. I’m sure it’ll eventually get sorted. Time to move on.

Installation Fantasy
You may consider my installation plan a bit outside of normal parameters. I planned to attach it to a tree pointed at our deck to better observe the occasional wildlife that passes through our backyard.

I’ve spotted deer a few times as well as a red fox. I sometimes observe the neighborhood hedgehog, and I even saw a racoon once peering at me from the edge of our deck at night.

I know this can be normal stuff in the burbs. But remember, I’m a city boy from Manhattan. I’m not wired for this.

But I figured with a little more surveillance, I’d feel somehow happier.
(Please don’t push my theory too hard.)

A Tree is Not a Wall
I tried my tree installation plan several times, until I realized it was half-baked. The circular mount wasn’t going to sit properly on the uneven bark surface. And I wasn’t keen to wait to eventually find a dead Nest Cam cracked open on the deck or ground below.

On the other hand, I knew there were likely other solutions for a backyard installation… There must be something else I could attach it to.

But first there was another problem to consider.

How Waterproof is Water Resistant?
According to Google, “the Nest Cam is water resistant in accordance with its IP54 rating, but it is not waterproof.”

What does that mean? Can it be outdoors and uncovered, or can’t it? Does it require some sort of overhang for protection, like a porch ceiling?

I originally didn’t even consider the issue… it’s an outdoor camera, right? On the front of the Nest Cam box, there’s a photo of the camera dripping with rain while attached to the side of a house. And the words printed next to the picture… “Security, rain or shine.”

Well, maybe not too much rain.

I found some questions online about this, and yes there are stories from owners with malfunctioning Nest Cams after one too many rainstorms.

Hmmm… another rabbit hole to dig out from.

Another House For my Camera to Live In?
So back to my installation quandary. I had been thinking about screwing my Nest Cam onto a tree. Well, what about screwing it into something instead? Like a bird house.

That would offer some protection from the rain. I Googled “Nest Cam bird house,” and happily, yes, I saw some solutions out there.

But now, my project had morphed from a tech installation challenge into a backyard decoration project that will require a little more thought and my better half’s involvement. And that’s going to take a bit more time.

This is where my Google Nest Cam story pauses for now.

The Animals are Laughing at Me
I’m confident I’ll find a good installation solution. But it’ll probably require a bit more DIY thinking.

My uneven experience so far has taught me that a smart home is not the same as a smart backyard. And a Nest is not exactly the same as a Google Nest.

If you’re considering a similar expansion into the wild using a Google Nest Cam, it’s probably a good idea to think this all through first.