A number of people have called Nest’s value and innovation into question in recent months, especially after the departure of CEO Tony Fadell and the shuttering of the Revolv smart home hub. There has even been assumptions made that Alphabet, who own Nest, might sell the IoT hardware maker. It would seem, however, that Nest is still hard at work and is, of course, not for sale, according to new CEO Marwan Fawaz. As proof of that statement, Nest has put out a new product. The Nest Cam Outdoor is a rehash of sorts of their Nest Cam Indoor, but with some extra features geared not only toward outdoor use, but toward special features that would be useful in an outdoor camera, such as human detection and event recording.
The camera shoots in 1080p and is ruggedized to stand up to harsh weather like heavy rain, high temperatures and driving snow. The toughened up power cable for the camera includes a clip to hold it in place on the camera end, and a special outlet cover designed to be difficult to remove or tamper with. The camera can be synced up to a single Nest account, and gives an alert when the power is disconnected, as well as showing the last thing the camera saw. Being locked to the account by serial number, the device is essentially useless if stolen. A special magnetic base can affix the camera, which comes in white, to most surfaces of the home.
Those with Nest Aware subscriptions can enjoy a few added benefits, like full-time HD recording and monitoring. The real kicker for Nest Aware subscribers, however, is an AI-based feature that allows the camera to identify humans. This means that passing cars or animals won’t trigger the camera, but a person walking up to try your door, leave a package or knock on the door will trigger an alert and let you view the live video feed. The camera is also capable of two-way communication. The camera will be available alongside a redesigned Nest companion app in the near future, with the AI feature, Person Alerts, coming in September.