How to Set Up a Google Nest Cam and View Footage on Your Phone

Google Nest Cam is a security camera that connects to your home Wi-Fi and lets you watch live video, receive motion alerts, and review recorded clips from the Google Home app on your phone. It is part of Google's Nest family of smart home products.

Google offers several Nest Cam models:

Nest Cam (indoor, wired): Plugs into a wall outlet. Good for monitoring indoor spaces like a living room, nursery, or entryway.

Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery): Wire-free and can be used indoors or outdoors. Runs on a rechargeable battery.

Nest Cam with floodlight: Outdoor camera with a built-in motion-activated floodlight, wired into your outdoor electrical.

All Nest Cams are managed through the Google Home app, which also controls other Google Nest products like the Nest Thermostat and Google Nest speakers. If you already use the Google Home app, adding a Nest Cam fits in naturally.

The free Google account includes 3 hours of event video history — you can see short clips from the past 3 hours. A Nest Aware subscription ($6/month or $60/year) extends this to 30 days of event history or 10 days of continuous 24/7 recording.

Nest Cams use artificial intelligence to detect people, animals, vehicles, and package deliveries specifically — rather than just generic motion. This reduces false alerts. For example, it can tell you "A person was detected at your front door" rather than just "Motion detected."

Night vision is included on all models and works automatically when the lighting is low.