The four-year-old Nest Hello video doorbell finally has a successor, with Google taking the wraps off a second-generation Nest Doorbell (wired) that packs on-device person detection along with 24/7 video recording capabilities.
Unveiled two days prior to Google’s annual hardware event, the revamped Nest Doorbell (wired) is shipping now for $179.99.
The new doorbell sits alongside the existing Nest Doorbell (battery) that was released last year, and it replaces 2018’s Nest Hello. The Nest Hello was eventually re-branded as the first-gen Nest Doorbell (wired).
The second-gen Nest Doorbell (wired)’s most notable improvement is on-device processing for “intelligent” motion alerts, including the ability to detect people, packages, vehicles, and pets, all without a subscription.
While the doorbell offers its on-device intelligent alerts without the need for paying extra, you will need a Nest Aware subscription if you want more than three hours of event video history. The $6-a-month Nest Aware plan gives you 30 days of event history, while the $12/month Nest Aware Plus serves up a 60-day event history.
The pricier Nest Aware Plus plan also unlocks another key Nest Doorbell (wired) feature: 24/7 video recording, with the subscription giving users up to 10 days of continuous video storage. The current Nest Doorbell (battery) doesn’t support 24/7 video recording.
Also new is the 1.3-megapixel color sensor with a taller 3:4 aspect ratio, allowing for a head-to-toe view of visitors as well as packages left on your doorstep.
The sensor offers 960 x 1280-pixel video resolution with HDR, along with night vision.
Design-wise, the second-gen Nest Doorbell (wired) is a dead ringer for the year-old Nest Doorbell (battery), except the 6.3 inch-tall battery-powered doorbell is roughly an inch taller than its new wired sibling. The wired Nest Doorbell is also a tad (0.15-inch) thicker than the battery-powered Nest Doorbell.
Google said the original Nest Doorbell (wired) will continue to be available in retail channels “while supplies last,” presumably at a discount.
Alongside the new Nest Doorbell (wired), Google promised that a “completely refreshed” camera view to the Google Home app, including a vertical timeline similar to the one available in the legacy Nest app.
The Google Home app will also get the ability to “quickly toggle” between timeline and event list views, as well as the option to favorite a Nest camera or doorbell so you can see its live feed as soon as you open the app.
Those Google Home improvements will roll out in the “coming weeks,” Google said.
