If you are security conscious and like to be able to keep an eye on who is calling to your home when you aren't there, then a smart doorbell is a great option.
There are plenty to choose from, including from well-known brands such as Ring and from Nest, which recently released a new battery version.
DESIGN
The Nest battery doorbell looks pretty modern and slick.
Long and rectangular in shape with a curved top and bottom, it weighs around 200g.
On the front, the camera sits at the top, while the large and prominent round push button can be found at the bottom.
There is also an LED light on the front to indicate when the camera is actively streaming and recording.
The outline of the push button also lights up white when it is pressed.
The enclosure of the device is made of 46% recycled plastic.
It comes in just the one colour – Snow (white) – not entirely practical for outside use, but it weathers ok nonetheless.
The back section of the case is dark grey in colour, but you don’t really see this when it is mounted.
Mounting takes place on a metal plate, which is screwed to the wall or door.
A special tool, which comes in the box, is required to unhitch the main doorbell unit from the mounting plate so that it can be charged.
A magnetometer detects when it has been detached from the plate, and stops the video stream from working – a clever anti-theft device which effectively renders the doorbell useless unless it has the plate.
Charging is via a USB-C cable into the back of the doorbell unit.
Inside the unit itself is a speaker and microphone so that you can communicate live with the person at the door or gate.
SET UP
Setting the doorbell up is pretty simple.
You must have a Google account to use it – so if you don’t you’ll have to set one up.
The Google Home app must also be installed on your phone or tablet.
After that you plug the doorbell in to charge, wait for the light to turn blue and then follow steps to add a new device in the app.
A handy QR code on the rear of the doorbell makes pairing easy.
Then it is just a case of completing a few further steps in the app and you are ready to go.
Nest recommends the doorbell is fixed around 4ft above the ground – the optimum height to pick up people and packages.
Obviously, you’ll need to locate it within range of your home’s Wifi network.
A wedge supplied in the box can be used to change the angle of the camera – useful if you want to alter where it is pointing if you are placing it in a corner for example.
One important thing to remember is that you need to leave a gap above the doorbell of around 6cm to ensure you can get the tool in to release it from the baseplate so that you can charge it.
The doorbell comes with screws and rawl plugs for fixing the plate to the wall.
Once the plate is installed and the doorbell is attached to it, you are good to go.
USE AND FEATURES
You’ll obviously want to charge it before you start using the doorbell.
This takes around five hours.
Once fully charged, you’ll get a decent bit of time from it before you have to charge it again.
Clearly this will depend on its location and how often it is used.
Google claims it will last six months – that may be true in low use situations where it is only recording and streaming a couple of times a day.
Increase those events and the battery life will fall – but still remains pretty impressive.
Unfortunately you can’t swap the battery out for a full one, which means it will have to be taken down to be recharged (unless you can run a permanent power cable to it).
PIR motion detection triggers recording as someone approaches. The device is smart enough to know if they are human or animal.
You can view this as a live stream and when they press the bell button, you can speak to them and hear what they are saying back.
The live stream can also be viewed at any point, regardless of whether someone is there or not.
It will also be able to tell you if a package has been left or collected.
The Nest Doorbell (battery) comes with a 3-hour event video history as standard which can be viewed from the Google Home app.
You can upgrade to 30 days of event video history with a Nest Aware subscription, or 60 days of event video history with Nest Aware Plus.
But regardless the Nest Doorbell (battery) cannot continuously record 24/7 video history.
If the Wifi dies, up to 60 minutes will be recorded locally on the device.
Video quality is good – the device streams and records HD at 960x1280 pixels and up to 30 frames per second, with High Dynamic Range and a 6x digital zoom.
You can optimise the video stream by tweaking settings and this can impact how long or short the battery lasts.
It also offers night vision that allows you to see up to 10 feet, using four infrared LEDs.
One handy trick is that if you have a Google Assistant speaker or display, you can connect the doorbell to it so that it chimes when someone rings the bell.
With a Nest Aware subscription, the doorbell can even set it to recognise and announce who the person is by name.
It doesn’t integrate with Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri smart assistants though.
Another handy feature is that if you can’t get to the door you can select from a range of quick responses in the app that will be automatically played.
Activity zones can also be programmed so that the doorbell will focus on particular areas where, for example, your parcels get left on the doorstep.
CONCLUSION
The Nest Doorbell (Battery) is a big step up from the original wired version (there is also a new wired version too).
It looks good, the video quality is high, the facial recognition features work well and the integration with other Google smart home devices makes it a strong smart home proposition.
The provision of just the last three hours of recording as standard is not overly generous – we’d have liked to have seen more recording time on offer.
The absence of a swappable battery is also a drawback, even though the battery life is impressive.
At €199, it is a bit pricier than many of the alternatives on the market.
But if you want a battery based smart doorbell that’s packed with features, it is certainly worth considering.
