Nest Aware with multiple cameras question

[BrianPerr]

Hi -- I currently have a Nest Doorbell with a Nest Aware subscription with 5 day video history ($60/year).  If I was to buy one of the new battery indoor/outdoor cameras, do I need a second subscription?  If I bought two cameras, do I need three separate subscriptions?

Also, the camera seems to be affixed to the base magnetically.  Is this secure for outside?  Can someone just remove the camera or knock it off the base with a stick?

Thanks.

Brian

Thanks.

Brian

[mdr2]

Hi B rianPerr,  I will take a stab at the answers for you.

#1 You do not need another another subscription. Google says their subscription covers all your cameras.  I have (5) and they all work under the one subscription.

#2 Think twice about buying the new Doorbell (battery).  It has a significant number of limitations over the current doorbell and only about 2 slight improvements.     If you read thru this forum you will see the complaints listed.  I (and a number of others) have returned them and gone back to our old Nest Hello doorbells.

[BrianPerr]

Thanks. The answer on the subscription helps.  Re: the camera, I was not suggesting replacing the wired doorbell.  I was thinking to add the new outdoor battery camera although the reviews of it do not seem great.  The Arlo 4 looks very good, but then I’d need another subscription with Arlo.  Still may be the better way to go though. 

[mdr2]

Ohhh,  okay.  Yes, I have been a big nest fan for years and have recommend it to many friends.  However that all came crashing down about 3 weeks ago when the new cams were released.  I ordered them the second they were available and got them and ultimately returned them a few days later.   My suggestion is to either buy a used previous gen OUTDOOR or OUTDOOR IQ from ebay or FB Market place just to keep moving forward for the time being.  But ultimately move off to something else.  I ordered (2) Arlo ULTRAs that will be here on Monday.  My neighbor has them and I'm very impressed with them.  Especially the nighttime color image is pretty amazing.  There is only one feature I'm giving up over the nest that is important to me and that is the 24/7 recording.   (side note: On the new nest doorbell (battery) they take away the 24/7 recording even if you have it wired).    There are a few other quirks about the ARLO that will bother me.  For example you can't be logged into your phone and your computer Browser at the same time to look at the cameras. It forces you to log out on one of them.

.... the devil is always in the details with these products.  It is so frustrating.

Good luck with how you proceed.  

[BrianPerr]

Hi -- thank you again.  I think I will try the Arlo also, but a few more questions if you don't mind please.   1. You said you order the Ultra (as opposed to the Pro 4).  I don't know much about it but that says it does not connect to wifi and that you need a hub, is that correct?  Is there some benefit of that (I guess you need to buy a hub if you don't have one?  

2.  Just curious ... are you going to use the magnet mounts or are you going to get the wall mounts?  3.  Finally, where did you order from -- there's a web site ... www.arlo-out.store that has greatly reduced prices, but I am very skeptical of it.  Did you order from Arlo or Amazon?

Thanks again.

[mdr2]

Hi BrianPeer,

Let me start by saying I did a bunch of research, which means I spent time on the arlo website and watched a bunch of YOUTUBE videos about people talking about the ARLO cams.

I went with the ULTRA because I think I want the 4K resolution.   A number of times when I zoom in on someone's face with the NEST cams there just isn't enough resolution to be able to make out who they are.  And in a world of 2k and 4k cameras they should be ashamed of release the new cams in only 1K resolution.

Yes, the ULTRAs require the HUB.  The (3) benefits as best I can tell are: #1  The cameras remove traffic from your WIFI network because the cams talk to the HUB directly using their owner WIFI network.  #2 the HUB offers slightly better distance for the cameras (although I can't confirm this).  #3 the Hub lets you plug in a flash drive or USB drive and it captures all the video locally in your house.  Accessing this footage is a pain in the butt.  But at least you have it if you need it.

I will probably go with the actual wall mounts because it is more difficult for someone to steal them and also my cams happen to be in a location where I have AC power so I won't rely on the battery to keep the cams going.  There is one extra benefit on the ARLO cams in that you get what is call pre-roll which means you don't get clips that are cut off at the start because if they have 24/7 wired power they are always recording about 3 seconds before the motion starts.

Good luck with your decision and let me know what you end up with.   I'm sure there are some negatives to the ARLO that I am not aware of but as with all these devices until you use them for a few weeks you just don't know what devel is in the details.

[Brad]

Hi there, folks. 

Wondering if you still needed assistance with this issue? Please let me know!

Best Regards,
Brad. 
 

[BrianPerr]

I think I am ok.  May order 1 Arlo and screw in mount for starters and see how it goes.  Based on feedback and what I read, I (unfortunately) will not order the Nest. 

[Brad]

Hi there. BrianPerr.

I am sad to see that you may choose not to move forward with a new Nest Device, but I am glad that you still brought your concerns forward. I am glad to hear that your issue has been addressed by our Community and by mdr2! Thank you so much for your help, and please do not hesitate to ask if you need further assistance. 

Best Regards,

Brad.

[BrianPerr]

@Brad  -- I'm back!  I bought three of the Arlo 4 and returned them.  Back to the new Nest Outdoor (battery)...   Is it correct in that when running on battery, it will not stream live, rather just trigger on notification; if however it is plugged in and I have a subscription, it will stream live 24/7 -- is that correct?  Also, is there a timeframe of the new Nest with floodlight coming, and does it work the same re: live streaming? Thanks.

[Brad]

@BrianPerr

Welcome back! Because it is on battery, it is true that there is no 24/7 stream unless it is wired because that would use a large amount of the battery up quickly. As for the Nest Cam with Floodlight (wired) it is out and available for purchase as of last week. I am sorry I am responding so late, I just saw this response. But I hope that information helps! If you need additional information, or further assistance please let me know!

Best Regards,

Brad.

[BrianPerr]

@Brad  Thank you. One more question please … I have Nest Aware (the $60/year package).  If I add 2 floodlight cams,  are they included or does the subscription go up to $180 ($60 for 3 cameras)?

[Brad]

Hey Folks.

At this time, I'll go ahead and lock this thread. If you're still experiencing problems, feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.

Best Regards,

Brad.

[S86]

I just returned a 3 pack of the ARLO Pro 4s. (they do not require a hub, but with the problems I encountered I was considering adding one) I simply could not get them discovered on my iPhone after a zillion attempts. Worked 1st try on my wife's Samsung. 

My suggestion is to spend some time on the ARLO community site. Support is absolutely horrible (I know firsthand) They just kept beating to death trying all the steps I had already gone through a million times and just wouldn't give up. I stepped up to chat and they bounced me out after it asked me to tell them the camera serial numbers. Ya think that didn't take some time to do? On their community the product complaints are unreal. I returned to Nest to give them another shot. Here's hoping.  86

[S86]

Oh, and my 4s came with the so-called security mount. Well, this mount prevents the removal of the camera and it's base, (using a pin to secure the camera base/camera to the mount) but the camera can be removed from the base itself by unthreading the camera from the base. Great. I wasn't too worried about that since my cameras weren't going to be all that accessible to anyone but me, and to charge them I was prepared to bring them inside and use the charging cable. The threaded base made that easy. If your ARLO cameras are tough for as****** and yourself to access, the 'security' mounts will be better than the magnetized mounts, but I'd think you'd want to hardwire them rather than take them down each time to charge them if they are a drag to get to. In my case taking them down would have been real easy. 86

[BrianPerr]

Thank you