Google Nest Hello Video Doorbell Review

There are a million video doorbells on the market these days, but quantity does not equal quality. And if you want high quality, then the Google Nest Hello is where it’s at.

This doorbell cam is the cream of the crop, the upper crust, the haut monde. You get it; it’s a really good doorbell camera. The Google Nest offers better video resolution, faster alerts, and smarter features than most of its competitors combined. Safe to say you’ll love adding this device to your home.

The Google Nest Hello isn’t just a camera; it’s smart. It can recognize both packages and people, and it can even identify familiar faces. With one glance at your phone, you’ll know whether that person on your porch is your kid coming home from school or a stranger coming to steal your stuff.

The Nest Hello is also just a really good camera. It has 2K video recording, which is higher than we usually see with doorbell cameras. And it has HDR, so you get crisp, clear images even in awkward lighting.

Google Nest Hello features:

• 2K HD video with HDR
• Two-way audio
• Continuous video recording option
• 160º field of view
• Quiet time snooze feature
• Familiar face recognition
• Package detection
• 8x digital zoom
• 5° to 104°F (-15° to 40°C) operating temperature
• IPx4 weather rating
• Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant integration

With a lot of video doorbells, especially the cheaper ones, you get really generic alerts. You’ll get a notification that says, “motion detected,” but that’s it. It doesn’t tell you if the motion is from a person, an animal, a car driving down the street, a bee buzzing in front of the camera—anything.

If you get enough of those bland alerts, eventually, you just ignore them. (Or throw your phone against the wall in annoyance.) And then what’s the point of having a camera at all?

The Google Nest Hello sends useful, smart alerts. It tells you what you need to know. Instead of just saying, “motion detected,” it will say, “Your camera spotted someone.” If it knows who the person is, it will even name them. “Jane Smith is at the door.”

And it’s not just people. Your Nest Hello will tell you when someone drops off a package, and when someone picks it up. Whether it’s your spouse taking the package inside or a thief trying to steal your latest Amazon delivery, the Nest Hello can tell you when someone lifts up that box. Pretty sweet.

The Nest Hello gives you a few quick response options for visitors. When you get a notification on your phone, you can press it, and it will open the option to have the doorbell deliver a prerecorded message.

You can say things like, “Leave the package on the porch” or “Be right there” with just a few quick taps. Pretty useful for if you need to sign for a package, but the FedEx person is only going to wait 30 seconds.

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably hung up a sign at some point begging visitors not to ring the doorbell and incur the wrath of your napping toddler. The Nest Hello makes it easy to prevent that entirely. You can set “quiet time” on the doorbell, where it will silence the chime for 30 minutes or a few hours.

You’ll still get alerts on your phone, but your kid won’t wake up to the sound of the delivery person sounding the bell.

Most video doorbells have what’s called event-based recording, or EBR. Meaning when the camera detects motion, it will record a short clip.

The Google Nest Hello can do EBR, but it also offers continuous video recording, or CVR. That’s where your camera records everything, all the time, 24/7, and stores the footage in the cloud.

You have to opt into a monthly Nest Aware Plus subscription for that, but it’s worth it if you want full-time coverage. (And if you want EBR, you’ll still need the basic Nest Aware plan.)

It should be no surprise that the Google Nest Hello works with other Google stuff. It integrates directly with other Nest cameras as well as Google Nest smart speakers and Google Nest WiFi.

When someone rings your doorbell, your other Google devices can announce the alert throughout the house. You don’t even need to have your phone handy. And you can control the camera with your voice and view the livestream on your TV through Chromecast. That’s pretty “smart home” to us.

For all those premium features, you’ll pay a premium price. The Nest Hello costs about $229, which is quite a bit more than models with similar features, like the Arlo Video Doorbell.

If you want the best of the best, then we think the Google Nest Hello is worth it, especially if you want to use other Nest products, like the Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor or Google Nest WiFi.

Along with the price of the doorbell camera itself, you’ll also want to sign up for a monthly Nest Aware subscription. Without the subscription, you don’t have access to some of the Nest Hello’s best features, like familiar face recognition and custom motion zones.

If you want continuous video recording, then you’ll need to opt for the Nest Aware Plus plan. But if event-based recording is good enough for you, then the basic Nest Aware plan is $6 per month, and it covers every Nest camera you have.

Considering the Google Nest Hello works with so many of Google’s other products, it’s pretty great for people who want to build a smart home. You can create a bunch of different rules and routines and control them all through the Google Nest app.

The Nest Hello also works with Amazon Alexa for the Echo devotees out there. But Amazon and Google don’t always get along, so this one’s best for Google fans.

The Google Nest Hello doesn’t have a battery option. You’ll need to hardwire the camera into your existing doorbell wiring.

It’s not too difficult. Plan on spending about 30 minutes to an hour getting it up and running. But if you don’t want to mess around with electrical wiring (and we can’t blame you,), then you can opt for professional installation through Google’s partner, OnTech.

Google Nest Hello installation steps: 

1. Download the Google Nest app and sign in or create an account.
2. Tap the “+” sign to add a product and scan the QR code on your Nest Hello. The app will then give you instructions for how to set up the device.
3. Turn off the breaker that supplies power to your doorbell.
4. Set up chime wiring with your existing doorbell chime. The Nest app will tell you how to wire the chime depending on which type of doorbell chime you have.
5. Remove your current doorbell.
6. Install the Nest Hello wall plate. Use the provided drill bit and wall anchors if you’re drilling into masonry.
7. Connect the Nest Hello to your doorbell wiring and attach it to the mounted wall plate.
8. Turn the breaker back on.
9. Connect the Nest Hello to your Wi-Fi network through the app. You’ll need your Wi-Fi password.

That’s the gist of how to get your Google Nest Hello up and running. The app does a great job of walking you through the process, but you can also check out Google’s “How to Install Your Nest Hello” page for more information.

The Google Nest Hello is about as good as a doorbell camera gets. It has impressive features, smart alerts, and excellent video quality. Plus, it integrates with all of your other Google devices.

The price is a bit high, but for the quality, we think it’s worth it.

Features: The Google Nest Hello is packed full of premium features, like facial recognition, package detection, quiet time, 2K video resolution, and 8x digital zoom.

Pricing: The Google Nest is a bit pricey, but we think the quality speaks for itself. Keep in mind, you’ll also want to sign up for a monthly Nest Aware subscription plan, which costs either $6 or $12 per month.

Home automation: All of your other Google products, and even your Amazon Echo, will work with the Google Nest Hello. It’s a great addition to your budding smart home.

Installation: The Google Nest Hello hardwires into your existing doorbell, so installation can be a bit tricky. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, you can opt for professional installation through OnTech.

If you want a cheaper video doorbell that has a lot of the same great features, check out our Arlo Video Doorbell review.