Nest Hello Review: The Best Doorbell Camera in 2020

The Nest Hello costs around $229, falling somewhere between the Ring 2 and the Ring Pro. While that’s on the higher end for doorbell cameras, it’s pretty reasonable given the quality of the camera and all the features it offers. We also think the Nest Hello’s features hold their own against the more expensive Ring Pro.

We also recommend paying for Nest Aware, which starts at $5 per month and unlocks some pretty essential features:

• Up to 30-day video history
• Continuous recording
• Intelligent alerts
• Clips and time-lapse recording
• Zone setting

For a more in-depth look at how the Nest Hello price stacks up to its competition, take a look at some of our other recommended doorbell cameras.

The Nest Hello works with the main Nest app, which is convenient if you’ve invested in other Nest equipment. If you pay for a Nest Aware plan, you can save videos, set up facial recognition profiles, create activity zones, and save custom clips. We found the Nest app was reliable and easy to navigate while testing the Nest Hello.

We’ve tested Ring doorbell cameras and found that they’re prone to hiccups in their daily use. Depending on your Wi-Fi network, Ring’s connection can be finicky, for example, leading to blackouts or pixelated video.

But the Nest Hello does a better job day to day, giving you more consistent performance. That’s important as you never know exactly when you’re going to need your doorbell camera.

If you have a Google Home, you can do some cool things with the Nest Hello. You can sync your Google Hub to work as a chime for your doorbell camera, which announces when someone comes to your door. And if you take advantage of Nest’s Familiar Faces feature, your Google Hub tells you exactly who’s at your door when a family member or friend stops by.

The Nest Hello requires some complicated wiring. Most people will need to hire a professional. Nest can set you up with a local Nest Pro if you don’t have a go-to electrician.

Compared to the Ring 2 and Ring Pro, the Nest Hello gives you better video quality, fewer hiccups in its day-to-day performance, and better features (like the HDR video and facial recognition). So if you’re able to opt for a hardwired doorbell camera, we’d recommend the Nest Hello.