We love recommending Amazon Ring and Google Nest to our customers. These affordable and easy-to-use surveillance systems are some of the quickest and least expensive ways to get real-time home surveillance and bring your motion alerts right to your phone.
For better or worse, we rarely wait by our phones for notifications from our surveillance systems. Unfortunately, both Google and Nest don’t offer camera history right out of the box, only real time surveillance. That means if you miss a notification of a crime captured on camera, that footage is gone! To access past recordings from your home, including valuable footage that might have been missed during real-time alerts, it’s crucial to subscribe to an annual (or monthly) plan from Google or Amazon.
Recording History Solutions For Amazon Ring
Navigating Your Footage: Browsing Motion Triggers and Doorbell Events
Amazon Ring makes past recordings affordable. For just $40 a year (or $3.99/mo), Amazon will keep 180 days of history for all motion detection on your cameras. You can easily browse your Ring camera’s history to see motion triggers or when your Ring Doorbell is triggered. This makes finding important pieces of your footage easy to find. When SoundVision installs your Amazon Ring surveillance system, we’ll set your motion detection alerts to avoid false alarms from things like swaying trees or cars.
Data Considerations: Managing Streaming and Internet Usage
One thing to note is that with a Ring subscription, every camera is continuously sending data to Amazon through the internet. That means every camera is using your home internet to send footage. This process uses a lot of data, and Amazon knows it. If you have four or more cameras, we recommend an unlimited data plan with your internet provider to avoid overages.
Internet Speed Factors: Assessing Speed and Potential Limitations
It’s also important to consider the speed of your internet. For example, one of our customers had an internet plan that seemed fast with an 800Mbps download. However, that same plan could only upload 15Mbps. This wasn’t enough to stream all their cameras and this customer started experiencing their internet speed slowing down.
Generally, fiber internet systems have upload speeds equal to their download speeds. If you are concerned about your internet speeds and have a Ring surveillance system installed by SoundVision, feel free to contact your project manager to ensure you have the right home internet plan to support your system.
Exploring Google Nest’s Subscription Services
Google Nest has a number of subscription services they call Nest Aware that start at $80 a year. Like Amazon, Google Nest cameras save a 24/7 recording. Instead, Google Nest creates short clips of videos called “events.” Events are clips captured by your camera of detected motion, like someone approaching your door or an unexpected guest in your backyard. Don’t worry, SoundVision sets up your cameras so they don’t register motion from plants or cars going by. Google will notify you when an event is happening on your phone.
Nest Has Less Camera Event History Than Amazon Ring
While Amazon Ring will save 180 days of event history, a Google Nest subscription will only keep 30 days. If you move to their $150/yr Nest Aware Plus plan, Google will keep 10 days of continuous footage and 60 days of events.
Which Camera System Is Best?
In the end, each camera system has its pros and cons. Amazon Ring cameras are lauded for their robust reliability and streamlined installation, thanks to a single cable for network and power. On the flip side, Google’s exclusive reliance on wireless technology may impact your network’s performance. Since Google acquired Nest, we’ve observed what we believe to be a decline in the quality of their cameras. It seems clear that Google is offering limited solutions for those seeking reliable, hardwired power, and Ethernet-based alternatives. Having four to eight cameras continuously using your wireless connection will tank your network. We see the lack of hardwired internet cameras from Nest as the biggest reason to avoid investing in Nest cameras.
Nevertheless, we remain vigilant in monitoring and evaluating new offerings from both brands to assess their evolving capabilities. Currently, Ring distinguishes itself with higher-quality cameras, a single cable for power and hardwired internet and a subscription offering that provides enhanced value.
We understand that adding surveillance systems can be both tedious and challenging. If you’re in the process of choosing a camera system that aligns with your needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 415-456-7000. We are here to assist you in making the right choice for your home security needs.