Google Nest Cam Floodlight Review - Features, Unboxing, Install, Testing, Video Quality with Lights

[@LifeHackster]

What do you think of the video quality of the Nest Cam with floodlight?

[@zuhairhlayel]

Very good.

[@davidthibault7683]

Was wondering if you can add a switch for the light instead of the motion

[@tsinclair4428]

I liked it.

[@pouyaameli7184]

@@davidthibault7683 You cannot. There is a single power source to the entire device including light and camera. When the power is on, you can only turn on the floodlights via app or triggering motion. When the power is off, the camera reverts to battery mode and I believe the floodlight become unavailable.

[@dut5766]

Hello, what size of jbox can fit google flood cam. I notice the mounting bracket is 5 inches that I was not able to find one close to 5 inches?

[@brandonz2]

It's so much more useful to consumers when the "review" isn't really just a sponsored ad. Great review!

[@TheRealXyzven]

Man, your videos have got amazing better. I mean they were good for me before but now you are providing a full tip-to-tail service! Awesome! Well done, keep doing the good work.

[@Jigar3333]

I truly appreciate the time you take in producing these excellent reviews and detailed explanations. After watching a few of the videos I ended up going with the ring flood light cam, stick up cam and wired doorbell. I was thinking about nest but the poor google home app pushed me away from it. At the same time, having a kit from ring that allows you to just plug in your ring flood light camera saved me hundreds in electrician costs. 🙏🏼

[@LifeHackster]

Much appreciated!

[@AngeloR674]

Eufy 3602k is the way to go!

[@djdemons]

The fact that you mute yourself when you say Hey Google, very classy A++ video

[@clellbritt3434]

What I like about your reviews is that you test all the possible features that someone may or may not want in a device. Just like the commenter that you highlighted, alert notification is not as much of a concern to me. Not because of what he/she said, but because I also have a security system (and other home automations with alarms) that will do the theft deterrent for me. I don't always have time to pull my cell out during the work day. I will say though that a quick notification nice to have for when I'm at home but in the backyard or shop. Keep up the good reviews whether some people like them or not. Even negative comments are a reaction to the YT gods.

[@LifeHackster]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[@footballer3524]

LifeHackster is the grandmaster , guru, sensei of product reviews. I like his humble and down to earth style. Unlike other youtuber copycats out there, tLifeHackster main purpose is to provide insightful product reviews and not simply to promote himself.

[@dopeconcepts1607]

This is THE Best video demo for Nest Outdoor Cam I've seen! Thank you. Great job!

[@reikasdad]

I love how you ended his video. Crime prevention first rather than dealing with the aftermath!

[@LifeHackster]

Thank you and yes, a lot of people still think that security cameras are just used to record the crime but that is why there are now WiFi cameras, to get real time notifications and for the owner to act and prevent the crime in happening in the first place.

[@Addiram78]

Great review, I believe the quality is good enough. I think if they went to a higher resolution it will be tougher to process. I really enjoyed the quality tests at different spacings. Thank you

[@seang3698]

I'm curious if you can do a re-visit for this camera since the Google home app has been updated. I'd like to know if it is more user friendly and also if any updates to the camera have improved the cool off and maybe added buttons to manually turn on the floodlight. Thank you.

[@majesticdetail3422]

I've been an avid Google user after using ring products and having major issues with them. What I loved about Google was nest aware and being able to see all my cameras in one place. Now that's not possible. I've heard that Google was moving cameras over the Google home app and making extra steps to get into them. I was also waiting for this review to come out as I currently have the ring floodlight, which is ok. I was hoping that the Google floodlight would out preform the ring floodlight by leaps and bounds but it seems if the cool down has major issues. That's something to think about. Thanks lifhackster for another great review.

[@LifeHackster]

You are welcome.

[@davidj.mcdowell5382]

Biggest lie I ever got as a gift....Got nest door bell and camera as a gift but they dont work in same app as the thermostats .....GOOGLE IS BIG LIE AND AS A SHARE HOLDER I KNOW WHY I LOST A LOT OF MONEY IF I SOLD.....Nest was a great company....Told cause it was bought as a gift and it went past 30 days I was Fed

[@vicfontaine5130]

If you don't want that plastic cover over the switch to prevent someone from accidentally turning off your ring light, just put both wires under the same screw on the switch rendering it useless. Great video and review keep up the great work

[@gojeffgordon24]

The video quality seemed pretty good, but the software part is a big turnoff. Would have expected a lot more from Google. Over the years I have come to certainly learn, you can have the world's best resolution camera that produces a knockout image, but if the software for it is bad, it won't be the one you want. UI matters so much.

[@LifeHackster]

I agree. User friendliness of the app is important too.

[@francischanbello]

Thank you for the review Kuya. Specially the night capabilities.

[@LifeHackster]

@francischanbello...Thanks for watching!

[@jagarcia233]

Great Review, thank you for this!!!! You really dove deep into this product and tested all of its features.

[@dkodko11]

Nest Cam floodlight video camera needs 12MP, and 4K picture quality, 180-degree view, color night vision, a loud siren, a loud clear sounding speaker and UHD microphone, and instant fast alerts with dependable two-way talk that works. And also, better user interfaces on the Nest app for controllability.

[@terrysuem11]

Great job, you answered questions I hadn't even thought of yet. I still wonder if you have to have any other google products (other than the Google Home app), but i guess i'll keep searching for that answer. Thanks for posting this!!

[@markh8921]

The video and audio are great on the Nest floodlight cam..

[@LifeHackster]

I agree. I like the video quality at night..not a lot of motion blur.

[@surething412]

The camera alone is ok but I dont like everything else about the floodlight. Cons for me: 1. The flood lights sticks out too far. 2. There is a big disconnect overall with their nest/google products. My hello doorbell and smoke detectors run on the nest app but everything else runs on the google home app. 3. As you mentioned on the review, the google home app is half baked. You have to jump through different parts of the google home app to access certain functions. Considering that google is very late in the game with these floodlight, you would think they would have put out a better product especially on the software side. Ive been waiting for a google flood light for years but Im gonna pass on this one. Thanks for the review.

[@LifeHackster]

I agree. I'm really not sure what their reasoning on not using the Nest app but I think that is a bad call.

[@shaunm2374]

Awesome review, actually, one of the best I've seen. I would like to hear your thoughts on accessing and reviewing recorded events from the Home app compared to the nest app, when it comes to filtering out unwanted events such as sounds, birds chirping for example. In the nest app, I can set filters and they say filtered and I can add sound events when I want to with one simple click, it appears you have to set the filters each and every time you go to look at events in the Home app and you have to select every other event to see while leaving "sounds" unchecked.

[@faithmacgregor340]

Amazing and comprehensive review! Well done.

[@seang3698]

I was waiting for this review. Nicely done. I do enjoy the nest app and I agree the home app isn't user friendly. Is there a way to contact Google about the cool off, optional siren, etc? It seems like those could be addressed via a software update.

[@LifeHackster]

As far as contacting Google or Nest...I had this issue before when the Nest Hello came out and they did improve the notification speed which was pretty long too before but as to cool off, the most they did was 5 minutes. They never gave an option for the end user to set it.

[@TheOddSavants]

Wow what an incredible review!

[@thetxkidd2013]

What security camera do you recommend for night vision?

[@sendark001]

your reviews are awesome and really well thought out!

[@SethWilcock]

Phenomenal review. Thank you! Well done!

[@estusflask982]

It handles motion much better than the Wyze floodlight. Wyze cams get all pixelated when there is motion.

[@LifeHackster]

I agree. I'll be comparing the 2 pretty soon.

[@SiggyTetteh]

@Lifehackster - I love the quality of the Nest Cam floodlight system but I agree with you that it needed a separate App to control the features. Thanks for your thorough reviews. Take care.

[@gaffle-411]

Thorough video sir!

[@goprocbr]

hey I have a question. I'll be replacing my existing outdoor light with the nestcam flood light. What happens when you turn off the light switch inside the house? does the cam and floodlight still work? The switch is daisy chained with another exterior light. I wouldn't want to keep the other lights on at all times just so I can power the cam.

[@venomrogue1]

Definitely better video and audio than my Wyze floodlight, but it’s way too bulky. I’m not a fan of the magnetic connection for the camera. That plus the app issues…I think I’ll stick with Wyze

[@LifeHackster]

I know, the floodlight body is a bit too long and very noticeable when it is installed horizontally or under the eaves.

[@RobertSpitzer]

Wonderful and well thought out video. Thanks.

[@RichardRomingerIII]

Thank you for this review, it was almost perfect for me. I was really excited to see you use a license plate but was bummed you didn't do the same test at night with the flood lights on. I have a regular Nest Outdoor camera over my garage and it captured a random person coming into my driveway and backing out and he proceeded to hit my neighbors classic car. While the person (he had gotten out of the car) and car was clearly seen, the license plate couldn't be read (because my camera was in Black & White due to no lighting). Local police said nothing could be done because the license plate couldn't be seen, unless they got really lucky - which they didn't. Oh, while the person got out of his car, he looked around at the damage, promptly got back in and speed away without leaving a note (this all happened around 2am). Basically, I'd love to know how license plates show up at night when the flood light is on too!

[@LifeHackster]

Watch this to know the reason why I don’t test plate reading at night -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKLRiGNrobp7sLs

[@RichardRomingerIII]

@@LifeHackster thank you, now I am perfectly informed

[@marcogonzalez4615]

Can the floors light be left on manually? If I replace my patio light with the flood light there are times I may need it to cook outside. Or is the lighting just not good for this type of environment?

[@geminigirl1111]

looks very nice!!!! Do I have to purchase a monthly subscription or can I just use the pre recorded screens to monitor?

[@TedTalksBass]

I'm curious about the transparency of this video. Google says that hanging this vertically from the eaves will limit the functionality of the camera and light sensor. You show a quick picture but then show the rest of the demo hanging horizontally as designed. Which is correct? How did it work when you hung vertically?

[@jamesm568]

Not having the Nest app is useless. The Google Home App is absolutely horrific to use with older Nest products. If you don't own any older Nest devices I guess it's decent for people.

[@ShadowlightPhotography]

Pity about the camera not staying charged despite being powered by mains, forums are flooded with the same fault from the US, UK and Europe, seems to be a major floor somewhere where the battery is draining down and goes offline. It ends up just being an expensive floodlight.

[@pklemm1]

Video quality is good

[@LifeHackster]

I agree.

[@xander-mk4ck]

wow life hackster , i can hear it in your voice the disappointment when you were reviewing this floodlight cam

[@LifeHackster]

If you search and watch my nest hello videos before, you will know that Nest knows about these for a long time. I called them out with the Nest Hello and they did improve it a bit and I'm glad they fixed their notification speed because it was around 15-20 seconds before..but now, the cool off... I will not be surprised if they will not do anything about this.

[@HenryBrzeski]

Can you disable the flood light all together? Its Halloween soon so we would not want to have this things come ON at all ;-)

[@khunt1947]

Nice video! 👍🏾

[@adriancarter4515]

Great video!! Thank you for the review!!

[@jackspencer8290]

5:39 The words “Wall mount only” are printed on the back of the unit. I don’t think you’re supposed to mount it vertically like this, at least not officially.

[@g0dby]

Gr8 video! What camera would you recommend with the features mentioned in the end of the video? Thanks alot!

[@tonyreyes3294]

Eufy floodlight cam 💯

[@ghostmofo5829]

Is there any way you can have the floodlights come on at dusk and off at dawn automatically?

[@johnzapata8954]

Great review. Do you know if there is an option to keep the light on without timing out?

[@AngeloR674]

Therr should be a option in the google home app to do that!

[@Monsieur2068]

The light is seperate from the floodlight in the home app, so you could easily set a routine to turn the light on at sunset and off and sunrise, on my soap box I say do not do this, we have enough light pollution.

[@ChinitFxt]

Looks good at night

[@LifeHackster]

True. Not a lot of motion blur.

[@EfronJoseph]

I appreciate all your reviews, you do a very well job. I have a question. I currently have Blink as a floodlight cam, as well as a door bell. They work OK the lag on my phone when someone hits the doorbell is pretty long, my Internet, connection speed is very high. What would you recommend for a floodlight cam doorbell and additional camera? Thank you.

[@Charlierangel1010]

With the cool down periods of the Nest floodlight, does that apply if you are subscribed to the Nest aware plus, with the Continuous Video Recording (CVR). With 24 hour continuous recording I would think that there would not be any cool down period, when compared to motion based detection.

[@boonedrennon7840]

Great review. Thank you

[@chickenfoundation9323]

I couldn’t find a junction box that will work with the provided screws , all the plastic ones are a size smaller and the metal ones a size bigger

[@davidchurchill1651]

Can nest floodlight cam replace a light fixture that’s not a motion sensor light fixture? It’s a light fixture powered by a switch?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes. Any light fixture with a junction box. Also the switch needs to be ON at all times for it to work.

[@davidbell7094]

LifeHackster I love everything you do & appreciate all of your knowledge. I only need one wifi camera with...light and speech 2 way enabled and of course mobile phone alerts Please could you recommend which or hint at which you think is best for 30 feet length garden. Thanks for all you do 👍🇬🇧👌

[@LifeHackster]

For batteyr power, try to check the Eufy L20 of the S40 which is a bit more expensive. For wired or plug in, I still like the Ring Spotlight Cam Wired or their floodlight cam. Eufy's Floodlight cam is pretty good too.

[@davidbell7094]

@@LifeHackster Thanks @LifeHackster for your help I like the plug in idea..please tell me if I'm being really,dumb here but do you mean plug in as plug into a socket like you'd plug your TV in.??.I ask that because i also like the Ring The reason I asked what you mean about plug in is..I'm just a little confused because some people when they say plug in they mean PoE..that's my confusion 👍🙄💯

[@RichKessler3]

Is the cool off because you're not on subscription or does this not matter? That's going to suck if there's a cool down either way

[@christopherwallace408]

Outstanding review, pare!

[@timoffen3615]

What isn't made clear with the Google nest camera is that the 3 hours of event video history means you only have 3 hours to view an event before it gets deleted unless you are paying for a subscription

[@hayburner_jr]

GREAT Video, ended up buying one as I have all the other Nest stuff. NOT happy that it doesnt, work in the APP... But, I am getting used the the Google home. I bough this beacuse it said "wired." Installed my self, so I know that there is no issues. No 9 days later camera is blank on screen & says: Device offline because of an empty battery. Does Google exepct us to climb a ladder once a week to re-charge this camera??? & how do you even re-charger it (LOL) Nothing in the instructions on website...

[@LifeHackster]

You shouldn’t be charging it. When you plug in the cable from the floodlight to the camera, it should continually top off the battery and should be powered by the floodlight. You might have a bad unit. Check first the cable connection on the camera.

[@hayburner_jr]

@@LifeHackster Thanks for the quick reply! Just went out & checked connection & 100% fine. Must be defective unit :(

[@TakashiNippon]

Aeesome video man

[@petepool74]

Do you need to keep the indoor switch on at all times? Does having the indoor switch in the off position keep the camera off? I have 1 switch that controls 2 flood lights. Only looking to replace 1 of them with.

[@Omar4mj]

Can you review the eufy 360 floodlight and also can I use an extension cable on a floodlight or is there a universal adapter like the ring adapter?

[@LifeHackster]

I did review it a while back and I have it installed in my backyard. I will be making a video on a DIY junction box adapter soon.

[@Fazpaco]

Its that on Google Max hub for nest Camera floodlight

[@joshuahaney1135]

Yeah hate google is doing away with the nest app it’s much better

[@cuties303]

How do I charge the internal battery for the camera? I brought a nest camera with floor light and when I turn off the power switch the battery power keeps going down and never really recharge even after I turn the power switch back on.

[@arturocruz1982]

Does this camera records 24 7 continously thanks

[@tsinclair4428]

Thank you very much! 🙂

[@xander-mk4ck]

once google took over nest , they completely ran it to the ground .

[@LifeHackster]

I know.

[@LydellAaron]

I just bought a Nest cam indoor wired. It's been intermittently going unavailable in live view--right when the action is happening!

[@rhaibi12]

I've got my whole house equipped with Nest cams, google speakers and smart accessories and haven't had a single problem.

[@satanicmonkey666]

Works fine. Not sure what you're complaining about.

[@Shmew455r]

Runs like crap, stopped working after the warranty ended with no care given by foreign based tech support. ​@@satanicmonkey666

[@macster1457]

Any upcoming review of the Amcrest doorbell - 4MP AD410?

[@LifeHackster]

I haven't checked this out yet.

[@salcas8667]

Can you tell me why the camera is still able to detach when the anti theft screw is installed. What’s the point?

[@LifeHackster]

I know..but Nest thinks that the power cable from the floodlight will protect it from being pulled down.

[@offrdk5]

Can you set the flood lights to come on when it gets dark?

[@adamf7156]

Video quality looks better than ring.. I'm looking for one like this..what's better?? Ring, Nest or another??

[@cameronhinson6074]

yeah I'm wanting to know which is better too!! Nest video quality definitely looks better. How do they compare to Swann's camera's?

[@9THR33]

hey LF, i was wondering if youve ever heard of an IP camera, that can do 30fps, and also has zwave or zigbee built in so i can connect it to my Hub for automations. thanks

[@LifeHackster]

I haven't heard of any yet. Sorry.

[@shelly-bell]

I've read reviews on Amazon that say the camera has condensation issues, but I've also read this issue has been fixed. Have you had any condensation issues?

[@childofibiza1]

If I want to install on a certain area where there is no prior electrical box is it feasible for am electrician to install one ?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes. I did make a video to do a DIY method. -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKmTfmihhd-bb9k

[@ajdestiny7259]

Hey....whats your number 1 pick for a flood camera

[@westcoastsweatshop3840]

Thanks man!! 💯🇨🇦

[@LifeHackster]

You are welcome.

[@pitbul0209]

I have been waiting for a nests flood light. But very disappointed that it doesn’t work with the nest app! What a dumb idea to have this not in the nest app. The whole reason I didn’t get the ring is I didn’t want to apps!

[@MarkVP]

Can the floodlights always be on at night but get brighter when it detects motion? Thanks.

[@countdowncityproductions653]

what size junction is needed for this

[@LifeHackster]

Standard round junction box.. 4.25 inches

[@ThatCleanMT]

Hey man. Thanks for these videos. Very helpful. I was hoping you could answer this question for me. I have a spot where I want this flood camera mounted. It’s not a junction box. It’s a spot directly above my garage door facing the driveway. Do you know what I would need to hardwire this into a plug in solution? I currently have a Nest Camera Outdoor IQ which just died on me. I have THAT cable routed through the siding, into the garage where I plug it in. I was hoping this floodlight would be just as simple as that but it’s not. I have resisted using the google home app for years and I hate being pushed into using it but my older school Nest cameras are slowly dying out and as much as I hate to admit it, I still like the Nest cameras despite google damn near ruining it. Or trying to at least. Thanks!

[@ShawnShaiHalahmy]

Can you leave the flood lights on 24/7?

[@LifeHackster]

Yes, you can.

[@gadvan-2522]

Is the light it self white or more like a yellow? I like the bright white

[@lanyang8838]

I found the flights being on during the day time. How to set up flood lights not on during day time?

[@thecaptain2118]

I have five cams, the thermostat, and the door lock... All work on the same nest app.

[@diannebath5593]

Does it need to be installed by an electrician and will that overcome need to recharge camera battery

[@B_McQueen]

How do I connect to google home if there was no QR Code on lens. cameras are set up from previous owner?

[@MrFester]

So this is not recording and uploading 24/7 , gobbling up bandwidth like the normal Nest cams?

[@estusflask982]

You can just disable 24/7 recording...

[@LifeHackster]

You have a choice depending on the subscription that you want.

[@sajidvijayan4306]

so built in camera is not hardwired like the nest doorbell?

[@kfh599]

Can we edit the motion zone?

[@TedTalksBass]

@lifehacker I'm curious about the transparency of this video. Google says that hanging this vertically from the eaves will limit the functionality of the camera and light sensor. You show a quick picture but then show the rest of the demo hanging horizontally as designed. Which is correct? How did it work when you hung vertically?

[@LifeHackster]

When the Nest cam battery is wired in like when you hook it up with the floodlight, it will not use its motion sensor but will be pixel based or AI camera based detection..that means as long as the motion is seen in the camera’s view then it should trigger the camera…which overall it means, positioning of the camera will not limit its functionality.. As to the light, there might be because of the placement of the motion sensor but I think the light can also be triggered in sync with the cameras detection..so it shouldn’t matter also.

[@TedTalksBass]

@@LifeHackster Brother - you were supposed to say all of that in the video. Otherwise good content but incredibly misleading. This product is not at all designed to be installed vertically, as confirmed by google. I agree that it's a design flaw but your not saying that in the video it looks a bit deceptive so it doesn't affect your affiliate link CLR.

[@LifeHackster]

@@TedTalksBass I'm not sure what it deceptive... but if that is what you think..then I cannot change your mind.

[@TedTalksBass]

@@LifeHackster I don’t think it was intentionally deceptive but you glossed over a pretty significant thing. No foul.

[@xiii9800xt]

Thanks

[@LilyAndBehold]

Boy the video quality is really getting to me. The saturation is making everything look off. A dark burnt orange object looks hot pink. The sky looks blasé and dim, whereas its actually sunny outside. I don't see where to fix this. Is there a way?

[@Feintgames]

Facial recognition is blocked in Illinois. :(

[@fierceeagle2003]

Help all the sudden my cam disconnected and now won't reconnect to my wifi. How doi factory reset light?

[@LifeHackster]

The reset button is on the tip of the dome...you would not think it is a reset button visit their help site and hopefully you will get it started again -> support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9223711?hl=en&ref_topic=9360776

[@fierceeagle2003]

@@LifeHackster thank you

[@amplifiedlarry5449]

My floodlight records but “live” is unavailable

[@rkcon13]

Hi, at the 5:39 mark, you mention the floodlight can be installed under the eaves installed upside down and does just fine. Can you confirm if there is any issue with the motion sensor being at that angle? It places the motion sensor upside down and it appears to make the detection radius angle too high with that set up. Every product picture by Google shows it being installed on a vertical wall. Before I buy, I'd like to know if the motion detection works ok upside down like that because it doesn't seem like Google had that use case in mind in their design. Thanks for your review

[@LifeHackster]

You can set it in the settings that the floodlight can also get activated when the camera sees motion. So, even if the PIR sensor for the floodlight is limited when in horizontal install, it can still activate when the camera sees a person, vehicle, animals or any motion.

[@rkcon13]

@@LifeHackster thanks for your reply and the info!

[@tpe690]

Do all security cameras have a cool down period?

[@libradrag0n]

I wonder how many people that design that software actually live in a house.

[@jean-marcdube6954]

hello! don't speak english i translate the camera detector and the light bulb detector does it activate at 20 feet as instructed in the manual or further