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The Google Nest Doorbell has dropped to $139.99 (originally $179.99), and that’s the lowest price it has hit so far, according to price trackers. The design is familiar if you’ve seen Nest cameras before, with a single camera module up top and a lit doorbell button below in an IP65-rated body that handles rain and dust without issue. This is a wired unit, so it only makes sense if your home already has the right wiring in place or you’re willing to install it—it’s manageable if you’re comfortable handling low-voltage wiring (16–24VAC); otherwise, it may be worth calling an electrician.
The main upgrade here is the video and the software. You get 2K HDR footage with a square 1:1 aspect ratio, which shows a full head-to-toe view of whoever is at your door. That also makes it easier to spot packages left on the ground. Daytime video looks sharp, with natural color and good detail. At night, it switches to infrared, which is clear enough to identify people but loses some detail. Motion alerts come through quickly, and the 166-degree field of view covers most entryways without stretching the image too much, notes this PCMag review. You can also talk through it using two-way audio, and it works well with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa if you want to pull the feed onto a smart display.
Speaking of software upgrades, Google leans on its Gemini AI features here, so the doorbell can now describe what it sees in plain language and lets you search recordings using those descriptions. You can type something like “package delivery” and find clips quickly instead of scrolling through a timeline. It works well in practice, but the catch is that most of these features, along with full video history, require a $10/month Google Home Premium subscription. Without it, you only get short preview clips. There’s also no local storage and no support for Apple HomeKit or IFTTT.
If you’re already using Google Home, this fits in easily and adds useful automation, but if you want a one-time purchase with almost all the same features and no ongoing fees, the TP-Link Tapo D225 makes for a worthwhile alternative.