Top pick
This hardwired doorbell captures clear audio and 2K video, accurately identifies different types of motion, and includes an option for 24/7 cloud recording.
Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The Google Nest Doorbell (Wired, 3rd Gen) is the best video doorbell I’ve tested. It reacts quickly to motion, both by sending alerts and by displaying a live view on your mobile device. It was the most accurate of the doorbell cameras I tested in distinguishing types of motion and restricting alerts and recordings with the use of activity zones. It never missed an event, capturing detailed 2K-resolution video clips. And it works with existing chimes, or you can set up a smart speaker to announce visitors.
It captures the most useful recordings. The Nest doorbell can consistently distinguish between people, animals, vehicles, packages, and general motion, and it does so better than any other video doorbell I’ve tested. When it detects motion, it captures clips that last up to five minutes, longer than what you can get from any of our other picks. (The hardwired Tapo D130 maxes out at three minutes, the battery-powered Tapo D225 tops out at two, and the Eufy S220 stops at one.)
Google has also updated the image quality in this doorbell over its previous model, bumping the resolution to 2K and expanding the field of view to a wide 166 degrees with a 1:1 aspect ratio. If you prefer to focus on one area in front of your door, you can zoom in and crop the live field of view so that you always have an up-close view and recording of a specific spot. For instance, I cropped the field of view to focus on my driveway, blocking out a neighbor’s house.
It records what you actually want to see. The Nest doorbell allows you to create up to four different zones within its field of view, so you can choose whether to ignore or follow activity in a given area, as well as what you want to receive smartphone notifications about. For instance, you might create a zone directly in front of your driveway for people and animals but opt to forgo alerts every time a car passes by. You also have the option to record and choose notifications for action outside of your created zone.
A subscription is essential and makes things more interesting. The Nest doorbell includes free cloud storage, but with that setup it captures only 10-second clips that auto-delete after six hours. In my tests, such clips barely caught a visitor’s foot, let alone a face. This limitation makes a subscription plan essential. A Google Home Premium Standard plan ($10 per month or $100 per year) enables storage of clips up to five minutes long for up to 30 days, and it works with an unlimited number of cameras. But it’s the most expensive plan of our picks, if you plan to run a single camera.
Another subscription feature is garage door monitoring: If your garage is in view of your Nest doorbell, it can detect and notify you whether the garage door is open or closed (we haven’t tested that function). Meanwhile, familiar-face detection allows you to tag visitors to your home by name. In our testing, it worked but typically had to get a close look at the person’s face to function well (see Flaws but not dealbreakers). An important note about privacy: Consider that your neighbors may prefer not to be tagged by facial recognition, or recorded at all. And keep in mind that it may actually be illegal to do either of those things in some locales.
A Standard subscription also provides access to Gemini, Google’s AI platform, which enables more advanced capabilities such as the ability to search video history using keywords, plus more descriptive alerts and summaries. Unfortunately in ongoing tests I’ve found that Gemini for Home consistently makes errors, and as a result its usefulness is a mixed bag. I did like being able to easily create Automations using the Ask Home bar in the Google Home app, which is part of the Standard subscription plan. However, the descriptive notifications and event descriptions were often inaccurate, needlessly detailed, and definitely not worth the $20-per-month Advanced subscription tier.
You can get 24/7 coverage for an extra charge. The Nest doorbell is the only one of our picks that offers 24/7 recording to the cloud, if you go for the Advanced subscription ($20 per month or $200 per year). Note, though, that even without 24/7 recording the Nest doorbell never missed a minute of motion-triggered activity in my tests, and more importantly, it never issued any false alerts. Still, if you want access to everything that happens, the option for 24/7 recording is available, though only for 10 consecutive days at a time.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Google Gemini is still in beta. The newest Google Nest cameras automatically provide access to Google Gemini, the company’s AI platform. In testing, I found that many of these features weren’t really useful, and worse, they were consistently inaccurate. Google told us that Gemini is still “in beta,” so I can’t recommend turning on those features for now.
All Google Nest cameras are selective with their smartphone notifications. Nest cameras don’t send multiple alerts in a short time frame. On average, I would get alerts about every 10 minutes. I asked Google why, and company representatives said the system was intended to prevent too many notifications; they also noted that there was no specific delay interval or any way for me to adjust it. Note that regardless of whether you receive a notification, you still get a recording. If you don’t pay attention to multiple notifications (and if anecdotal evidence from Wirecutter staffers is any indication, many people don’t), you probably won’t notice, but it could mean that you miss the exact moment a new person, pet, package, or vehicle appears in front of your door.
You really need a subscription. Unlike all of our other picks, the latest Nest doorbell really needs a paid subscription — and it’s technically the most expensive plan, starting at $10 per month or $100 per year. Even the previous version of this doorbell allowed you to capture full-length clips, which were auto-deleted after three hours. Google has since doubled the storage length but limited clips to a measly 10 seconds, which isn’t functionally useful.
It can’t always remember a face. Familiar-face detection can alert you to repeat visitors, such as family members and caregivers, with a notification that includes a name (“Rachel seen”). However, it needs to get a good look at the person, or it can’t correctly identify them. Also, face detection is available only with a Google Home Premium subscription.
Privacy and security snapshot
- Video is encrypted in transit and at rest but not while in use.
- Face data is stored locally in the doorbell’s internal memory, which is encrypted. For security reasons, the internal memory is not accessible or removable.
- Google shares data only with approved partners, such as a home security provider. The company will also share audio recordings, video footage, device-sensor data, or Wi-Fi network performance data with third-party apps if you give permission.
- Recordings cannot be accessed without permission, except when required by law, such as via a valid subpoena or court order, and then only by limited personnel.
- Two-factor authentication is available but not required.
For more details, read Google’s privacy statement.
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