Google Nest Watches Your Pet For You When You’re Gone

Your pet is up to something. You just know it. They may look all meek and innocent, but behind those big, beautiful eyes lies chaos — pure and unadulterated. Or not. Either way, you need a pet cam. And not just any pet cam. A truly great pet cam. One that works outdoors or indoors. One that stores hours of high-quality, full-color footage and only comes on when your pet is actually in view. One that allows you to speak to your pet in real time and hear their response. “Bucky, you get off that sofa! You know you’re not supposed to be up there.” Or “It’s OK, sweetie; mommy will be home soon.” 

A good pet cam gives you a chance to feel those warm, lovely feels you get when you look at your sweet little pet, whether you’re having a tough day at the office and need a quick emotional pick-me-up, or you’re across the country and working through snuggle withdrawal. 

Although there are a lot of cams out there that are marketed as being specifically for pets, none of them can really compete with the Google Nest. It may have initially been developed and marketed as a personal security device, but it is actually one of the best pet cams you can buy.

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Google Nest comes wired or battery-powered, depending on your preference, and is super easy to install and start using straight out of the box. Last fall, Google even launched a floodlight version, which is great for outdoor use — not that you necessarily need the floodlights for watching your pet, as the Nest cam comes equipped with night vision.

Google Nest records in 1080p and has a 135 degree field of vision with 6x zoom to help you see exactly what you want. You can even hone in on specific regions in the cam’s view so that it is only activated when action occurs in that spot. For example, say you recently purchased a new cat tree for your feline and you want to know if they’re using it when you’re out of the house. You can circle the cat tree using the Google Home app and receive a notification if and when your pet interacts with it. 

The Nest cam is also able to differentiate between people, vehicles, and pets, and you can adjust the sensitivity of the censors to meet your specific needs. You can get multiple Nest cams and link them through the Google Home app and record up to 10 days of continuous 24/7 video when you subscribe to Nest Aware Plus (you can get three hours of recording without a subscription). Nest Aware Plus also stores 60 days worth of video, while the standard Nest Aware package gives you 30 days. 

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Google Nest is even kind of lovely. It’s sleek and minimal, but earthy enough to fit seamlessly into just about any home decor scheme. It comes in a variety of colors and its plastic components are made from 45 percent recycled materials.

“My eyes are glued to my Google Nest cam pretty much any time I leave my new puppy, Binx, home alone,” says Kinship’s editorial director, Samantha Gurrie. “I work from home, so I made the mistake of never leaving him alone for the first couple of months, and then became worried he was going to have separation anxiety.”

So, she got the Nest cam and cut the proverbial cord. “I’m not a fan of crating dogs, so I leave Binx in my bedroom with an assortment of interactive toys, then open the Google Home app as soon as I walk out the door,” she says. “The picture and sound are crystal clear, and the signal has never dropped out — even during date nights and pilates classes. Sure, there are many pet cams on the market, but this one is actually kind of cute. It blends in with my decor and, more importantly, gives me the peace of mind to leave my pup alone.” 

Google Nest Security Cam

$100

$80

$80 at Amazon