Google Nest cameras are finally getting this important free upgrade

(Image credit: Google)

published 29 July 2022

Good news for Nest camera owners: Google is bringing Chromecast streaming to all models so you can stream directly to your Chromecast with Google TV. The news comes via a post on the Nest Community blog, which explains: "Starting this week, you will be able to watch the video feed from all of your Nest Cams and Nest Doorbells using Chromecast with Google TV!"

That's a big improvement, as at the moment Nest's only device in our guide to the best smart security devices is its Nest Protect smart smoke detector. Being able to tune into your cameras from your TV makes Nest cameras much more useful, and much more convenient.

Google says that all Nest Cams and Nest Doorbells will be supported "shortly", including the Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery), Nest Cam (indoor, wired), Nest Cam with floodlight and Nest Doorbell (battery). Once the feature has rolled out to your devices you'll be able to use your Chromecast voice remote to say which camera you want to see, for example by saying "show me the front door camera." You'll also be able to use other Google Assistant-enabled devices with a "hey Google" command.

The big question about Nest Chromecast streaming

What took Google so long? This has taken an uncharacteristically long time. You'd think Google would prioritise its own hardware but as Engadget reports, the feature was only previously available to Nest-branded displays – and Google brought Nest Cam streaming to Amazon's various Echo displays long before it brought it to its own Google TV hardware. Not only that, but Amazon's Ring was Chromecast-friendly before Nest devices were.

It may have taken a while to get here but it's still welcome. The Chromecast with Google TV is one of the best streamers you can buy, and expanding it to include Nest smart home security products makes it an even better buy. Chances are if you've bought a Chromecast you're a fan of Google's way of doing things, so the more integration you have between your different Google devices the smarter your smart home will be.

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Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).