Review: The Sleek And Smart Google Nest Doorbell Is Great With Notifications And Monitoring Your Deliveries, Even From Afar

Let’s just say, technology is the realm where progress and frustration dance an awkward tango. 

Picture this: you’re nestled in your cosy couch deep into your fifth Gossip Girl marathon, sipping Dong Ding oolong tea when your phone sends you a flurry of notifications of ‘movement detected’ in front of your door. You wait and wait but there’s no “ding dong” of the doorbell yet – now you have to pause in the middle of a Blair Waldorf takedown to check who the heck is loitering outside. That’s pretty much life with a Google Nest Doorbell. 

But don’t get me wrong, there are many harmonious ‘dings’ and less irksome ‘dongs’ with the Google Nest Doorbell and having one in your life can actually be useful – like in that case where this little piece of tech caught a delivery rider stealing packages. 

Let’s start with the bright spots:

1. It looks good – and easy to fix

Shallow, but true. No one wants a clunky eyesore hanging in front of their house. The Google Nest boasts a sleek and minimalist design and comes in a couple of classy shades. Though stylish, the simple build makes it discreet when mounted on the wall. Installation was breezy and the instructions were easy enough to follow, from the assembling to the app installation process.

2. Sharp camera and smart alerts

The high-resolution camera and sensitive motion sensor is nothing short of impressive. Way before the doorbell rings, I was alerted promptly of any motion outside my door wherever I am (even Japan), including my cat making a dash for her short-lived freedom, pesky housing agents poking at plants before preaching the benefits of MOP so I can sell my flat, and of course delivery people. Even before the doorbell is pressed, the app gives you the option of communicating with your visitor with some prompts like leaving the delivery at the door or waiting for a bit. 

There was an incident however where I was doing my morning skincare routine when I got an alert about a delivery man at the door. I used the speaker function to tell him to leave it at the door. Most of the time, the delivery person will look puzzled and search for the source of the voice. What I did not expect was for this guy to shout, “If you inside then just come out and take your package lah!!!” Shaken, I ran to the door with sticky fingers and a shiny face to tell him I had my hands full. He gave me a death stare and chucked my package on the doormat. Rude.

For context, I got the Google Nest Doorbell because my parcels too got stolen often – but I had no proof (I said I did to scare them) and had to resort to Post-It notes. Since getting the Google Nest Doorbell I haven’t had any stolen packages, but maybe because I left the Post-It notes there for a while.

3. Long battery life and free video storage

There’s a wired version of the same doorbell but I’m using the battery-powered model which I change once every two to three months. On top of that, you also get up to three hours of event video history without a subscription – which you don’t really need. 

And the not-so-good bits:

You need a drill to mount it on the wall, and while this seems like a trivial issue, not everyone has a drill. 

Also as a disclaimer, I’m a Google girl in a Google world – meaning I use a Pixel phone, have a couple of Google speakers in the house and have a Google Nest Hub which makes connectivity even better and more interlinkage between the devices. But honestly speaking, this is really a non-issue. 

All in all, this smart doorbell really opened my eyes to how much I wanted from a doorbell, from things like surveillance and prompt notifications. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt if you want to expand your Google ecosystem as well. 

Google Nest Doorbell, from $205.39

Google Audio Bluetooth Speaker

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