Google’s Second-Generation Wired Doorbell Now Costs Less Than $100.
Google’s second-generation Nest wired doorbell is on sale on Woot for $97.99, significantly lower than its regular price of $179.99. That’s more than $80 cheaper than the current price on Amazon for a new item and even a couple of dollars less than the price of a refurbished item on Amazon , making it the lowest price ever, according to price tracking sites . Woot says the sale will last for two days or while supplies last, and Prime members get free shipping, while everyone else pays an extra $6. For those already using Google Home devices, this is one of the most affordable smart home upgrades in this price range, as the installation process and app setup are quite simple.
This model must be connected to your doorbell’s existing wiring, so you can’t install it anywhere like the battery-powered version—but that also means you won’t have to worry about recharging it every few months, as you would with the battery-powered version. The video quality is crisp—1280×960 with HDR—and the night vision is better than many cheaper doorbells, which turn dark images into a blurry mess. During the day, it captures crisp details on porches, sidewalks, and driveways, and at night, people and packages are still easily distinguishable. The sound quality is also surprisingly good. Conversations through the two-way speaker sound clear on both sides, and background noise from traffic or wind doesn’t drown out voices.
Google also includes some truly useful smart detection features without requiring an immediate subscription. The doorbell can recognize people, packages, vehicles, animals, or general motion, and the alerts are more selective than you might expect. It can usually distinguish between someone approaching your door and someone simply walking on the sidewalk across the street. However, the biggest drawback is the limited free Google cloud storage—event recordings remain available for three hours unless you pay for a Google Home subscription , which starts at $10 per month. Furthermore, its field of view is narrower than some competing doorbells, especially if existing wiring places the camera too close to a wall or door frame, as noted in this CNET review .