Google Nest cameras and thermostats now work with the Abode home security system, again
Starting today, users of the smart home security system Abode can now control and automate Google Nest products natively inside the Abode app. This new feature will let you do things like set your alarm system to arm automatically when your Nest Thermostat switches to “away” and have your Google Nest Cam with floodlight send an alert to a professional monitoring service if it spots someone lurking on your property.
Long-term users of Abode will note that some of these features aren’t strictly new. They used to be able to have their Nest Thermostat’s mode control their security system — and more — before Google disabled its popular Works With Nest (WWN) program way back in 2019. (Some legacy connections still work, but those will be shut down entirely in September.) Also in 2019, Google announced a Google Nest Device Access Program to replace WWN. Now, almost four years later, we’re finally seeing companies using the program, thanks to the recent availability of a new API.
“[The API] is new within the past several months and Abode was the logical choice to be among the first to develop given our history as a security company with a deep and robust Nest integration,” Christopher Carney, CEO and founder of Abode Systems, tells The Verge. “We’ve been working with Google to refresh our original Works With Nest program, which was very popular among Abode users.”
The Google Nest Device Access program allows “qualified” smart home device makers to integrate Google Nest cameras and thermostats directly with their products and, according to Google, provides better security and privacy safeguards than Works With Nest. The Abode integration works with all Google Nest Thermostats, Nest cameras and doorbells (old and new), and the Google Nest Hub Max. You can see a full list of supported devices here.
“This reintegration will provide customers with a seamless and convenient way to manage their home security, climate control, and video surveillance, not to mention routines and automations, all in one place,” said Carney. Triggers such as temperature or humidity for the thermostat and person, motion, and sound detection from Google Nest cameras can be used for automations with Abode’s CUE automation system. This requires an Abode plan — Standard at $7 a month or Pro at $23 a month. The Pro plan includes professional monitoring, so if a Google camera detected motion when the system was armed, the monitoring service could receive an alarm alert.
Footage from the Nest Doorbell will be viewable in the Abode app thanks to the new integration. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
The integration has limitations — Google will only let the Abode system capture recorded video from the Nest Doorbell; all other Nest cameras just provide a livestream view. It’s also worth noting that to view any recorded or live video in the Abode app, you need Abode’s Standard plan.
Source: The Verge
