Adjust these settings on the Google Nest Hello video doorbell
While traditional doorbells are sufficient at letting you know when someone is at your door, newer video doorbells, such as the Google Nest Hello, provide a real-time view of who is outside your home.
This additional security measure allows you to rest easy. It also gives you peace of mind whether you’re home or away. Tap or click here to learn how Nest Hello will let you know when your package has arrived.
The initial setup for Google Nest Hello is straightforward; however, there are a few settings you will want to adjust to improve your experience. We’ll tell you all about them.
Set up 2-step
If you have any online accounts, including retail or banking, you are familiar with 2-step verification, often referred to as two-factor authentication. This login process provides an extra layer of security to your accounts. Tap or click here to learn more about two-factor authentication.
To help you prevent someone from signing into your Nest account without your permission, add two-step verification. The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure your phone or tablet on your Nest account are up to date with the Nest OS. Once your devices are up to date, you’re ready to set up 2-step.
Tap on the Settings gear and select Account. Click Manage account and tap Account security. Select 2-step verification and toggle it on. From here, simply follow the prompts to enter your password, phone number and verification code, which will be sent to your trusted device. Click Done when finished.
Note: When you turn on 2-step verification, Nest will automatically sign you out of the Nest app on all devices you used before. This is a security measure so you can log back in using 2-step on those devices.
Enable camera routine
Although designed to be on 24/7, you may want to turn the Nest Hello camera on and off at certain times. One option is to set the doorbell with the Home Away/Assist feature, which uses the geolocation of your smartphone to determine whether you are home.
To program the camera, go to the Nest Hello Settings, tap Schedule and enable it. Pick the days you want to schedule and select Add time (mobile app) or Add (desktop) and set the times.
You can choose Repeat if you need to use the same schedule over several days.
RELATED: Tap or click to learn what to do if your video doorbell is stolen by thieves.
Note: If you opt to schedule your camera, you will need to disable the Home/Away Assist feature.
Adjust video quality
The Nest Hello camera records and streams continuously to the cloud. If set to high-quality, which is required with the Google Nest Aware subscription, the camera can consume a large amount of bandwidth, which could prove costly for homeowners who have data caps through their internet providers.
To reduce the video quality, thus the volume of bandwidth used, merely go into your Nest app and select the camera you want to change. Click the Settings gear and tap Quality and Bandwidth. Move the slider to the desired quality.
Note: Regardless of what level of quality you choose, your camera will automatically adjust its resolution and compression in accordance to available bandwidth. This should not be the norm, as it will consume the maximum amount of bandwidth.
Set up notifications
As with any app that offers a notification option, you can adjust the number of alerts you receive from your Nest Hello. The selections available depend on the type of camera you have and whether you subscribe to Nest Aware.
You can choose to receive your notifications via email, your phone or both. In addition, you have the option to get alerts all the time or only when you or someone with shared access leaves your home.
You can further opt to turn on all activity, which will send you notifications for everything your camera detects. There is also an option to receive notifications for specific events, like the recognition of a familiar face and package arrival or pickup, to avoid an overflow of notifications.
If you own an Android, visit this page to learn about the numerous notification options and how to adjust them.
If you own an Apple device, visit this page to learn about the notification options and how to adjust them.
Adjust motion-detection sensitivity
Your Nest Hello may alert you to even the slightest of movement if you live close to a sidewalk or other high foot traffic areas. To refine this setting, you will need to adjust the camera’s activity zone. You must have a Nest Aware subscription to create a zone.
Open the app and select your camera. Tap Settings and select Activity Zones. Click Create Zone +. Turn your phone so it’s in landscape mode. Tap and drag inside the zone to move it.
Drag any of the eight points around the edge to change the area’s shape. Then tap the pencil icon to give your zone a name. Click the check mark to save, then tap the new check mark to save the zone.
Share access/add users
If your household includes multiple people, you can share access to Nest Hello. Doing so will allow everyone to check the live video whenever the doorbell rings.
RELATED: Tap or click to learn about your rights as a video doorbell owner.
To add a user, go into Settings, and select Family & Guests. Tap on Add a person. Enter the info and tap Continue. Enter the person’s email address or tap Add from contacts, then tap Send.
Note: You can share your Nest camera video without giving others full access to your Nest home. To learn more about customizing what you share, visit Google’s support page.
Although your Google Nest Hello is a great device out of the box, a few setting adjustments will improve your overall experience with this video doorbell. Follow the steps above and enjoy your doorbell at its fullest potential.
Tags: Android, Apple, Google, security
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