Less than two days before Google is supposed to announce new hardware, it offloaded some announcements leading up to the hours of the Thursday morning launch event. Google outlines new UI changes and features coming to the Google Home app, as well as two new Nest hardware products including a new Doorbell and a new Nest Wi-Fi model.
2nd Generation Wired Nest Doorball
Google’s wired Nest Doorbell is refreshed. It now has a 3:4 aspect ratio with 960 x 1280 px resolution, making it easier to see whether there’s a package at the door. The sensor supports HDR capture and 145-degree field of view. Google claims the 2nd generation wired Nest Doorbell has “the clearest image yet”.
It features the same design as its predecessor, but with a 30% smaller footprint. Since it is wired, its capable of saving continuous 24-hour footage up to 10 days with a Nest Aware Plus subscription. It processed video on-device for quicker alerts when there’s a person, pet, or package.
The 2nd generation wired Nest Doorbell will retail for $179 and is already available for purchase.
Google Nest Wifi Pro
Google has an updated mesh Wi-Fi system with support for the latest Wi-Fi 6E protocol. It loses out on smart speaker integration, and it can’t mesh with older Nest Wi-Fi models. If you already have Nest Wi-Fi nodes, the nest Wi-Fi Pro won’t work with them.
Want the full details on #NestWifi Pro? We’ll give you a minute to watch this video.
Preorder at the Google Store: https://t.co/yHbGbbvpUW 👀
(9/21) pic.twitter.com/izhlj7Mpwa
— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) October 4, 2022
The Nest Wifi Pro can output combined speeds of up to 5.4Gbps and will cover up to 2,200 Sq ft per router.
The Nest Wifi Pro will be available starting on October 27 and will cost $199 for a single router, or $399 for a bundle of one router and two nodes.
Google Home app redesign
The Google Home app is getting a refresh, and Google has already outlined the changes. The new app UI will be rolling out “in the coming weeks”.
The Google Home app will have a new five-tab layout: Favorites – lets you pin your most used smart devices, Devices – shows you all home devices, Automations – a more comprehensive view of “Routines”, Activity – shows recent activity of smart cameras or doorbells, and Settings.
The Google Home app always organized smart devices by room, but a new organization tool called “Spaces” will let you group devices together, across different rooms of the house.
Google Home apps will soon be available on Wear OS and web browser so you can finally view your camera feeds through a computer. Google also promises a script editor that lets anyone code Automations themselves. Google says we can expect this to arrive sometime in 2023.
Now let’s talk access. The Google Home app will soon come to Wear OS and web.
Here’s a preview of the app on #GooglePixelWatch, which we shared with you during I/O.
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— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) October 4, 2022
If you want to try the new Google Home app early, there will be a Public Preview for the app that you can sign up to try “in the coming weeks”.
Google will be having a hardware launch event this Thursday at 10AM Eastern time to announce the Pixel 7, 7 Pro, Pixel Watch, and possibly more Nest hardware.
