I wanted to buy a Nest Cam but got this cheap alternative instead — here’s why

I moved into my new apartment a few months ago and wanted to set up a security camera for obvious reasons. The crime rate is going up, so I feel more comfortable knowing I’ll get a notification if someone walks into my home when I’m not there. I also generally like to check the live feed every now and then, making sure there aren’t any other issues while I’m away.

My first impulse was to buy an indoor Nest Cam (3rd gen). I’m already deep into Google’s ecosystem, using everything from Gmail and NotebookLM, to Photos and even Gemini. I also have a Pixel phone. I like Google’s products in general, so a Nest Cam seemed like the obvious choice.

However, after a bit of research, Google’s security camera lost most of its appeal. I ended up going with the Eufy C220, which is more suited to my needs and is even cheaper. Here’s exactly why I decided to buy this security camera and why I think most people should consider it too.

I have three main issues with Google’s Nest Cam. The first is the price. At $100, it’s vastly overpriced, considering there are plenty of cheaper options out there. Then there’s the lack of pan and tilt functionality. Technically, you can adjust the angle of the camera, but you have to do it manually. I was searching for a camera that automatically tilts and pans when someone enters the house, since I didn’t want to place it in the far corner of the room due to the apartment’s layout. I also wanted to be able to move it via the app so I could check out the entire apartment while out and about.

The last issue I have with the Nest Cam is that you need a subscription to access many of its features, including continuous recording. Without a subscription, all you get is a six-hour event video history. This means the camera will capture video clips when it detects motion (only up to 10 seconds long), but they are deleted after just six hours, making them quite useless in my opinion. So if someone quietly breaks into my home at 1 am while I’m asleep and I get up at 8 am, I can’t see the video footage anymore.

To solve this, you’ll have to opt for continuous recording, which is part of a subscription that will set you back as much as $20 per month. So not only is the camera very expensive, but I’d also have to pay a monthly subscription to use all of its features. No thanks, Google.

After doing a lot of research, I came across the Eufy C220 security camera. The brand is owned by Anker, a company that I really like. I have their headphones, earbuds, a Bluetooth speaker, and a robot vacuum cleaner, and I’m very happy with all of them. This gave me confidence that the camera would be just as good as promised. And it is.

The first thing that caught my attention was the price. I bought it on sale for around $25, so I could buy four of them for the price of a single Nest Cam. The regular price is $35, although the product is more or less always on sale.

Despite its affordable price, the Eufy C220 has a tilt and pan function. This means that when it detects a person in the house, it rotates and tracks their movement at all times. I can also pan and tilt it manually from the Eufy app, ensuring I can see every part of the room the camera is in. This makes positioning the camera easy, as I don’t have to place it in a corner to get a view of the whole room.

Here’s the kicker — I don’t need to pay for a subscription to use the main features of the camera. I can just slide in a microSD card, and the camera will continuously record and save the footage to the card. Additionally, I can start recording from my phone at any time, with the footage being saved locally on my handset. It’s brilliant.

These are the reasons why the Eufy C220 is a better choice for me than the Nest Cam, and I think the same applies to many other people.

While I really like my new Eufy camera, it’s far from perfect. Yes, continuous recording with local storage is great as I don’t need a subscription, but it does pose a problem. If someone were to break into my house and steal the camera, all my footage would be gone. With cloud storage, I’d still have access to it in that scenario.

There are ways to solve this issue, though. I can mount the camera to the wall with the attachment that comes in the box, making it trickier for someone to snatch it in a hurry. I can also get a HomeBase from Eufy that I can hide from sight, which will then store all the content instead of the camera itself. It’s an extra expense, though. And like with Google, I can opt for cloud storage as well. It’s something I’d try to avoid, but it’s there if I ever need it. It’s cheaper too, starting at $4 per month.

Another problem is that I need a separate, dedicated app for the Eufy C220. I have connected all my smart products to the Google Home app for ease of use, and while this allows me to control the camera with my voice, the overall functionality is limited. While I can pan and tilt the camera manually in the Eufy app, I can’t do the same in the Google Home app. I also can’t start recording with the press of a button. All I can do is view the live feed. That’s it. And I can’t even access it with a tap, as it won’t load for some reason. The only way it shows up is via a voice prompt.

So despite a few issues with the device, I’m still very happy with my purchase. The Eufy offers more useful features, doesn’t hide them behind a subscription, and is up to four times cheaper. The video quality is very similar between the two, based on my research.

It also has other great features, like an alarm sound the camera projects from its speaker, which could scare intruders off. It’s a feature the Nest Cam lacks. I also like the two-way communication ability, although this is also present on Google’s camera.

I also really like the camera’s privacy feature. When I enable it via the app, the camera not only stops recording but also rotates toward the wall and tilts down, giving me peace of mind that it doesn’t have me in its frame.

The Nest Cam does have other advantages, though, mainly through its integration with Gemini. For example, it can summarize recorded events into a quick daily recap, so you can get up to speed with everything in less than a minute. It’s not something that I see myself using, but to each their own. You do need a subscription for this, though.

So for me, getting the Eufy C220 over the Nest Cam was the right choice, and I have no regrets. But I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Would you do the same, or would you rather get Google’s security camera? Let me know in the comments.