HOUSEHOLDS using Google’s home security gadgets have hit out at the company’s decision to raise subscription fees.
Nest is a popular rival to Ring, with doorbell and video camera devices among the portfolio.
2
2
The devices are free to use for live monitoring and answering to whoever is knocking at the door.
But much like Ring, if you want to store video recordings in the cloud you’ll need to pay a subscription fee.
Well, that fee is rising from next month and customers have called it “utter nonsense”.
“I’d rather throw my Nest devices in the trash and outlay the upfront cost for another brand rather than be subject to another price increase,” one user raged on Reddit.
“It’s getting hard to support Google/Nest when they keep f***ing us over,” another commented.
“We have had Nest Aware for many years now and after today’s email enough is enough,” a third person wrote.
The increases are coming for customers in the UK and US.
Nest Aware, which provides 30 days of event video history, is going up by £2 / $2 a month to £8 / $10.
For an annual subscription, it’ll now set you back £80 / $100, up from £60 / $80 previously.
Nest Aware Plus, which gives you 60 days of event video history as well as bonus 24/7 video history, is being hiked too.
Until now, you’d have to pay £12 / $15 per month, but going forward it’ll be £16 / $20, an increase of £4 / $5.
The same goes for annual subscriptions, which jump from £120 / $150 a year, to £160 / $200.
“Subscription prices can change to keep up with market shifts, which can include inflation and local tax updates,” Google says.
“We’ll notify you through email at least 30 days ahead of a price increase in your country or territory.”
TIME TO SWITCH?
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
Naturally at times like this, customers start to consider if it’s time to switch to another provider.
That obviously means the potentially expensive task of replacing all your existing gadgets before you feel any long-term savings.
When it comes to video doorbells and home security cams, the fees come from video storage on the cloud.
But there are some brands that allow you to store videos locally on your own hard drive instead, so you don’t need to pay extra.
You’ll need to clear the videos routinely otherwise you’re going to need a lot of hard drives – and they’re going to cost you more than using the cloud.
Some of the brands people have mentioned they are switching to online include:
So if you’re affected and considering a switch, it might be worth doing a bit of research on these.
