One IS Better: Nest IQ vs Nest Cam Outdoor

Last Updated on April 5th, 2019 by Natalia Bickell

Nest has a range of security cameras that can help you keep an eye inside and outside your home. It currently has two outdoor cameras that you can choose from: the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor and the Nest Cam Outdoor. What makes these two different?

Nest Cam Outdoor

The Nest Cam Outdoor allows you to keep an eye on your yard and things outside your house. This security camera has a motion sensor that would know if somebody is moving in front of it. It will then send you an alert, allowing you to check your camera feed. If there is a person out there, you can use the same app to talk to him or her.

This means that you do not have to constantly monitor the video feed; the Nest Cam Outdoor will tell you if it detects something. Also, with the two-way communication, you can easily scare off would-be criminals or, if it’s the delivery guy, you can give him instructions on where to leave your package.

One of the biggest selling points of the Nest Cam Outdoor is how easy it is to install. You only have to plug it in and then mount the camera where you want to place it. After that, everything is good to go. Plus, it is waterproof and weatherproof, so you can leave it outside even when it rains or when the heat of the sun is particularly severe.

But, most importantly, Nest Cam Outdoor gives you high-definition videos, capturing 1080p HD videos with 8x digital zoom. This will allow you to see even the most minute details in the video. The camera can also see most of what is in front of it with a 130-dgree diagonal field of view.

Keeping your home safe is a 24/7 task, so it would make sense that Nest Cam Outdoor can also see things at night with its night vision feature. This means that you can see what’s happening even when it is dark outside.

You might think that all of these features are available with other outdoor security cameras, but Nest has a feature that allows you to make your feeds public or unlockable with a password. This way, you can have the neighbors watch your feed to help keep you protected. If you neighbors also have the Nest Cam Outdoor, you can do the same for them.

How does the Nest Cam Outdoor differ from the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor?

Because the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is also an outdoor security camera manufactured by Nest, comparisons between the two cannot be avoided. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor does the same things as the original Nest Cam Outdoor, with a video resolution of 1080 pixels. The high-definition camera also has a 130-degree diagonal field of view. It can detect movements and also has the same night vision capabilities.

The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor’s security camera feeds are also protected with 128-bit advanced encryption standard with transport layers security and secure sockets layer. This 128-bit AES with TLS/SSL is a reliable encryption protocol that keeps your streaming videos from being watched by unauthorized people.

The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor, however, is more than double the price of the original Nest Cam Outdoor. Right now, the IQ version sells for $319, as opposed to Nest Cam Outdoor’s $149 price tag. Why is this so? And what are the other differences between the two?

• Dimensions: While both cameras sport the same white color and have the same materials, the Nest Cam Outdoor is smaller and lighter than the Nest Cam IQ.
• Water and dust proofing: Both security cameras are similarly dustproof, but the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is more waterproof than Nest Cam Outdoor. The Nest Cam IQ can withstand low pressure water jets whereas the Nest Cam Outdoor can only stand water sprays.
• Better sensor. While both security cameras give you true HD videos, the Nest Cam IQ has a better sensor. Nest Cam Outdoor has a 3-megapixel sensor that gives you 8x digital zoom, while the IQ version has an 8-megapixel camera that can provide 12x digital zoom. The IQ is also capable of HDR capture that improves picture quality.
• Person alerts. Nest cameras can identify a person. With the Nest Cam Outdoor, you would need to get a Nest Aware subscription for this feature to be available, but with the IQ version, it is part of what you pay for upon purchase.
• Light ring. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor has a light ring that lights up to give you an idea of what your camera is doing. This is on top of the smaller status light. The status light would tell you if your Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is working normally, is streaming live video, or lost its connection to your Wi-Fi network. The light ring, on the other hand, tells you whether the camera is ready to be connected to the app, when the talk and listen feature is activated, if the camera is having trouble connecting, or if it has insufficient power. There is no light ring on the Nest Cam Outdoor, but the status light changes colors depending on the status of your camera. For example, green means that everything is fine, blue means that the camera is rebooting, red means something is wrong with your camera, while pulsing green means someone is watching the live stream.
• Operating temperature range. Both security cameras are designed to work outdoors. But Nest Cam IQ has a wider operating temperature range at -40°C to 45°C. The Nest Cam Outdoor can only withstand temperatures of -20°C to 40°C.
• Supersight. Supersight is a feature that directs the camera to zoom into a person once he or she comes into view. Supersight also follows the person around, allowing you to easily identify that person. Supersight is only available on Nest Cam IQ Outdoor even without a Nest Aware subscription.
• Familiar face alerts. Nest is known for its learning thermostats. With the familiar face detection feature, your camera can detect the differences in a person’s face, allowing it to recognize people that it sees often, such as family members and friends who frequently visit you. Nest is able to send you alerts when it sees a familiar face, or an unfamiliar one, depending on your preferences. Familiar face alerts is only available on Nest Cam IQ Outdoor with a Nest Aware subscription.
• Two-way communication. Both outdoor cameras have the talk and listen feature, but the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor has a better set of speakers and microphones.

Nest Cam IQ Outdoor vs Nest Cam Outdoor: Side-by-side comparison

Final say about the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor and the Nest Cam Outdoor

Both the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor and the Nest Cam Outdoor can help you keep an eye on things that are outside your home. And both do a great job. However, if you are looking to save, you can just get the Nest Cam Outdoor, which is now priced at $149. But if you want more features for your outdoor security camera, you might want to shell out $170 more for theNest Cam IQ Outdoor. It might be double the price of the original Nest Cam Outdoor, but it does come with a better camera and better features, such as person alerts without having to pay for a Nest Aware subscription, as well as unique features such as the light ring, the Supersight capability, familiar face alerts, and a better two-way communication system.

Further read:

• Nest IQ vs Arlo Pro 2
• Nestcam vs Foscam 
• Nest cam vs Piper

Patrick Sinclair

Patrick Sinclair is a geek; make no mistake about that. He runs All Home Robotics in his spare time so he doesn’t have to think about his depressing cubicle and it gives him an excuse to buy expensive gadgets to review!