Google has announced a new skill that will allowAmazon Alexato work with the latest Nest cameras and doorbells.
Following on from the release of theNest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery),Nest Cam (indoor, wired), Nest Cam with floodlight andNest Doorbell (battery)in 2021, and with connectivity standardMatteron the horizon, the move breaks down a key barrier between the two smart home giants.
Moving forward, then, Alexa users will be compatible with these newerGoogle Nest devicesand view the likes of livestreams on Echo Show, Fire TV and Fire Tablets. Even features like two-way talk will be enabled, if you use commands like, “Alexa, talk to the front door”.
Coming soon, Google says, Alexa will also be able to support Announcements when any of the compatible devices detects motion at your door, for example.
Sadly, the changes don’t affect legacy Nest devices, such as older cameras, but Google does indicate that existing skills will still work with Nest devices.
That means you can continue to use Alexa to adjust the temperature on a Nest Learning Thermostat, say.
So, how do you actually go about setting up this new Google Nest skill?
Once your devices are set up in theGoogle Home app, simply search for the ‘Google Nest’ skill in the Alexa app (on iOS or Android) and enable it.
From there, you can tinker with settings in the Google Home app on each device, enabling things like detection.
You’ll then also need to turn on detection and notifications for ‘Motion’ in the Alexa app, as well as ensure that motion and doorbell announcements are turned on in settings (Devices > Cameras > [your Google Nest device] > Settings).
With that, you should be set.
When we see Amazon reciprocate, however, remains to be seen, with no word from the company just yet about opening up its own range of devices (including those from the likes of Ring and Blink) to the Google Home ecosystem. Stay tuned for more as the year progresses, as we suspect the arrival of Matter should help continue some of this interoperability liberation.
