Security Cameras / Google
Google Nest Cam Indoor, Wired (3rd Gen, GA09973-US)
Best picture at $100 indoors, and the only camera here with no local storage at all.
Overall score 5.5/10
Pros
- + The best-looking daylight image of any $100 indoor camera here, and it holds colour far lower into dusk
- + Free tier is genuinely better than Ring's or Arlo's — 6 hours of event previews beats nothing at all
- + Gemini search across history is the only AI feature in this set that changes how you use the app
- + Google's 24/7 continuous recording (Advanced plan) is a real capability Ring only sells as a $3/mo add-on
Cons
- − Those free 6 hours are 'Event Video Previews' — 10-second clips, not the event recordings Google's older 3-hour free tier gave
- − Zero local storage. No card, no hub, no NAS, no offline fallback of any kind
- − Nest Aware became Google Home Premium in 2025 and the useful tier (Advanced, 60-day history plus 24/7) is $20/mo
- − Google does not publish the Wi-Fi bands, the frame rate, or the bitrate anywhere on the US listing
- − Indoor only — the outdoor 2nd-gen wired version is a separate $149.99 purchase
Google Nest Cam Indoor, Wired (3rd Gen, GA09973-US) review: what the specs say
Best picture at $100 indoors, and the only camera here with no local storage at all. At $99.99, Google's 2025 model sits among the cheapest we cover — the security Cameras we compare run from $29.99 to $429.99. It scores 5.5/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.
Its strongest showing is Video Quality at 8.5/10 — real sensor resolution, frame rate and bitrate at the advertised top mode — not the marketing number. The weakest is Local Storage at 0.5/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.
Worth knowing before you buy: those free 6 hours are 'Event Video Previews' — 10-second clips, not the event recordings Google's older 3-hour free tier gave; and zero local storage. No card, no hub, no NAS, no offline fallback of any kind. Every specification on this page comes from Google's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.
Specifications and price last verified . Report an error
Full Specifications
| Max Resolution | 2K HDR (2560x1440) |
| Frame Rate at Top Resolution | Not published by Google |
| Field of View | 152 degrees diagonal |
| Power Source | Wired only — USB-C indoor power adapter. Google notes a cable is needed for 24/7 recording |
| Battery Life Claim | Not applicable — mains powered only |
| Night Vision | Colour low-light imaging; Google claims 120% more light sensitivity than the 2nd gen |
| Weather Rating | Indoor only |
| Wi-Fi / Network | Not published on the US store listing |
| Local Storage | None. No Nest camera has ever had a microSD slot, a hub, or a NAS path |
| With No Subscription | Live view, alerts, two-way talk, and up to 6 hours of Event Video Previews — 10-second clips, not full event recordings |
| Cheapest Plan | 10 $/mo |
| RTSP / ONVIF / NVR | No RTSP, no ONVIF, no NVR support |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (Google does not publish the supported bands on the US store listing), Google Home, Gemini |
| Material | Polycarbonate with a fabric-look base (Google does not publish a material spec) |
| Warranty | 12 months |
Compare Google Nest Cam Indoor, Wired (3rd Gen, GA09973-US) With
Cheaper Alternative
Wyze Cam v4 — $35.98
Premium Alternative
Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro, PoE (CH-C03E) — $199.99