ADT Camera Review: A Deep Dive Into ADT's Nest Cam Lineup in 2026

Pricing and Plans

ADT’s pricing sits at the premium end of the industry, and that goes for their smart cameras too. Thankfully, ADT does not upcharge compared to buying these cameras directly from Google. That doesn’t mean you can expect Ring’s pricing with a $49.99 indoor camera, but Google Nest’s prices are competitive given their capabilities. Here’s an overview of the price and installation options for each model:

Subscription Costs

We always recommend professional monitoring, especially when it comes from ADT. It adds an extra fee, but they offer the most reliable monitoring service in the industry with 12 redundant monitoring centers spread across North America. That said, if you purchase a DIY system, you can self-monitor for free or opt for a Google Home Premium subscription. Here’s an overview of ADT’s subscriptions for Google Nest Cams:

While ADT’s Complete Monitoring isn’t cheap, we think it’s well worth the price. A similar plan from Vivint or Frontpoint costs at least $49.99 per month and neither offers as many capabilities. Plus, it unlocks ADT’s full home automation capabilities in the ADT+ app which rivals that of Vivint. Check out our ADT vs. Vivint comparison to see them head-to-head.

Of course, there are more affordable options like SimpliSafe and Ring that offer similar monitoring for $32.99 or $19.99, respectively, although with fewer smart features. We discuss why we think ADT still provides great value, despite the higher price point, in our SimpliSafe vs. ADT comparison.

Our Experience with Each Google Nest Cam Offered by ADT

In the past, you could only buy certain Google Nest Cams from ADT and they were marked up compared to buying them directly from Google. That changed recently, so now they offer the complete lineup of Google Nest Cams at the exact same price as buying direct from Google. Here’s an overview of the Google Nest Cams offered by ADT:

Now let’s dig into the details of each camera starting with the dedicated indoor model.

>> Read More: Google Nest Cam Review 2026

Google Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen)

The indoor wired model is ADT’s entry point into the Nest ecosystem at $99.99, and it’s probably the camera most people will start with. It’s compact enough to blend into most rooms without screaming “security camera,” though it’s not exactly invisible either. The design resembles a small white speaker with a lens that looks surprisingly modern on a shelf or mounted on a wall.

Mounting our Google Nest Cam Indoor (wired) on a small greenhouse cabinet allowed us to hide the cable completely

Generally, we prefer battery-powered indoor cameras for their flexibility. However, while testing this model, we actually appreciated the continuous power supply. It eliminated the battery anxiety we normally feel. Plus, the 10-foot power cable was plenty long to put the camera anywhere we needed it. We could easily reposition it throughout the month without any tools thanks to its magnetic base.

Video quality impressed us consistently. The 2K HDR feed delivered clear images even in challenging lighting conditions, and the 152-degree field of view captured most standard rooms without blind spots. Night vision performed well up to about 20 feet, using invisible infrared LEDs that won’t disturb sleeping family members or pets.

Similar to the video quality, we were also surprised with the quality of the two-way talk. Its built-in speaker and microphone are surprisingly clear. We found it perfect for telling everyone when dinner was ready.

Google Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen)

Going up in price to $149.99, you can get essentially the same camera as the Indoor model, except it’s IP65 rated for outdoor use. That means it can handle rain, snow, and dust without issue. We tested this camera through several rainstorms and one unexpected snowfall in early spring. It performed flawlessly throughout, with no fogging or water intrusion visible. The robustness of this camera is one reason ADT’s one of the best outdoor security systems.

Installation requires more commitment than the indoor model since you’ll need to route the 18-foot weatherproof cable to a protected outlet. We mounted ours under an eave overlooking the driveway, which took about 45 minutes including drilling and cable management. The included mounting hardware is solid, and the magnetic mounting plate allows for precise angle adjustments.

One standout feature is the camera’s ability to distinguish between people, animals, and vehicles — without a subscription. This actually goes for all Google Nest cameras. Most competitors require a cloud storage subscription to unlock this capability. Google still locks their facial recognition capabilities behind a subscription.

The outdoor cam’s night vision extends to about 25 feet with good clarity, adequate for most front yards and driveways. We found the 152-degree field of view worked well for monitoring entry points, though corners and wraparound porches might require multiple cameras for complete coverage.

Expert Insight: After testing several locations for our outdoor camera, we found that mounting it eight to ten feet high provided the optimal balance between accurate facial recognition and broad coverage. For more tips like this, check out our guide to security camera placement.

Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery)

At $179.99, the battery-powered Nest Cam costs more than both wired versions, but it offers installation flexibility that we feel justifies the premium. That flexibility allowed us to use this camera inside as a pet monitor, outside watching the backyard gate, and temporarily at a side entrance during a renovation project. It also put ADT on our list of the best battery-powered security cameras.

The rechargeable battery lasted about three months on average depending on activity levels and temperature. Once winter rolled around, the cold weather reduced the battery life of our camera to about six weeks. However, it’s easy to charge with the magnetic charging cable. Just bring the camera inside and plug it in for a few hours.

Mounting the Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) under the eaves of our roof provided enough coverage from the elements

Battery operation comes with trade-offs. To conserve power, the camera can’t record continuously even with a Google Home Premium Advanced subscription, unless it’s plugged in. It can still record event-based clips when it detects motion or sound. We generally prefer event-based recording anyways, since 24/7 footage takes too long to go through.

Compared to the outdoor wired model, the Google Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery) isn’t quite as robust. It only received an IP54 weatherproof rating, which is why we recommend installing it under an eave. That’ll keep it protected even during big rainstorms. The magnetic mount also makes it easy to take inside during more tumultuous weather.

Google Nest Cam with floodlight

For $279.99, you can get the flagship model in ADT’s Google Nest lineup of cameras. It requires hardwired electrical installation, so we only recommend it if you plan to get your system professionally installed. The process involves working with 120V electrical wiring, so unless you’re experienced with home electrical systems, this isn’t a DIY project.

What you get for that investment is impressive. The Nest Cam with Floodlight has two independently aimable LED floodlights that provide 2,400 lumens of bright white light. It can fully illuminate a large backyard or driveway with ease. During testing, the lights activated reliably when motion was detected. We used the sensitivity adjustments to fine-tune what triggered the lights, reducing activations from passing cars while still catching people approaching the house.

We couldn’t install the Google Nest Cam with floodlight on our own so we left it in the box until our ADT technician arrived

The camera itself matches the specs of the battery-powered Google Nest Cam with 1080p HDR video and a 130-degree field of view. We find the typical mounting height of floodlights (10 to 12 feet high) allows the camera to provide great coverage, but it can make the facial recognition slightly less accurate. That’s why we find the Google Nest Doorbell complements this camera well.

One smart feature we genuinely used: the ability to activate the floodlights manually through the app. We used it for everything from helping guests find their way to the door to lighting up the yard when taking out the trash. The lights can also operate on a schedule independent of motion detection. We got this capability while testing the Ring Floodlight Camera as well.

Battery backup isn’t included, so power outages disable both the lights and camera. This is worth considering if you live in areas with unreliable electricity, as those vulnerable periods eliminate your surveillance and deterrent lighting simultaneously.

Video Quality and Performance

Overall, we were pleased with the video quality and performance of all four Google Nest cameras offered by ADT. They record in 1080p or 2K resolution, which meets or exceeds industry standards. However, 4K cameras are becoming more common, with Ring’s new lineup including several 4K options as we discuss in our Ring vs. Google Nest comparison. Each Nest Cam also supports HDR which balances dark and bright areas in a video, limiting the impacts of glare and shadows.

Frame rates stay consistent at 30 frames per second, providing smooth video without the choppiness that plagues some budget cameras. During our testing, we experienced minimal lag when accessing live feeds over both Wi-Fi and cellular data. Typically, it only took two seconds to connect, which meets expectations for cloud-connected cameras.

Night vision deserves specific mention because it outperformed our expectations. While only the Nest Cam with floodlight supports color night vision, we find the black-and-white footage from the other cameras’ infrared LEDs is surprisingly clear. We tested this extensively by monitoring our driveway after dark, and could clearly identify people, read clothing details, and distinguish between different vehicles.

>> Check Out: A Complete Look at the Google Nest Doorbell

Smart Features and AI Detection

Once our Google Nest Cams learned a face, our alerts became smarter and told us who the camera saw.

Here’s where ADT’s Nest cameras separate themselves from basic security cameras. The AI-powered detection can distinguish between people, animals, vehicles, and general motion without any subscription. During three weeks of testing the accuracy of this AI detection, we found it identified people approximately 95 percent of the time, vehicles around 90 percent, and animals about 85 percent with few false positives.

If you subscribe to ADT Complete Monitoring or Google Home Premium, Google’s AI detection expands to facial recognition. After a week of training, our test camera reliably distinguished between residents and visitors, sending different notification types accordingly. In clear conditions it showed how facial recognition software averages over a 99 percent accuracy rate, however obstructions like sunglasses or winter hats can cause issues.2

Paired with an ADT security system, the Familiar Face feature in all of your Google Nest Cams powers ADT’s Trusted Neighbor feature. With it, you can automate your home’s security based on who your cameras see. For instance, our dog walker comes by every Thursday at noon, so we set our ADT system to disarm when it saw her at our door. If you have an ADT-compatible smart lock, it can unlock that as well.

Installation and Setup

Setup difficulty varies dramatically across the four models. The battery-powered camera wins for simplicity — download the Google Home app, scan the QR code on the camera, and follow the prompts. Total time from box to operational: about eight minutes. The indoor wired model is nearly as easy, with the only additional step being plugging it in.

The outdoor wired camera requires moderate DIY skills. You’ll need a drill, screwdriver, and some patience for cable routing. The weatherproof cable needs protection from damage, so we used cable clips to secure it along the eave and into the attic space before dropping to an interior outlet. Plan for 30 to 60 minutes depending on your mounting location and cable path complexity.

The floodlight camera demands professional installation unless you’re comfortable working with household electrical wiring. Beyond the electrical connections, the unit is heavy (about 3.5 pounds), requiring secure mounting into solid wood or masonry rather than just siding. Thankfully, ADT offers one of the best professionally installed security systems, so if you go with them, you’ll know it’s installed securely.

Once we set up our ADT base station, it was easy to connect all of our Google Nest Cams to our ADT system and app

Internet Requirements

Wi-Fi requirements are standard but important: all cameras need at least two Mbps upload speed per camera. If you have both a 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band, we recommend connecting indoor cameras to the 5 GHz band and outdoor cameras to the 2.4 GHz band. That’s because 2.4 GHz bands offer farther coverage and are better at transmitting through walls.3

ADT Professional Monitoring Integration

This is where ADT’s partnership with Nest becomes meaningful. While you can buy these same cameras directly from Google, purchasing through ADT enables integration with professional monitoring services that add a human response layer to the automated alerts.

When there’s an alert on your ADT system, ADT’s monitoring centers immediately spring into action. They notify you of the alert via their SMART Monitoring text-based protocol, asking you to mark the alert as a real emergency or a false alarm. Then, they check a video clip from your Google Nest Cams at the time of the alarm to see if they can identify an emergency. If they do, they immediately dispatch emergency services to your house. This feature is called video verification.

Integrating your Nest Cams into ADT’s monitoring service requires the Complete monitoring plan. If you opt for an ADT Self Setup system, this plan costs $39.99 per month. For professionally installed systems, it costs $49.99 per month.

Final Thoughts: Should You Add Google Nest Cameras to Your ADT System?

ADT’s Google Nest camera lineup delivers reliable hardware with strong AI features backed by optional professional monitoring. The cameras themselves perform well, with excellent video quality, intelligent detection, and user-friendly apps that make daily interaction straightforward.

Pairing these already intelligent cameras with an ADT security system makes them even smarter. ADT’s Trusted Neighbor expands on Google Nest’s facial recognition, allowing you to automate access control for your home. They also integrate into ADT’s industry-best monitoring services powering their video verification. Overall, we find the Google Nest Cams provide a meaningful upgrade to ADT’s already impressive security system.

Our Methodology

To put together this guide, our home security testing team spent over a month putting each Google Nest Cam through its paces alongside a complete ADT security system. That way, we could see how these cameras work with ADT as opposed to in isolation.

There were a few meaningful differences we noted when using Google Nest Cams alongside ADT. For instance, the cameras added video verification to ADT’s professional monitoring and ADT expanded Google’s facial recognition feature with Trusted Neighbor. These are the types of integrations we look for to assess how well third-party products work with the respective security system. It shows how both providers took the time to, not just make the components work together, but build off each other.

Finally, we put together a full rubric for grading each camera for consistent results across tests. Each camera was assessed based on its video quality, smart features, installation process, integration into ADT’s monitoring service, and overall user experience. That’s how we consistently provide our hands-on experience without bias, so you can trust our results.

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