Google’s Nest adds home-monitoring camera

Nest Labs

, the home automation company owned by

Google

, has announced the Nest Cam, the newest addition to their

range of connected devices.

A connected home-monitoring camera with microphone, speaker, motion sensors and night-vision, the Nest Cam is a redesigned version of the highly regarded home camera manufactured by Dropcam, which Nest acquired in June 2014 for $555 million.

Shooting video in 1080p high-definition with a wide-angle glass lens and three megapixel sensor, the Nest Cam retails for €199, and can upload 10-30 days worth of continuous video to the newly announced Nest Aware cloud service. The additional Nest Aware cloud service costs either €10 or €30 a month for the different storage options.

Nest also announced a redesigned version of the Nest Protect, a fire, smoke and CO2 alarm, with new sensors to detect fast-spreading fires.

Software announcements included upgraded software for Nest’s original learning thermostat, first launched in 2011, as well as version 5.0 of its mobile app for controlling and interacting with Nest’s suite of products.

Co-founded by former Apple vice president Tony Fadell and former Apple engineer Matt Rogers in 2010, Nest Labs was acquired by Google in January 2014 for $3.2 billion.

“At Nest, we always wanted to build more than a thermostat,” said Nest chief executive Fadell. “Our vision was to create a thoughtful home, a home that takes care of itself and the people in it. Five years later, all the pieces are in place.”

Nest's general manager for Europe, Lionel Paillet, said "We have three products today, they work well on their own, they work better together, and they work great with third-party products."

The so-called Internet of Things category of internet-connected devices has long been seen as a major growth area by technology companies, with numerous manufacturers now developing home automation products.

In recent weeks, both Google and Apple have focused on the area with software announcements – Google unveiled Brillo operating system for connected devices, while Apple revealed details about its HomeKit framework for communicating with and controlling connected accessories.