This post is sponsored by Nest Hello.
I live in a house built in 1908.
People that stopped by to visit pulled up to the front walk, hitched their horse to the hitching post (that’s still there), walked up the front sidewalk and knocked on the door.
Or maybe they just hollered from the yard.
Whatever worked.
A few decades later someone installed a doorbell that rang when you pressed the button.
I’m pretty sure in all those decades with all those horse hitchers and doorbell ringers, no one ever imagined what might come next.
Hello doorbell.
Welcome to 2018.
I cannot even tell you how excited I am to be writing this post.
This beautiful Nest Hello with its camera and it’s blinking blue light and its ability to make me feel like I’ve got my front door under control is absolutely, positively amazing.
It’s a game changer.
I’ve been using it now for about three weeks and I never want another doorbell than this one. You may have read about it and wondered if it worked and how it worked—so I wanted to walk you through how I use it and answer a few questions that I had myself before we installed one.
It arrived at the house in a small box. On the Nest website, there are step-by-step instructions on how to install the doorbell and the app that you download to work with the doorbell also has set up instructions as well. It’s important to note that you need to have wired doorbell chimes ALREADY installed for the Nest Hello to connect to.
We had a technician come out to the house and install because I am NOT technical at all, but the steps looked pretty easy to follow.
After you install the doorbell (or have it installed) you’ll download an app to your phone that connects to the doorbell. The app is SUPER self-explanatory and walks you through the entire set up process. It asks you for the code on the back of your Nest doorbell and once you type that in, it will ask to connect to your wi-fi in your home.
Once you are connected, a screen like this appears on the app.
This is the view from the Nest Hello on our front porch.
Now you’re ready to use the Nest Hello.
Anytime someone walks up to your door or rings the doorbell you get an alert on your phone like this.
If you click on it, it takes you to the Nest app and you can see who is at your door.
For example, I was in Target the other day and this alert showed up and I could see that someone had dropped off a package on my front porch.
When you click on the app, a screen like this appears.
You can see who is at the door (especially if they are a super cute twin with the smiliest grin ever).
You can press the talk button on the bottom to talk directly to them.
I KNOW, RIGHT?
See what I mean? Game changer. No more missed visitors. No more wondering if a package arrived. No more running to see who is at the door if you don’t want to answer.
It’s all on your phone.
Here are a few of the questions I asked before we got one—things I was wondering about.
Q: Is it free to watch the video stream on your phone?
A: Yes. There’s an initial charge to purchase the Nest, but after installation, you can watch the live video stream for free with the app. You also have a record for three hours of who the camera detected and who was on your porch. There’s another level of Nest that does have a small fee if you want to extend the hours or get some other additional features.
Q: What happens if my Nest camera is in a place where it can’t see visitors?
A: The camera has a full 160-degree angle (you can see how wide it is in my screenshot above of my front porch).
Q: How do I speak with guests?
A: You can press the button on your phone and speak directly through the Nest. There are also pre-recorded responses that are available that you can use instead.
Q: Does the Nest camera need batteries?
A: It’s a wired doorbell. It wires directly into your existing doorbell chimes.
Q: Do I get a notification if someone doesn’t ring the bell?
A: Yes. You will get an alert to your phone if the camera detects movement.
Q: How do I find out more about the Nest Hello and purchase one?
A: Just click here.
I cannot even tell you how much I love my new Nest Hello.
The front porch is happy.
The front door is happy.
The house is happy.
And the doorbell?
It’s so glad it’s 2018. 🙂
disclosure: This post was sponsored by Nest.
All opinions are my own.
Please see my disclosure page for more information.
Thank you for this post~ this is the type of technology I can wrap my head around~ peace of mind is a good thing!! And, PS- LOVE THE VIEW ~ your porch is made for conversations , lingering moments, and peeks at super cute twins with beautiful smiles.
Oh my goodness, what a good idea! Honestly, sometimes I wish we could go back to simpler times, but since it IS 2018, I want to embrace technology that will actually make my life better or easier. Thanks so much for sharing this product!
Neato!!!
Motion detector?? Hahaha!! My dogs have an invisible fence - they would be mugging for the camera all of the time AND not even looking anywhere cute like the twins!! My Nest app would be going off all of the time. Yet, I still want one....
Love! On my list to install when we upgrade front door. Many of my real estate clients have this too.
Thanks for doing this info blog! I have been wondering about it too! We will be looking into this for our places. Went with keyless entry pads on back doors as a security measure and this would add additional security to the front! Love it!
Too funny about the dogs. :) Maybe the settings are such that it won't pick up critters below 3 feet or something, and likely there's a distance the sensor can see as well. Worth asking. Motion activated is good. When I'm upstairs or in the other wing of my house, I can't see people drive up and decided I might not hear the doorbell. Or by the time I get down to the front door, they've come and gone! This would be good for that, especially if I can talk to them and ask them to wait! Some years ago, I bought two driveway monitors at Harbor Freight. They're battery-operated. I use these for front and back door sensors. We searched the shelves for two units set to the same frequency, and hide one of the two buzzers in a potted plant or in the umbrella stand in the foyer. The second buzzer I take up into the remote area of the house. Same function, but without the app and without the camera. For now, at least I can hear when people come up our long driveway! I don't get many false alarms from dogs or rabbits. But the downside is it will start reacting on very windy days -- to the apple tree swaying out front! Continuous alarms! Then, we have to cut it off and forget to turn it back on. Can you save the photos from the phone app, within that 3 hrs period? Hmm, I guess you could take a screen shot if you're paying attention! Very useful to have a photo of anyone who has appeared at your door!
Wait, did I get it wrong? Is it motion-activated? Or is it doorbell button-activated?
It's motion activated and sends you an alert to your phone when someone steps onto the porch. When someone rings the doorbell, you can hear the doorbell on your phone. :) Does that make sense? karianne
Yes, thanks! Best of both worlds!
My neighbor has one and loves it. It's a great invention for safety. Thanks for walking us through it. Oh, and your neighborhood and front porch is to die for! I love your posts!
Love the nest! Technology is amazing! A funny so close to amazing post script...I found this great light fixture to put over our island for $5.99 at Goodwill to replace our pull chain outdated light fan...after Gary put it up we looked at each other and said...”how will we turn it off and on?!!!”😂 enter my son who suggested Phillips Hue lights. Alexa or an app on our phone turn them on and off now!! So much better than climbing into the attic and running another switch!!!
Oh wow, just wow! We have a Nest thermostat and it's awesome! I'd love to have this for the city house....at the farmhouse no one ever comes to the front door - and wi-fi is so iffy. LOL. But here in the city, I'd love it. Then I could ignore or send the pesky solicitors on their way. Awesome! And it looks cute too! Bonus points for that. :D Cecilia
Mine was installed last Friday. Now everyday when my 14 yo daughter gets home from school, she rings the doorbell and we chat before she goes in the house. It's actually pretty cool!
The front door, paint color and trim color all look amazing....not to mention your doorbell:)
Seriously timely! This morning while I was "assisting" my friend while he installed some new window treatments in one of my guest bedrooms, my doorbell began to ring....nonstop. I have lived in my "Savannah" style (4 stories with lots of porches) for over 30 years. My friend (retired engineer) said that the wiring was fine, but the workings were shot. I am going to get all over the Nest!! I can't wait to add better technology!!! Thank you.
We have a same type doorbell built into our alarm system. I was in Target one day and the doorbell went off on my phone in my purse! People were looking around and it was quite humorous actually. I love the front of your home. Where did you find your front door?
I plan on getting a Nest doorbell asap. There have been too many 'Porch Pirates' in my neighborhood and it seems cheaper than having Amazon deliver packages to your car trunk!
Such a fun new toy!
I think the doorbell is such a cool perk to have for your home. Where my bell is it's to narrow for that. Now that this is about door bells, which a sore subject. My bell broke about a year ago. Two trips from the electrician, still no new doorbell. He can't find where it originates from to replace it. So, I'm going to have to put a knocker on. I love long cascading wreaths, so door knocker placement is a problem. For now, anyone that rings the bell, still thinks it works, I just hear them walk on my porch. Enjoy your new bell. . Grrrr
Do you know the differences between the Nest doorbell and the Ring doorbells?
Happy house, happy door, happy porch!! Fun, fun!! xoxo
I have the RING doorbell, but you have to pay an annual fee. Might just look into a Nest....