Do you have a smart camera or doorbell from Google? Maybe the Google Nest in the nursery to keep an eye on your little one. Or a Google doorbell at the front door to track parcel deliverers? Then you probably use the Google Home app on your smartphone or tablet to manage these devices. But did you know that Google now also has a beta of a web variant? With Google Home for Web, you can now stream footage from many of Google’s cameras to your desktop.
If you have a Nest Camera (wired or on battery, Indoor or Outdoor), a Nest Camera with spotlight, Nest doorbell (with battery, wired or 2nd gen), you can stream the images to your computer in the following way.
1. Go to home.google.com from your computer or laptop.
2. If you are not logged in yet, do this with the account you also use the Google Home app with.
3. You immediately see your camera (or cameras): your live stream can begin. You can also view multiple cameras at once. To see the live view of multiple cameras at the same time, select the camera grid view at the top right. To view a list of all your camera names and the live feed of one camera, select the camera list in the top right corner of the list
Some features found in the Google Home app or Nest app aren’t available in the preview of Google Home for the web. Google says it is continuing to expand this version and that it is open to feedback. Google also mentions that it currently only supports cameras and not other smart devices, such as speakers or lighting. On the one hand, it makes sense that they mention it explicitly so as not to create any ambiguity about it. On the other hand, it raises (for me) the question of whether they might be working on it?
Do you see the benefits of managing your cameras or other smart devices from your desktop? Or would you rather stick to the app on your smartphone or tablet? Let me know in the comments.
