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Dropcam and Nest products now work together in perfect harmony

Thanks to a new product collaboration, your Dropcam camera now "Works with Nest."

Megan Wollerton Former Senior Writer/Editor
2 min read

Dropcam Pro
Sarah Tew/CNET

Dropcam co-founder Aamir Virani made vague references to upcoming third-party partnerships and product integrations when we spoke in June about the company's API Beta Program. Not long after, Nest bought Dropcam and "="" program"="" shortcode="link" asset-type="article" uuid="18369ec4-b973-445c-affd-d6f9994ad871" slug="developer-program-makes-nest-a-focal-point-for-the-smart-home" link-text="launched its " section="news" title="Developer program makes Nest a focal point for the smart home" edition="us" data-key="link_bulk_key" api="{"id":"18369ec4-b973-445c-affd-d6f9994ad871","slug":"developer-program-makes-nest-a-focal-point-for-the-smart-home","contentType":null,"edition":"us","topic":{"slug":"smart-home"},"metaData":{"typeTitle":null,"hubTopicPathString":"CNET Home^Smart Home","reviewType":null},"section":"reviews"}"> .

Works with Nest is the brand's clever way of pulling select companies like Mercedes-Benz and Whirlpool into its smart-home web. This quasi-inclusivity allows for simple, third-party collaborations so you can do things like link your Nest Learning Thermostat to your Mercedes' proximity sensors for the ultimate in streamlined Home and Away mode luxury.

While we figured something had to be brewing on the Dropcam-Nest API front too, we hadn't heard much from the duo since news of the acquisition. But, Dropcam just announced that it's officially a part of Nest's smart-home initiative.

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CNET

With Dropcam on board with Works with Nest, you'll now be able to pair your cameras to your Nest Protect and Nest Learning Thermostat. Here's the gist:

If your Nest Protect senses smoke or carbon monoxide, your Dropcam is supposed to instantly turn on (if it's off) and start recording. Next, you'll receive a push alert and be able to watch the video footage. Dropcam says that you don't even need to subscribe to its cloud storage service for this feature to work.

The thermostat side of things is all about alerts. When your Nest thermostat is set to Home mode, your Dropcam will stop inundating you with motion and sound notifications, because, you know, you're probably the one setting them off. Then, when you head to work and your thermostat switches to Away mode, your Dropcam will go back to its old push and email alert ways (assuming you opt in to alerts in the first place).

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Changing the Dropcam app setting to work with Nest. Screenshots by Megan Wollerton/CNET

Since I have a Nest thermostat at home, I swiped the office Dropcam Pro test unit and set it up in my living room to get a better understanding of these new features. Connecting to my Nest through the Dropcam app was easy enough and, as expected, initiating Home mode on the thermostat disabled alerts and initiating Away mode on the thermostat enabled them.

Yes, this functionality is fairly limited right now, but given Nest's focus on ease of use, it probably makes sense to take a measured approach. I suspect we'll see these and other devices in the the Google-Nest-Dropcam smart-home powerhouse take on a grander scope before too long.