Nest's new home security system aims to combine power with ease of use

Nest is taking home security to the next level with Nest Secure, a new alarm system that protects your abode with a hands-off approach that's just as effective at protecting against intruders. 

There are multiple components to the system - making it modular, if you will - which Nest unveiled at an event in San Francisco, starting with Nest Guard. 

This is the brains of the operation, and acts as the alarm and keypad as well as a motion sensor. Shaped like a hockey puck and smaller than the Amazon Echo Dot, you tap your Nest Tag (which we'll get to in a bit) to arm and disarm the system. 

Guard will also utter a countdown clock of how much time you have to leave the house once you've armed it.


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Nest Tag and Nest Guard

Nest Tag and Nest Guard

Then there's Nest Detect. This battery-powered motion detector is placed on the wall and will sense when doors or windows are open, and picks up movement in rooms (both when it's on a door). 

You can tap a button on Detect to disarm a door with a featured called Quiet Open if, say, it's the middle of the night and Fido needs to go outside.

The aforementioned Nest Tag is a little tile that can attach to your key chain. It allows you to arm and disarm your security system without needing to input a passcode. Just walk in the front door and touch your Tag to the Nest Guard.

Nest Detect

Nest Detect

You can control the entire system from the Nest app, arming and disarming your alarm wherever you are and receiving alerts if something is detected. 

It's all designed so you actually use it, rather than be turned off by complicated and intrusive systems that don't fit with the average person's lifestyle. There's a battery backup and optional $5/month ($50 per year) cell backup service so your system is always primed should Wi-Fi cut out or your power is off.

As for price, a Nest Secure starter pack costs $499 (about £370 / AU$620). This includes one Nest Guard, two Nest Detects and two Nest Tags. 

You can add on additional components as well, with each Nest Detect costing $59 (about £45 / AU$75) and additional Tags priced at $25 (about £20 / AU$30). Best Buy will also sell a package with a Nest Cam Outdoor for $598.

The Nest Secure system is available for pre-order from Nest today. It will ship to the US this November, with availability in Europe and Canada coming next year. 

New Nest IQ

Nest also introduced a new Nest IQ outdoor camera at its event today. 

The camera is weatherproof, Nest says, and uses facial recognition as well as motion detection to sense who's there. 

It will launch in the US, Canada and European markets where Nest products are available in November. Pre-orders open today. The Nest Cam IQ outdoor price is $349 (about £260 / AU$435), or two for $598 (about £440 / AU$740).

Nest also unveiled a smart doorbell, called Nest Hello. It, too, uses facial recognition to tell who's come a'knockin', can record in HDR, and has a night-vision mode. 


Save time and money by getting a tailored quote 

We work with industry-leading providers to match your requirements with their products. Just tell us what you need from your home security system, and our most suitable partners will contact you to see if you want to take things forward.

1. Enter your details below. Simply tell us a bit about what you want from your system, and leave some contact details.

2. We search our database. We’ll match your requirements with the services and prices that our partners offer.

3. Partners will contact you. Only the suppliers who match your requirements will reach out to you.


Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.