The Nest Cam is a popular home security camera that can be installed on the wall or mounted to a ceiling. Nest Cam has been praised for its reliable video quality and easy-to-use app, but there are some limitations to Nest Cam’s features. And one question many homeowners ask is, can the Nest Cam be hardwired?

Nest Cam cannot be hardwired into a home’s electrical system, which makes it difficult to use as an outdoor camera or if flexibility is needed in where the Nest Cam is placed. Nest Cams require an outlet within three feet when placed indoors and five to ten meters when placed outdoors.

In this post, we will cover what it means to hardwire a device, and why the Nest is not suitable for hardwiring. Keep reading to learn more on why the Nest Cam can’t be hardwired.

Can the Nest Cam Be Hardwired?

Simply put, no the Nest Cam can’t be hardwired. The Nest Cam is a Wi-Fi camera. Nest does provide an Ethernet cable with the Nest Cam, but this only helps if you want to plug your Nest cam into your router.

Additionally, the Nest Cam will only plug into an electrical outlet, and you can’t hardwire the Nest Cam directly into your home’s electrical circuit. Some websites or companies may say it is possible, but it will cause you more problems than solutions.

Your best bet is running new electrical wires to install an outlet and then plugging your Nest Cam into a new outlet.

Do Not Hardwire Your Nest Cam

If you tried to hardwire the Nest Cam, you may end up with a lot more headaches than you could have ever predicted. If you decide to hardwire a Nest Cam you then have to make sure it is compatible with all your other security cameras and devices.

This can be a real pain if you do not consider this before hardwiring the Nest Cam and then need to undo all your hard work.

And no company is going to convert the plug-in-ready Nest Cam into a hardwire-able security camera. Not to mention you will be voiding any warranty or coverage that the Nest Cam comes with if you did end up hardwiring the Nest Cam.

What Does It Mean to Hardwire the Nest Cam?

Hardwiring is a term in the electrical field that means to run a cable from the Nest Cam to an electrical power source. This allows your Nest cam to constantly have access to power.

By hardwiring, you can permanently connect a device to an electrical circuit. This is great because of the following list of reasons:

  • ReliabilityLarger storage systemsLong term and permanent

You get some of these benefits with the Nest Cam, however, there is no hardwire option available at this time. And you do not want to reconfigure the Nest Cam to be hardwired.

How Do I Connect the Nest Cam To Power?

Your Nest Cam needs an electrical outlet to work. This is good because you won’t have any issues with the Nest’s battery draining or losing its charge overnight if you keep your Nest plugged into an outlet at all times.

The bad news is that this may make using your Nest a little more cumbersome and challenging since you need to keep both devices plugged in while they are being used.

You must position your Nest Cam within three feet of an outlet indoors. And if you plan to install the Nest Cam outdoors, your camera needs to be within 17 to 33 feet of an outlet outdoors.

If you plan to install the Nest Cam outdoors you will also need to invest in a weatherproof cable, which is sold separately from the Nest Cam. Again, this weatherproof cable will allow you to safely plug the Nest Cam into an outdoor outlet.

Are Nest Cams Wireless?

The Nest Cam has three different models that can be purchased and between these three types, you have two different options for power sources. When purchasing a Nest Cam, you can choose from the two different types:

  • Battery-powered and connected wirelesslyWired and plugged into an outlet

It can be easy to get confused, so be careful when purchasing your Nest Cam. None of the Nest Cams on the market currently can be hardwired. There are wired options available. However, these require an electrical outlet to be nearby for you to plug the Nest Cam into an outlet.

Do Nest Cams Use a Lot of Power?

No Nest Cams do not use a lot of power. A Nest Cam will use less than one percent of the total power you use in a year. Most of Google’s products are designed to use as little power as possible to keep you running an energy efficient home.

Final Thoughts

You do not want to hardwire Nest Cam to your home’s electrical wiring or outlets because Nest’s wireless connection is more reliable and Nest will be able to detect activity better.

You can mess up the connectivity of the device if you decide to DIY a hardwired Nest Cam. And you will cause some serious headaches with your Nest Cam. All you need to do is plug it in and set it up, nothing more!