Google’s second-generation Nest Doorbell (Wired) is now available for purchase

It’s official, folks. Just a day before Google’s hardware event airs, the company has dropped a blog post and store listing for its new second-generation Nest Doorbell (Wired). While we showed it off a few weeks back, I want to take a little time today to cover all the bases and let you know what it offers and how you can get your hands on one.

You may be looking to upgrade from your existing Nest Doorbell with a battery or even an older generation device, but if you’re anything like me, you’ve not yet even invested in a smart doorbell for your home and instead rely on a Nest camera or the good old hole in the door you look through.

There are benefits to a video doorbell though, like being able to see who or what is at your door even if you’re not home continuous video recorded history, and so on. The good news is that this new wired Nest Doorbell has all of that and much more! This brand new unit features easier-to-manage tools and seeks to give you more peace of mind via a more reliable connection than your Wi-Fi network.

Google has placed a lot of emphasis on the 2nd gen device’s HDR capabilities, citing clearer images (even at night!) and even a reduced fish-eye effect that’s common with video doorbell lenses. Wrap all of that up with Nest’s machine learning technology that intelligently identifies pets, people, and packages at your doorstep, and you’ve got a great upgrade path or even an entry point for keeping tabs on your sanctuary as a homeowner.

Additionally, you can use the Google Home app to “Talk and Listen” with whoever is gently rapping, rapping at your chamber door. You can then mutter to yourself “Tis some visitor, tapping at my chamber door – only this and nothing more” before going back to whatever it is you were doing in your humble abode.

In all seriousness though, the ability to literally see and speak with the person trying to sell you a bottle of cleaning spray at your door is kind of amazing. As you can probably tell, I don’t get very many visitors, and of those that do come around my place, they’re pretty much never welcome. Still, for most of you, this may be more useful!

One of the biggest takeaways from Google’s new Nest Doorbell (Wired) announcement was that the Google Home web application is soon to go live! Before long, you’ll be able to see and control all of your cameras, including the doorbell right from the web at home.google.com. It was literally last October – exactly one year ago – that I said we’re long overdue for a Google Home web app, and here we are apparently about to receive it.

You can pick up the second-gen Nest Doorbell (Wired) from the Google Store right this moment in the U.S. in Snow, Linen, Ash, and Ivy colors for just $179.99 USD, or in Canada for $239.99 CAD, but only in Snow and Ash colors. Once you receive it, you can follow this handy video from Help Locks on how to set it up and install it in your home