Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Google is gearing up to announce a range of new Nest Cams for your home, featuring 2K HDR video and Gemini integration. However, if history is any indication, I think you should look elsewhere. Security cameras are a dime a dozen these days, and many of them are so cheap that it’s ludicrous to consider something as expensive as a $100-200 Nest Cam. Better yet, many of these other cameras offer more controls, greater privacy, and more options than Google will ever provide, so why choose Nest? This was my dilemma about a year ago when I bought my new home. I really wanted to go in with Google — I already had the company’s Nest speakers and hubs, and I used the Google Home app to control the rest of my smart home, so it made sense to get cameras that worked well with all of this. But after careful consideration, I couldn’t justify paying this much on a Nest Cam and committing to a monthly subscription. I looked into Nest Cam alternatives and landed on the TP-Link Tapo C225 ($38.99 at Amazon) instead. I couldn’t be happier with my choice. Here’s why. Nest Cams are overpriced and underpowered Rita El Khoury / Android Authority I’ve always lived in apartments and residential communities, rather than individual houses, so I haven’t had the opportunity to install outdoor security cameras. My security setup must be indoors, and if I’m installing a camera in my home, I need it to be as private and customizable as possible. This is where the current — and rumored future — crop of Nest Cams fail. They don’t have physical privacy shutters, so aside from trusting the tiny LED light, there’s no way for me to know whether the camera is recording or not. I don’t like this inside my own home. I want to be able to physically shut the lens. Nest also relies on the cloud for everything. Continuous recordings are uploaded to Google’s servers in the cloud, which doesn’t sit well with me for something as personal as my in-home cameras. (Maybe there’s a bit of irony in me trusting my personal privacy with Google Photos, Gmail, and other Google services, but drawing a line at Nest Cams, but it’s where my own boundary is at now.) It doesn’t help that every useful Nest Cam feature is locked behind a paywall. Access to continuous recordings? Paid. Extracting video clips from recordings? Paid. Something as basic as event recordings? Also paid, if you want anything older than three measly hours. That limitation is bonkers. It ensures that no Nest Cam is ever helpful without the subscription, because if you dare sleep, travel, or go offline for longer than three hours, you can’t check any event detected by your Nest Cam. Your house could be robbed, and if you don’t have a paid Nest Aware subscription, you wouldn’t have a video of what happened. My house could be robbed while I'm sleeping or traveling, and if I don't have a paid Nest Aware sub, I wouldn't have a video of what happened. It’s essentially a case of over-engineering for the sake of it. Google’s reliance on the cloud to analyze videos with AI artificially hamstrings any Nest Cam then requires a paid subscription to unlock it. Personally, I didn’t want to be tied to Google’s current plan and future changes and whims. That is not to mention that all Nest Cams are limited to 1080p resolution, whereas 2K and 4K security cams can be had for a lower price, and they only have a 130-degree field of view, which isn’t sufficient for my large, open kitchen and living area. They also require Wi-Fi to function, with only a local fallback available for one hour. If the internet is down for longer, they become useless paperweights. To top it all off, getting a Nest Cam meant trusting Google to solve any potential issue I run into, maintain the Nest servers up without any blackouts, and to keep supporting this cam for years without changing or discontinuing features on a whim. For something as crucial as my home security, I don’t. When I added up all of these limitations and every non-negotiable aspect of a security cam for my home, I had to face reality: buying a Nest Cam just doesn’t make sense for me, and probably for many other people. Why I chose the TP-Link Tapo C225 camera Rita El Khoury / Android Authority When I began searching for alternative security cameras, I was quickly overwhelmed by the numerous options available. From Ring to Blink, Ubiquiti, Arlo, Eufy, Wyze, Netatmo, Reolink, Amcrest, and hundreds of unknown brands, I had an idea of what to expect, but I wasn’t up-to-date on every single feature and cam model out there. So I began digging. My non-negotiable requirements for a security cam were these: A privacy shutter to physically hide the lens when I’m home. Local storage on a microSD card. A free app with no subscriptions that allows me to live-stream and view previous recordings stored on the microSD card. Compatibility with my Synology NAS (with ONVIF) to always have a backup, in case thieves unplug and steal the camera. Home Assistant compatibility to automate the privacy shutter and home/away modes. All the usuals: night vision, motion and event detection, at least 2K video quality. On top of these, I would’ve loved some of these extra perks: A large 150- to 180-degree field of view. Person detection with facial recognition. Exclusion zones. Power over USB-C to eliminate the need for additional wall plugs and cables. Intelligent sound detection for glass breakage and alarms. Compatibility with Google Assistant, my Google Home app, and my 2nd-gen Nest Hub. Compatibility with my Ajax security system over RTSP. To simplify my search, I started by cross-checking the list of compatible cameras on both Synology’s Surveillance Station website and Home Assistant’s official integrations list. That narrowed things down to a few brands, and I quickly zeroed in on the TP-Link Tapo C225. It ticked all of the boxes from my non-negotiable requirements, plus several boxes from my extra perks list. At nearly $50, it was a no-brainer, so I took the plunge and bought it. When the camera rolls up, the lens is active and monitoring. The camera lens rolls down for privacy. I’ve had it installed in my new home since I moved in, and it’s been perfect for my use in every single aspect, so much so that I bought a second one a few months later for the second floor. The Tapo C225 has a physical privacy shutter, pan/tilt for a wider field of view, local storage on a microSD, plus ONVIF and RTSP compatibility. I’ve got the two cams set up in Home Assistant so that they close their privacy shutter and turn off when I’m home. But when I’m away or when I arm my security system in Night Mode, they turn on and start recording. Additionally, they’re both pan/tilt cameras, so I can adjust their direction and angle even when I’m away. Both cameras store continuous video on microSD cards, but they also send it to my Synology NAS (with redundancy and backups), where they integrate into Surveillance Station. Essentially, I can use both Tapo’s and Synology’s apps to check on recordings and livestreams, and I am the master of my security footage — no third-party cloud and no paid subscriptions. And look, I realize that the entry price for anyone without a couple of unused microSD cards, a home NAS, or Home Assistant setup (for home/away automations) is much higher than the simple $50 sticker price, but all of this investment does pay for itself long-term in avoided subscriptions, extra features, and unlimited control. Rita El Khoury / Android Authority On top of this, the Tapo C225 integrates with my Ajax security system via RTSP, so I can quickly check what’s wrong if I receive a notification of a break-in or fire. That hasn’t happened yet, thankfully, but I know it works. And although the cam itself uses an antiquated DC plug for power, I bought a 100W USB-C to DC 5.5×2.1mm cable (this is mine, it’s not in stock at Amazon US, but there are many like it), which lets me plug it into any old USB-C multi-port charger. In my experience, even a modest 18W charger will suffice. This cam ticks every box for me. It's such a no-brainer that I bought a second one. Tapo C225 settings in app Detection and alerts Storage options And as a cherry on top of the cake, the cams offer: detection zones (which can be used to exclude any detection) motion, person, pet, and vehicle detection, with auto-tracking for people (the camera pans and follows them around) a patrol mode to always pan and tilt when they’re active line-crossing and camera tampering alerts intelligent sound detection for baby crying, glass breaking, dog barking, and cat meowing a loud built-in alarm. Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Although there have been a few false positives from my robot vacuum (it only detected it twice out of the many times I had it running while I was away), and some unexpected and brisk shadow play behind the glass windows, everything has generally worked as expected. The only thing missing is facial recognition, but honestly, I can live without it since I’m not using these as external cameras or doorbells, but rather as internal cams. Snapshot in Home Assistant Control options in Home Assistant Home Assistant Away automation Really, what else could I ask for? Ah, yes, Google Home integration. I’ve added the camera to my home, and I should technically be able to livestream it and control it, but something is off, and I can’t. It might be an issue with my current setup, who knows. To be fair, though, I don’t need this as much as I thought I did. Since this is an indoor camera, I don’t care about livestreaming it on my Nest Hubs. Everything else can be managed via Home Assistant, the Tapo app, or Synology Surveillance Station. This could be a dealbreaker to you, though. All in all, I’m extremely happy with my choice, and I think I made the right decision by skipping Nest Cams for something this much more powerful, which gives me more control and integrates so much better into my home setup. Follow