Article Summary:
You can use your Nest Cam to talk with family members, pets, and anyone else near the camera. The Nest app lets you see what’s happening and talk to anyone nearby through Nest Cam’s speaker.

Nest Cam doesn’t just have a microphone, it has a speaker that plays audio too. This lets you use your camera to talk with people in the room while you’re away. For instance, if you receive a motion alert when your dog jumps on the couch, you can open the the Nest app to catch him in the act, and use the Talk feature to tell Spot to get off the couch.

Talk and Listen works like a walkie-talkie: you take turns speaking and listening. This is also known as “half-duplex” audio. When you press the Talk button in the Nest app, it’ll turn off your Nest Cam’s microphone and turn on the speaker so you can be heard. After you finish speaking, release the button, and you’ll be able to hear people in the room again.

Since Nest Cam’s microphone switches off when the person using the Nest app is speaking, it can’t record the remote speaker’s voice. So you’ll only hear people that were in the room with Nest Cam when you play the recorded video in Video History.

1. Choose the camera you want to speak to.
2. Press and hold the Talk button and speak.
3. Let go of the Talk button when you’re done, so you can listen. You won’t hear audio from Nest Cam while you’re holding down the Talk button.

If you want to talk for a longer time, you don’t have to hold down the Talk button. Instead tap it and press Done when you’re finished.

Note: You can adjust the Nest Cam’s microphone sensitivity with the Nest app. The speaker volume is not adjustable, but it’s pre-set to be easily heard in a relatively quiet room.