Google Is Lowering Nest Camera Quality 'To Conserve Internet Resources' (techcrunch.com) 59
Google is temporarily lowering the video quality of its Nest security cameras to "conserve internet resources" during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The adjustment is rolling out over the next few days, and Google says anyone who has their quality settings adjusted will get a notification in the Nest app," reports TechCrunch. From the report: While Nest cameras aren't inherently using more bandwidth right now than they otherwise might, each camera already used a good amount of bandwidth day to day. A Nest Cam IQ, for example, uses roughly 400GB of data per month at its highest settings; cutting this down to medium high shaves that down to 300GB. Google confirmed their plans with TechCrunch, with a Google spokesperson adding: "To answer the global call to prioritize internet bandwidth for learning and working, in the next few days we're going to be making a few changes. We believe these changes have the potential to help make it easier for communities to keep up with school, work, and everything in between."
While they're automatically making the change on behalf of the user (a move some owners are complaining is an overstep), Google notes that you're able to bump your cameras back up to their highest settings should you see fit. They're not capping the quality, instead just lowering settings by default -- so if you've got a camera in a setting where every pixel counts, know that you're going to need to adjust accordingly.
While they're automatically making the change on behalf of the user (a move some owners are complaining is an overstep), Google notes that you're able to bump your cameras back up to their highest settings should you see fit. They're not capping the quality, instead just lowering settings by default -- so if you've got a camera in a setting where every pixel counts, know that you're going to need to adjust accordingly.
Google out of resources ... (Score:2, Funny)
Yet again Google is out of resources due to bad planning.
Re:Google out of resources ... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's also a good advert not to push your video data to the cloud, period. Do you really want to stream everything that's happening outside, and in some cases inside, your house to Google 24/7?
My video goes to a NAS, motion-triggered so I only get a few events a day, and no cameras inside the house. The only data that goes anywhere where Google can see it is the single still image that gets sent with a motion alert.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
The only data that goes anywhere where Google can see it is the single still image that gets sent with a motion alert.
Why are you even sending that to google? Put it on a (password-protected) site of your own, and nobody else will see it.
Re: (Score:2)
The only data that goes anywhere where Google can see it is the single still image that gets sent with a motion alert.
Why are you even sending that to google? Put it on a (password-protected) site of your own, and nobody else will see it.
It's an emailed alert that goes via Gmail to whatever it needs to get to. It's deliberately sent externally because it needs to be visible/accessible outside the locked internal network.
Re: (Score:2)
... to whatever it needs to get to...
Huh? For images from around your house?
It's deliberately sent externally because it needs to be visible/accessible outside the locked internal network.
Most people here would actually prefer their security video to stay inside locked resources, and not be available to third parties. In that sense, your use case here is different. If the video has to be disseminated widely, then by all means, do make sure that google finds it! But I'm sure that's not what most of the other users would want.
Re: (Score:2)
Agree, but how turn-key is your system? I'm not aware of major vendors that are interested in helping / making that sort of system anywhere near as straight-forward as a Nest cam for example. What kind of setup are you using specifically?
Re: (Score:2)
I am not Anti-Cloud. However, it needs to be done smartly.
You have a streaming video, a recording. Save the high quality locally. Perhaps send some low-quality thumbnails to the cloud for some Analysis, say some AI stating that there is a person at the door, or if it was just a bird flying by, is that car that passes daily just the letter carrier, a neighbor or is it someone scoping your house. Stuff that requires a lot of computation and constant upgrades to the software are often best done via a cloud
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Yet again Google is out of resources due to bad planning.
If you designed any system for a ~700% increase in load on your backend in one week please hand in your badge at security and don't come back.
Re: (Score:1)
Guessing this was a weak-ass attempt at a joke, since your design compliment makes no derogatory sense whatsoever...
Oh I'm sorry, let me be more clear: Only a complete moron would design a system for a 700% workload increase as a result of an unforeseen global economic condition that business as we know it ceased operating.
Anyone seen *wasting* that kind of capital should be fired on the spot. At least those people who blow left over budget on office plants and redecoration get something out of it.
Anyone thinking that they can scale even remotely as well as the top 3 cloud providers on the internet are attempting to are
Re: (Score:3)
You do know that the whole reason to run a cloud app is to be able to scale on-demand without pre-purchase of idling equipment, right? And when the load goes away, you can scale back so you are still not paying for idle resources?
Have you perfected time travel? When did you arrive here from 2003?
Before you respond with the obvious, yes the could provider has to have the equipment already racked, but they're aggregating the costs for that across thousands of customers in their per-hour compute costs. I'm
Re: (Score:1)
Exactly. I have a LOT of issues with Nest but this isn't them being stupid not by a long shot. A lot of things aren't prepared for everyone to be online at once.
Re: (Score:2)
"Only a complete moron would design a system for a 700% workload increase as a result of an unforeseen global economic condition that business as we know it ceased operating."
And yet many solar facilities run exactly like that, and they are still in business and thriving.
Looks like you're the moron. Hand in your badge and try again when you have a clue about manufacturing systems.
Re: (Score:2)
Or as we used to callthat in the old days : being slashdotted...
Re: (Score:3)
So you would advocate for firing someone for designing a scalable application?
Sounds like you need to be fired, and that guy needs promoting into your job.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't think it's their resources they are worried about. ISPs in Europe requested the video quality on YouTube be cut down because they are struggling to cope, or maybe struggling to make money.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
No they didn't. That's just the story the likes of Netflix and Google spun so they can save on their bandwidth bill whilst continuing to charge subscribes the same price despite having a quality based pricing system so they can still turn a profit at a time of significant global economic downturn. ISPs actually said there's no fucking problem:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/tec... [bbc.co.uk]
Re: (Score:2)
Yet again, why use Google in the first place?
Re: (Score:1)
So, do I get to sue Google when I can't properly ID the guy who robbed my house because the video footage wasn't good enough?
Yeah, I didn't think so. Time to look for another security product, me thinks.
Re: (Score:1)
Is there anything in the EULA that guarantees a level of service? If there is, someone should spearhead a class-action suit. Otherwise STFU. (Can't be me, because I don't own a Nest.)
Next...
Wow (Score:2)
A Nest Cam IQ, for example, uses roughly 400GB of data per month at its highest settings; cutting this down to medium high shaves that down to 300GB.
I have three PCs currently in use (2-Windows 10, 1-Ubuntu 16.04 -- with one of each running 24/7), and a TiVo and, according to my ISP, I usually use less than 100GB / month -- usually a lot less. Maybe I'm the odd one out.
Re: Wow (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, unfortunately, people who don't want to provide a 24/7 high quality live stream of their lives to our corporate overlords do seem to be the exception these days.
Re: (Score:3)
Is it that much more data intensive than the Eufy? Even the 4K stream on my unit only takes like 150kbit/s at most, usually sub 50kbit. And that's on-demand, usually it just records internally. Compression on a single pov non-moving camera with a wide but shallow field of view with few moving objects on screen is pretty efficient.
Re: Wow (Score:2)
That seems ... Unlikely. 50 kbits per second (22 megabytes per hour!) isn't going to give you anything remotely close to 4k. Hell, that's less than half the bitrate needed for an acceptable MP3 music track. I don't care how good your compression or how static the scene is; unless you're recording at 1 frame per second even 1080p is going to look like garbage at that bitrate.
The article says their medium quality stream generates 300 GB per month. That works out to around 900 kbits per second if they're s
Re: (Score:2)
I have three PCs currently in use (2-Windows 10, 1-Ubuntu 16.04 -- with one of each running 24/7), and a TiVo and, according to my ISP, I usually use less than 100GB / month -- usually a lot less. Maybe I'm the odd one out.
Yeah, I was shocked that a single door cam would chew through mid-triple-digits gigabytes per month. What the hell is up with that? Not to mention the fact that the "fix" knocks it down by only 25%, and is still in the realm of triple-digit gigabytes.
Not that I ever was tempted to get one, but that right there is an excellent reason not to.
Fix it properly. (Score:2)
400GB a month means you need to fix your motion detection.
Covid is the new green (Score:5, Insightful)
It's like hotels not changing sheets "to be green". Now skimping on services and reducing product quality can be placed on the virus, in addition to green/climate change prevention.
Re:Covid is the new green (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm okay with that, I don't change my sheets every night. As long as they change between guests and at a reasonable interval on longer stays it's fine.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Covid is the new green (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
It's like when you call any large organization now and they say "we are experiencing large call volumes due to COVID-19" like the long waits and poor service are something new.
Indeed. I think they just added due to COVID-19 part.
Many is a time I called customer support places without an emergency (e.g., not weather flight cancellations or such) and got this message.
I want to see their statistics to prove it isn't a default message.
No Nest Cam For Me (Score:3)
If Google can remotely take control of my personal property and make changes like that whenever they want, then no Nest Cam for me.
If I'm going to buy a home security cam, it'll be something like a eufCam where video is stored locally *and* there's no monthly fee.
Re:No Nest Cam For Me (Score:4, Interesting)
Motion detection is top notch - even if it was streaming to voyeurs like Google on the internet, there's no way it would be doing 400GB per month.
Re: (Score:2)
Conversely this could be a case of pushing an update that redefines 'default', and any device left sitting on default settings stays on default - it's just that default is something else now. Thus it affects anyone that doesn't actively care, while those who DO care go unaffected.
Re: (Score:2)
Google then decides that no, everyone with it set to highest quality, they didnt want highest quality....
Thats your fucking insane argument.
Re:No Nest Cam For Me (Score:4, Interesting)
If Google can remotely take control of my personal property and make changes like that whenever they want, then no Nest Cam for me.
LOL you think this is a Nest issue? Google update services run PCs the world over, Android can push critical updates whenever they want. Your settings are under the control of *whatever* company you work with.
Your only solution is to go hide offline.
Re: No Nest Cam For Me (Score:1)
You have already been assimilated. Resistance is futile.
Now kneel and kiss the boot of Big Brother Google.
Re: (Score:2)
LOL you think this is a Nest issue? Google update services run PCs the world over, Android can push critical updates whenever they want.
Yes, but at least I need a phone and a PC.
I am not sure who needs Nest.
When every pixel counts. (Score:2)
"...if you've got a camera in a setting where every pixel counts, know that you're going to need to adjust accordingly."
If you're in a security situation where "every pixel counts", know that you're going to need something other than a shitty nanny cam.
Re: (Score:2)
Sounds like an ad for Google's cellphones.
data cap killer (Score:2)
Dumped Ring -- went to Fanvil (Score:4, Interesting)
and Chromecast Ambient Mode? (Score:1)
Coincidentally, last night I sent Google a snarky comment about Chromecast Ambient Mode. By default it uses about 6GB a month. By setting it to a 10-minute interval you can get it down to around 1.5GB. You can't do anything about the resolution, and there's no way to turn it off altogether. Unless you unplug the Chromecast device, it just downloads images all day, even while the TV is off.
Reportedly, Google is going to reduce the resolution and increase the interval -- temporarily. After that, it's back to
When you get IoT... you GET IoT (Score:3, Interesting)
If you thought the COVID infection is bad (yes, it is) IoT is worse.
People. Do not get stuff installed in your house that you don't own and control. It's all good until your corporate master overlords over in Cupertino or Mountain View or Washington decide to change your settings. These are YOUR settings. YOU should be able to set them, and forget them (thanks Ronco).
The whole IoT thing works great until you
- get your bandwidth reduced on Nest
- can't get your thermostat set low enough because global warming
- lights work and change color but not 24x7 because power so let's save
- the car won't start because you drove it just a few minutes ago
Sure, I made the last two up... but that's where it's going.
Stop ceding power to 3rd parties in order to buy products that allow them to control your life.
Also no more smart TVs. The only "smart" part about them is they track your viewing habits, report home, and allow advertisements to be targeted to your tastes. There is a reason they are cheaper than non-smart TVs... and that is it.
If you want to be tracked, labeled, and have your appliances options set by 3rd parties, please ignore anything I've said and have a good time. We all know how that ends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
E
Batshit crazy (Score:2)
That's dumb (Score:2)
Lower the quality of security cameras, but keep offering a gaming service that streams video in real time. Yeah, real smart.
NOT! /Borat
Amcrest has been doing the same thing forever (Score:2)
3 Months too late (Score:1)