Moving from Nest to Nightjar

A realistic, step-by-step plan for leaving Nest Aware — including what you keep, what you lose, and what it costs.

People leave Nest Aware for two reasons: the subscription price keeps climbing, and every minute of footage lives in Google’s cloud. Nightjar flips both — recording stays on your disk, detection runs on your hardware, and the optional cloud plan costs about half as much.

This guide is honest about the tradeoffs. What you keep: 24/7 recording, smart alerts (person, vehicle, animal, package), remote live view, and event history. What you lose: the Nest app, Google Home integration, and — this is the big one — your existing Nest cameras, at least for now.

Nest cameras do not expose RTSP. They cannot connect to Nightjar (or any third-party NVR) directly today. A bridge using Google’s Smart Device Management (SDM) API is on the roadmap — follow issue #7 — but it is not built yet. The practical migration path is to run both systems side by side and swap camera hardware.

The plan

1. Inventory your Nest devices

   List every camera and doorbell, where it is mounted, and whether it is wired or battery. Note which ones matter most — you can migrate in stages. Battery cameras are the hardest to replace one-for-one, because continuous RTSP streaming needs continuous power.

2. Stand up a Nightjar node

   Follow the quickstart. You need a Linux box (NUC, Pi 5, NAS) and a disk. Do this first, before buying cameras — it is free, and you can verify the node works on your network with a single cheap camera.

3. Pick replacement cameras

   Any camera with RTSP works. Solid, widely available picks by Nest device role:

   Nest device	Replacement class	Example
   Nest Cam (outdoor, wired)	4K/2K PoE bullet or turret with RTSP	Reolink RLC-810A class
   Nest Cam (battery)	Wired PoE or plug-in Wi-Fi camera — battery cams generally cannot stream RTSP continuously	Reolink RLC-810A (PoE) or a plug-in Wi-Fi model
   Nest Doorbell	RTSP-capable video doorbell	Reolink Video Doorbell, Amcrest AD410
   Nest Cam (indoor)	Any 2K indoor RTSP camera	Reolink E1 Pro class
   Nest Cam with floodlight	PoE floodlight camera with RTSP	Reolink floodlight series

   PoE vs Wi-Fi, honestly: PoE is more reliable (one cable for power and data, no Wi-Fi dropouts) but you have to run Ethernet and probably buy a small PoE switch. Wi-Fi cameras are easier to place but still need a power outlet, and a wall of Wi-Fi cameras will congest a home network. If you are drilling holes anyway, run the cable.

4. Run both systems in parallel for a week

   Keep Nest Aware active while the new cameras come online in Nightjar. Compare coverage, night vision, and alert quality. Fix camera angles and motion problems while you still have a fallback. Your Nest cameras keep working in the Google Home app the whole time — the two systems do not interact.

5. Export your Nest history before canceling

   Once your subscription ends, your Nest video history is gone. Export it first via Google Takeout (select the Nest product). You can also download individual clips from the Google Home app. Do this before canceling — history is deleted per Google’s retention policy after the subscription lapses.

6. Cancel Nest Aware

   Cancel in your Google account subscriptions. The cameras themselves keep offering live view in Google Home without a subscription, so you can keep a couple around as spares, sell them, or wait for the SDM bridge.

The cost math

Monthly subscription, side by side (prices as of the current Nest lineup):

	Nest Aware	Nest Aware Plus	Nightjar Free	Nightjar Plus	Nightjar Pro
Price	$10/mo	$20/mo	$0	$4.99/mo	$9.99/mo
Event history	30 days	60 days	3 days (cloud)	30 days	60 days
24/7 recording	Cloud, Plus only	Google’s cloud	Your disk	Your disk	Your disk
Smart alerts	Included	Included	Free, on your hardware	Included	Included

Nightjar has an up-front hardware cost that Nest does not. A realistic example for a three-camera home currently on Nest Aware Plus ($240/yr):

One-time hardware	Approximate street price
3 × PoE camera (Reolink RLC-810A class)	~$210
Raspberry Pi 5 kit or used mini-PC	~$100–150
1 TB disk + small PoE switch	~$100
Total	~$410–460

Switching to Nightjar Plus ($60/yr) saves about$180/yr versus Aware Plus, so the hardware pays for itself in roughly 2 to 2.5 years — faster if the free tier’s 3-day cloud history is enough for you (then you save the full $240/yr and break even in under 2 years), and faster still versus a household with add-on cameras or future price increases. After payback, the savings recur; the cameras are yours either way.

Hardware prices are approximate street prices, not quotes. The point of the math is the shape: a one-time cost that replaces a subscription that never ends.

FAQ

Can I keep using the Nest app?

Yes, for your Nest cameras. Nest hardware keeps working in the Google Home app with or without Nightjar running — the systems are independent. Nightjar cameras are viewed in the Nightjar local UI or at app.nightjar.ca. There is no way to see Nightjar cameras in the Google Home app.

What happens to my old Nest clips?

They live in Google’s cloud and are deleted after your Nest Aware retention window — and your access ends when the subscription does. Export what you want to keep via Google Takeout before canceling. Nightjar cannot import Nest history; the export is for your own archive.

Will the Nest bridge support my camera model?

Unknown until it is built. The planned bridge uses Google’s Smart Device Management API, which covers most modern Nest cameras that work in the Google Home app, and requires a one-time $5 registration fee with Google for Device Access. Scope and per-model support will be worked out in the open — follow issue #7.

Do I lose remote access by leaving Nest?

No. Remote live view is free on every Nightjar plan, including Free, with zero port forwarding. See Remote access.