How to Automate Using IFTTT and Nest Cam or DropCam

For Nest Cam or DropCam owners unaware of IFTTT, it’s a free service that facilitates integration with devices and services such as gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.  IFTTT is an acronym for “If This Then That”.  You can do some very cool stuff with this service and this article will show you how to do it and highlight some of the capabilities. First thing to do is visit the IFTTT web site and register.  Once you get there, you will notice what they call recipes.  These are pre-written scripts to facilitate integration.  Not all devices support IFTTT but Nest does. … Read more

How to Use Google Drive with a Nest Cam

Ever try to go back in time to see what events triggered an alert on your Nest Cam?  Not easy.  Especially if you are using the default (and free) cloud service.  You need a way to go back in time and see when and what happened.  That’s where Google Drive comes into play with a Nest Cam.  In this article, we will show how to use Google Drive with a Nest Cam. Google Drive Don’t know what Google Drive is?  The best way to describe this free and valuable service is to say it’s your own virtual disk drive in … Read more

How to Integrate a Nest Cam with a Honeywell Thermostat

Call me an automation nut.  Nothing better than having stuff occur automatically.  I recently learned how to lower my homes thermostat without me touching it at any time of the day.  This article will discuss how to integrate a Nest Cam with a Honeywell Thermostat.  The method discussed within this article also applies to a DropCam. This site has a lot of articles that discuss a lot of aspects about Nest Cam as a home security camera.  I have several cameras made by this company.  It’s owned by Google.  They purchased Nest a few years back.  I think they make one of the … Read more

Using an External Battery on a Nest Cam or DropCam Pro Camera

Using an external battery on a Nest Cam or DropCam Pro home security camera was half experiment and half necessity.  I needed to temporarily relocate a camera to a spot that I wanted to keep an eye on at my home. This article will discuss using an external battery on a Nest Cam or DropCam Pro.  For those unaware, the DropCam Pro was the predecessor to the Nest Cam.  The cameras have the same power specs (1 AMP) and use the same type of micro USB connection.  My experience with using the external battery on my DropCam is applicable to a … Read more

How to Automate Using Stringify and Nest Cam or DropCam

What’s Stringify?  Well I’m sure you have heard of IFTTT.  The two services are similar in that they provide a link between services and hardware.  Stringify calls these links flows.  A flow allows the creation of reactions when an event occurs.  A Nest Cam provides little integration out of the box, especially with things that aren’t made by Nest.  Stringify and Nest Cam working together will overcome this restriction. After using Stringify and IFTTT, I found them to be useful services.  IFTTT has a lot more points of automation because there are more companies that support their product.  However, I found … Read more