Google Nest Cam Installation in London

• Nest Cam (battery): a built-in battery charged indoors through a magnetic connector from a 7.5 W USB adaptor, or kept topped up by Google's weatherproof cable, sold separately
• Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen): a 3 m attached USB-C cable to a 7.5 W adaptor in an indoor socket
• Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen): 12 V from a 9 W adaptor on a 5.5 m outdoor-rated cable, run to an outdoor socket, or through a vent or a drilled hole to one indoors
• Nest Cam with floodlight: wired at 100–240 V AC in place of an existing outside light, with the floodlight keeping its battery camera charged

• Signal: in Europe the battery Nest Cam and the floodlight join 2.4 GHz only, while the wired Outdoor and Indoor models also use 5 GHz; Google says the Outdoor's 2K video needs at least 3.3 Mbps of upload
• Mounting: the battery camera's magnetic mount holds on metal, or on a wall plate screwed to brick or render, and a standard 1/4-inch thread takes other brackets
• Weather: the battery camera and the floodlight are IP54 and the wired Outdoor IP65; the Indoor is for inside only
• Cold: the battery camera works from −20°C but only charges from 0°C, which matters on a shaded wall in winter
• Drilling: Google says to find pipes and cables before going through an outside wall, and to call a professional if unsure

• It is designed to replace an existing wired floodlight, and Google's UK spec page says it mounts onto an electrical box; many UK outside lights have no such box behind them, so the pro may add a weatherproof one
• Google says to mount it upright on a vertical surface, because other angles limit motion detection, which rules out the underside of a soffit
• It needs a working earth, which some older lighting circuits lack, and a permanent live, so an inside switch that turns the old light off has to stay on or be changed
• Google's safety guide tells anyone not qualified not to attempt it and says local rules may require a licensed electrician; in England, swapping a light on its existing circuit is not notifiable work

• Planning: the Planning Portal says a CCTV camera does not normally need planning permission, but check with the council first in a listed building or conservation area
• Flats: outside walls usually belong to the freeholder, so a camera or cable on them needs the freeholder's or managing agent's written agreement
• Renting: anything screwed to the walls or wired in normally needs the landlord's written consent, which battery and plug-in cameras keep to a minimum
• Privacy: once a camera films beyond your boundary, gov.uk says data protection law applies to you, so the pro draws activity zones and angles the camera at your own ground

A vetted pro prices your Nest job from the model and your photos, and the JACK app shows that fixed price before you book.

On heating, where the Heat Link goes moves the price most: a 3rd gen Heat Link in place of a programmer on the same wiring is the plainest job, while hot water on a cylinder, an S-plan or Y-plan wiring centre or an old wired thermostat to take out of the circuit adds to it. Anything that must be wired at the boiler itself is left out of the price and handed to a Gas Safe registered engineer.

On doorbells and cameras, power comes first: a battery doorbell or Nest Cam with a good 2.4 GHz signal is the lightest job, a weak bell transformer is swapped on its existing supply, and the Nest Cam with floodlight is priced as electrical work on your outside-light circuit. For a camera high on a gable, your pro can ask another pro on JACK to help through the Pro2Pro feature.

JACK does not sell devices, so the Nest kit is yours to buy. Accessories the job needs, such as a bell transformer, a fused spur or an outdoor junction box, are agreed and added at cost before you book, and so is parking where it has to be paid for. Several devices go on one booking for one fixed price. Prefer to pay for time? As a guide, hourly hire is typically £45–£95 per hour for smart home work and £55–£110 per hour for electrical work, and a full-day handyman booking is a flat £350–£400 for up to 8 hours on site.