The latest version of the Google Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen)—yeah, that’s the name—is a real Jekyll and Hyde of a product. The hardware and software interface are expertly crafted and a delight to use. But once you start looking more closely at Google’s AI-forward security camera, it gets ugly and annoying.

The $150 Nest Cam Outdoor’s biggest problem is that it’s not cheap to use. Like Ring and Arlo, Google’s security camera subscription plans have gotten more expensive than ever in recent years, pressing at the boundaries of what’s affordable for people in a time when everything else is also harder to pay for. And until now , it’s done so without adding any tangible benefit.

The calculus has changed a bit for Google. The company’s subscription service, now called Google Home

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