Nest Secure review: the home security system is responsive and has a useful temporary disarm feature, but it's expensive at $499, won't work with some routers
Megan Wollerton / CNET : Thanks: @rh_brown
Context & Ripple Effects
Nest entered home security two months ago with the $499 Nest Secure pack — motion sensor, Nest Tag fob, keypad — alongside its existing camera line that started with a $199 outdoor cam in 2016. Weeks later, Samsung and ADT countered with a $550 SmartThings-powered bundle, setting up a direct price-and-features fight at the top of the DIY security market.
CNET's verdict lands mid-fight: the system works well day-to-day, with the temporary disarm feature standing out, but the $499 sticker and router compatibility caveats give rivals an opening. The longer arc matters too — this is the product Google would ultimately retire, replacing the in-house approach with an ADT partnership.
First-order effects
- Shoppers comparing Nest Secure against Samsung and ADT's $550 SmartThings bundle now have a credible hands-on review flagging cost and router compatibility as friction points at checkout.
- Buyers who already purchased get validation on responsiveness and the temporary disarm workflow, which addresses the most common false-alarm pain point when family members come and go.
Second-order effects
- Samsung and ADT can lean on their bundle's lower per-component value story and ADT's monitoring brand to counter Nest's premium pricing, pushing both camps toward competing on subscription services rather than hardware alone.
- Camera-first players like Netgear's Arlo line stay positioned as cheaper entry points, pressuring Nest to justify why a full-system commitment beats piecing together cameras.
Third-order effects
- The pattern that follows from this category — premium self-installed hubs struggling to sustain standalone momentum — shows up in Google's eventual decision to discontinue Nest Secure while supporting existing users, then re-enter via ADT Self Setup built around Nest products.
- If hardware reviews keep centering price-per-bundle, the structural winner in home security is whoever owns the monitoring relationship, not the sensor pack — which is where Google's ADT tie-up points.
The trend: DIY smart-home security is consolidating from standalone hub hardware toward monitoring-service partnerships, with Google's own Nest Secure-to-ADT pivot marking the turn.