It’ll still work as an alarm, though
Google-owned Nest released the Nest Secure smart security system, comprising a keypad/siren home base and motion sensors for doors and windows, in 2017. It didn’t last long. Officially discontinued in 2020, it’s still technically supported, but only through the aging Nest app — not Google Home, where other Nest devices have lived for some time. At the end of next year, though, it’s losing functionality that, for some, is crucial: home security company Brinks Home will no longer offer professional monitoring for Nest Secure systems by the end of 2023.
According to a report on Reddit (via 9to5Google), Brinks is contacting subscribers to let them know that functionality will no longer be offered as of December 31, 2023. Nest Secure systems will still function the way they always did without monitoring — that is, as alarms that deliver push notifications through the Nest app — but there won’t be any option for professional monitoring.
Brinks stopped taking new sign-ups for Nest monitoring in the first half of 2022. The service, which costs $20 to $30 per month depending on the plan, has Brinks agents contact owners of Nest Secure systems when the alarm is tripped. If the owner can’t be reached, Brinks contacts local police.
Again, this change will only affect users that subscribe to Brinks monitoring; Nest Secure will continue to function as a security system once Brinks winds down support, just without agents calling to check in when an alarm is tripped. Annoying a change as this will be for many, informing owners now that their security system will no longer be monitored at the end of 2023 gives ample time to save up for a new home security solution — and considering the state of Nest Secure in 2022, that’s probably a smart move anyway.
