Setting up a smart home can be a complicated task, not least aligning yourself with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Or something else entirely. Where everyone wins is when devices offer a choice. Interoperability between platforms makes everything easier, and now Google Nest cameras and Amazon Alexa are getting closer.

Specifically, if you own a Google Nest Doorbell or one of the company's other camera products, you're now able to use it with an Amazon Echo Show or the Amazon Fire TV. This type of functionality has been available from Amazon-owned Ring for some time, but Nest owners can now join the party.

Here's what you need to know and how to get going.

Which Google Nest cameras are supported?

Initially, the support for cameras is good, but the features will vary, with more coming in the future. This passage from Google's community page details what you need.

Alexa now supports live view streaming from Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery), Nest Cam (indoor, battery), Nest Cam with floodlight and Nest Doorbell (battery) to Echo Show, Fire TV, or Fire Tablets. With the Nest Doorbell (battery), you can also engage in 2-way talk with visitors at your door through your Alexa-enabled devices (Echo, Echo Show, Fire TV, and Fire Tablet). Coming soon, Alexa will support announcements when any of these Nest Cams or Nest Doorbells detect a person at your front door.

Eventually, the support will be on par with what Ring owners experience through Amazon's smart displays.

How to use Google Nest Doorbell and cameras with Amazon Alexa

Using the new video features requires very little setup on your part. The first thing you need is the Google Nest Alexa skill. You can enable this in the browser or in the Alexa app on Android or iOS. You will also need to ensure if you have a legacy Nest account still that you have migrated it to a Google account.

Once the skill is enabled, link it to your Google account to get started.

And that's it! The necessary updates have been built into the skill to enable the video features. To use your Nest video devices with your Amazon Echo Show or Fire TV you can use voice commands.

Google Nest Doorbell and camera Alexa voice commands

To see a live view from your doorbell or camera:

• Alexa, show the (camera name)
• Alexa, show the feed from the (camera name)
• Alexa, show the (camera name) feed

Live view is limited to five minutes before it will automatically cut off. After this, you'll need to issue the command again. For ease of use, it's worth making sure you've given your cameras easy to remember names in the Alexa app.

To answer your Nest Doorbell:

• Alexa, answer the front door.
• Alexa, talk to the front door.

These commands are only compatible with the doorbell, but will automatically launch video and audio allowing you to speak to someone who pressed the bell.

To stop the video at any time:

• Alexa, hide the (camera name)
• Alexa, hide the feed from the (camera name)
• Alexa, hide the (camera name) feed
• Alexa, stop
• Alexa, exit

---

With this additional support, Google's Nest cameras now have feature parity on Amazon displays as on Google's own. The setup is minimal, as it is with most Alexa-enabled devices, and with more feature support coming soon, it makes Nest a much more tempting option for those who have already baked Alexa into their homes.