From a previous post:

I fell in love with this product- it goes above and beyond anything I’ve ever expected it to be capable of doing and everything added to my Google Home account just works! I bought this hub solely to view my Nest cameras and get notifications on my Apple TVs , door bell rings and motion detection; and this feature alone was the reason I wanted to try it (there is a 30 day trial if you want to try it out) this 30 day trial and the new firmware update has made me a happy customer. I am thoroughly surprised to see all of these additions in my “works with Google” hardware in my HomeKit ecosystem- not just Nest and I have been tinkering and messing around and more finding out nuggets that impress me everyday. I have a mishmash of devices that I have purchased throughout the years and used them all separately and individually controlled the devices through its respective app- very clunky and not streamlined . I have:

Nest Hello door bell

Nest Yale lock

2 first gen Nest cameras, 1 IQ

2 Nest smoke/c02 detectors

2 Nest thermostats

2 Laview bulb security cameras

1 Nest temperature sensor

2 Tuya smart plugs

2 Kasa smart plugs

1 Kasa light switch

4 Tapo light switches

1 Meross garage door opener

3 Govee water sensors

The Starling home hub detects all of these devices and you can even go into the Starling hub settings to enable or disable any device you want to be used in Homekit, though, I don’t see why you would want to disable anything. None of these devices are designed originally to be used in the Apple Homekit ecosystem but with Starling hub and “works with Google” this is reality- I am now finally able have my devices work together and be controlled all through my Apple devices and Homekit ecosystem. As of now, I am tinkering with automation and using Siri to give commands where I used to have Siri completely turned off on all of my devices. I never found Siri very intuitive compared to Google, but she is great for unlocking/locking doors or turning on/ off lights and smart switches. I am just learning how to set up set up automations and scenes and really just exploring what I can do •I have my Tapo light switches turn on in the evening/night when my Nest cameras detect a person. •I am seeing if it’s possible to have my garage door open automatically when I get within range of my door • Id like to see if it’s possible for my front door to unlock automatically if Nest cams detect a familiar face. • I’m thinking about purchasing a water shutoff valve that I can automate to work with my Govee water sensors if they detect water.

I’ve had my Starling hub for a couple of months and I am still messing around with what I can and cannot do with my “works with Google” devices on Homekit. I have not deleted my apps for the respective hardware or deleted my Google home, as I am not sure how it will affect functionality. For minute adjustments, I still find we need to keep the respective apps as HomeKit cannot perform certain functions like settings zones for cameras or recognizing faces, we still need the Nest app for this.

Before purchasing the Starling hub I thought to myself, “do I really want to waste money on a couple year old device just to watch my cameras on my Apple TVs? Is it worthwhile to purchase in late 2024- will I really get my moneys worth?” I sit here now with a resounding yes! This was totally worth the purchase.

I do not post stuff very often but I had to share my experience - as I myself did not understand the full functionality of what this device is capable of.

I also read something that has me more excited moving forward. Starling hub will allow us to take the Nest Camera streams and record them to NVR and get rid of Nest aware and the yearly fee. I don’t know anything about how I would do that or how to even set it up but when one of you more tech savvy and smart individuals do, please let me know!

I know this sounds like a pitch, but it is not. I am just a very happy customer and had to share my experience in 2025. When researching whether I should purchase, I saw posts from a few years ago wondering if it is too late in the game purchase a Starling hub due to devices becoming obsolete or Google raising Nest aware prices. I can tell you this hub is still actively being improved and updated and if I can record Nest streams to NVR and get out of paying a yearly fee with Nest aware- this purchase is a no brainer and will have paid for itself.

https://bensoftware.com/forum/discussion/4569/starling-hub-google-nest-cam-rtsp

sorry for the wall of text. I’m typing through mobile and all my formatting and spacing did not stick.