Google’s Nest security cameras reduced to default video quality in an effort to preserve internet capacity during coronavirus lockdown
Nest will join the list of companies lowering video fidelity to help cope with added strain on internet bandwidth.
According to an email from the Google-owned home security company sent to users, it will lower users’ cameras to their default settings automatically to ‘conserve internet resources.’
Nest says that the change will be rolling out over the next few days and that users will get a notification from the company when it actually happens.
Google’s nest camera was found to contain several vulnerabilities that opened the camera up to attack and ‘complete takeover.’
Despite the change, users will still be able to raise their video quality back to a higher resolution.
To change one’s video quality after it’s been lowered, users can navigate to ‘Quality and Bandwidth’ under video settings and manually select the resolution they want.
The home surveillance purveyor will join companies like Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube, all of whom have lowered streaming quality in an effort to preserve internet capacity for others.
Likewise, Sony has also decreased download speeds for its PlayStation online service.
According to a blog post from the tech giant last month, it’s working with internet service providers to slow the game speeds in the US after previously taking the measure in Europe.
‘We believe it is important to do our part to address internet stability concerns as an unprecedented number of people are practicing social distancing and are becoming more reliant on internet access,’ wrote the company in a statement.
Sony’s PlayStation 5 has yet to be unveiled but specs made their way to GameStop’s website and were subsequently deleted
The measure will look to mitigate the effects of an influx of online gamers driven by an ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In the UK, major mobile networks, including O2, Vodafone, and others have also experienced major disruptions as millions of British workers started to telecommute.
Outages affected workers across the UK suddenly found they couldn’t make voice calls on their mobile phone and experienced spotty connectivity.
Fellow gaming titan, Microsoft also saw widespread outages of its Xbox Live service amid increased demand.