Walmart quietly added two outdoor security cameras to its budget Onn lineup this week, both wired directly into Google Home and Gemini, priced at $34.87 and $77. Neither one wears a Google logo. Both run Google’s newest smart home software anyway.
The launch extends a licensing push that lets Google plant Gemini inside hardware it never builds, aimed at the price tier Amazon’s Ring and Blink have controlled for years. Turning either camera into something genuinely smart, though, still means paying Google $10 a month.
Two New Ways to Watch the Driveway
The Onn Outdoor Camera Plug-In and the Onn Outdoor Floodlight Camera Hardwired went on sale this week at Walmart stores and on Walmart.com, extending a security camera range that started with an indoor model last fall. Both share the same core hardware: 1080p HDR video, full color night vision, two-way audio and an IP65 rating for dust and rain resistance.
The $34.87 Plug-In
The Outdoor Camera Plug-In is the cheaper of the two, built around a compact housing with an adjustable mounting arm meant for eaves, walls and entryways. A permanently attached cable runs to a weather-resistant USB-C extension lead, a design that looks a lot like Wyze’s outdoor cameras, keeping the seal intact while still drawing power from a standard outlet.
The $77 Floodlight
Step up to the Outdoor Floodlight Camera Hardwired and the same camera hardware comes wired into a 2,500-lumen floodlight, bright enough to light up a driveway or garden after dark. It wires into existing outdoor lighting circuits rather than plugging in, and it carries the same 1080p HDR video, night vision and two-way talk as the cheaper model.
This Is Walmart’s Second Onn Camera Drop Since October
This is not Walmart’s first Gemini-powered camera. Google and Walmart first paired up last October, when an Onn Indoor Camera and an Onn Video Doorbell launched alongside a wave of new Nest hardware. The rollout has kept expanding since.
- October 1, 2025: The Onn Indoor Camera ($22.96) and Onn Video Doorbell ($49.86) launch, among the first non-Google devices built around Gemini for Home, according to Walmart’s own listing for the wired indoor camera.
- December 2025: The Onn 4K Pro streaming device gets a Gemini upgrade, extending the partnership past cameras and doorbells.
- May 2026: Google opens its Gemini for Home reference designs to outside hardware makers and confirms a carrier partnership with AT&T.
- July 2026: The Onn Outdoor Camera Plug-In ($34.87) and Outdoor Floodlight Camera Hardwired ($77) go on sale.
Each step folds into the same subscription plan. Google Home Premium, the umbrella plan that unlocks AI features on Nest hardware, replaced the old Nest Aware brand and now covers Onn cameras too, regardless of price.
Google Is Licensing Its Smart Home Brain to Everyone Else
Walmart is not a one-off. Google has built a formal reference design program that hands outside manufacturers the chips, sensors and software needed to build Gemini-capable hardware without years of in-house development. The camera and speaker blueprints Google published this year were built with component partners including Amlogic, SEI Robotics and Apical.
The same assistant that now fills gaps in the iPhone 17’s AI features is showing up on security hardware Google had no hand in designing. Once a camera runs Gemini, it can describe what it sees in plain language, telling a homeowner the wind blew a patio umbrella across the deck instead of flagging generic motion, then let them search that history by asking Google Home directly.
Amazon’s Budget Camera Monopoly Gets Company
For years, the sub-$100 smart camera aisle has belonged to Amazon. Ring owns the largest share of the North American video doorbell market, while sister brand Blink handles the budget end, with most of its lineup priced under $100. Ring and Blink, alongside Arlo, rank as the three most-purchased security camera brands sold on Amazon.
Blink’s own pricing sits close to Onn’s new cameras. A 2K plug-in indoor Blink camera runs $39.99, a comparable Ring model costs $99.99, and the two-camera Blink Outdoor 4 kit sells for $100. Onn’s $34.87 plug-in undercuts Blink’s closest equivalent on hardware price while adding Gemini’s language-based search, a feature Amazon’s cameras do not offer in the same form.
Nest, Google’s own premium camera brand, never played in this price band to begin with. Its outdoor cameras, the kind featured in this year’s Pixel and Nest hardware sale, still start well above $100 before any subscription. Routing Gemini through Walmart’s house brand lets Google compete on Amazon’s turf without discounting Nest itself.
How Much Does the “Smart” Part Cost?
Live viewing works on both new Onn cameras the moment they are set up, no subscription required. Everything else, cloud storage, AI-written event descriptions, searchable video history and daily summaries, sits behind Google Home Premium, which starts at $10 a month or comes bundled inside the pricier Google One AI Pro plan.
Skip the subscription and the camera still works, but barely as a security tool. Google limits free accounts to a rolling three-hour snapshot history, and captured images delete themselves once that window closes. There is no free cloud archive and no AI search without paying.
| Camera | Hardware Price | Monthly Cloud Plan | Without a Subscription |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onn Outdoor Camera Plug-In | $34.87 | $10 (Google Home Premium) | Live view plus a 3-hour rolling snapshot history |
| Onn Outdoor Floodlight Camera Hardwired | $77 | $10 (Google Home Premium) | Live view plus a 3-hour rolling snapshot history |
| Wyze Cam v4 | $36 | $2.99 (Cam Plus) | 12-second event clips saved for 14 days |
The gap matters more than the sticker price. Wyze’s own pricing page lists Cam Plus at $2.99 a month, less than a third of what Google charges for Home Premium, on a camera that costs almost exactly the same to buy. Choosing Onn over a rival like Wyze is a bet on Gemini’s AI search and Google’s ecosystem, not a bet on saving money over time.
Google Home Premium’s feature list is the same whether the camera came from Google or Walmart:
- Cloud event history beyond the free three-hour window
- Continuous recording storage for supported cameras
- AI-generated event descriptions written by Gemini
- Searchable video history through Ask Home
- Daily Home Brief summaries and camera automation features
All five stay locked behind the $10 plan, on either brand’s hardware.
AT&T Is Next in Line for Gemini’s Camera Blueprint
Walmart was the proving ground. Google has already confirmed AT&T as its next major partner, building Gemini-powered insights into the carrier’s Connected Life app, a sign that Google views internet and phone providers as another channel for smart home distribution beyond retail.
Google has also been courting the retail industry more broadly, pitching AI tools for retailers at this year’s NRF conference, and Walmart’s Onn shelf is now part of that same relationship. More manufacturers are expected to use the reference designs Google published in May, meaning more budget hardware carrying Gemini without carrying Google’s name.
Both new Onn cameras are on sale now at Walmart, in stores and online, at $34.87 and $77. The next camera to run Gemini in an American driveway may not say Google, Nest or even Onn on the box.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Onn Camera Brand Made by Google?
No. Onn is Walmart’s own private-label electronics brand, sold exclusively at Walmart and Walmart.com. Google licenses its Gemini for Home software and hardware reference designs to Walmart rather than manufacturing the cameras itself.
Does the Onn Camera Work With Amazon Alexa or Ring?
No. Both new Onn outdoor cameras are built specifically for the Google Home app and Gemini, with no listed support for Amazon’s Alexa or Ring ecosystem, unlike some budget cameras from brands such as Wyze that support multiple platforms.
Can Onn and Nest Cameras Share the Same Google Home Premium Plan?
Yes. Google Home Premium is a single subscription tier that covers any compatible camera on the account, whether it is a Google-made Nest camera or a third-party Onn model, at the same $10 monthly starting price.
Has Walmart Put Gemini in Products Besides Cameras?
Yes. The Onn 4K Pro streaming device received a Gemini upgrade in December 2025, months before the new outdoor cameras arrived, showing the partnership already reaches beyond security hardware into Walmart’s streaming and doorbell products.
What Does the IP65 Rating Mean for an Outdoor Camera?
IP65 is a standard dust and water resistance rating. The 6 means the camera is fully sealed against dust, and the 5 means it can handle low-pressure water jets from any direction, enough for rain and sprinklers but not full submersion.
