Adding Additional NC2400ES Cameras and Indoor Camera

[Escalante101]

I have been operating off of two of these outdoor NestCams for a few years now.  I have the first gen NestAware subscription.  If I want to add additional cameras of the same model and perhaps and indoor camera, do I need to switch everything over to the 2nd Gen NestAware subscription "before" attempting such a project?  Thank you.

[MplsCustomer]

@Escalante101 

Yes. Google Nest hasn't let us add new 1st gen Nest Aware subscriptions since July 13, 2023:

"As of July 13, 2023, Google will no longer sell new subscriptions of 1st gen Nest Aware. Any 1st gen subscriptions that you currently have will continue to renew."

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9233159

However, I can't tell what cameras you actually have.  (The model number seems to indicate a 1st gen Google Nest Outdoor Camera.)  The 1st gen subscriptions only cover specific 1st gen cameras and doorbells installed in the Google Nest app, and Google Nest quit selling its 1st gen Google Nest Outdoor Cameras in Sept. 2021.  

The 2nd gen Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus subscriptions apply to ALL 1st and 2nd gen Google Nest cameras and doorbells in the same Google Nest "home/structure". We moved to a Nest Aware Plus subscription in 2020.

When you cancel your 1st gen Nest Aware subscription, you should get a pro-rated refund.  The same is NOT true if you cancel a 2nd gen subscription.

[Escalante101]

I guess this might need some clarification.  If the "2nd gen Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus" subscriptions apply to "All" 1st and 2nd gen Google Nest cameras and doorbells in the same "home" (I only own one structure - the home I live in), then I should be able to hire an electrician to install my two remaining NestCams NC2400ES as well as an indoor camera, Model No. NC1102ES and they would be covered under the "2nd gen Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus" subscription plans - correct?  I also have one indoor camera that I never set up.  So, two NC2400ES outdoor NestCams and one Model No. NC1102ES indoor camera would be covered under the "2nd gen" plans . . . .

[MplsCustomer]

@Escalante101 

Yes, they should be covered under a 2nd gen Nest Aware or Nest Aware Plus subscription.  (You have to migrate your Nest Account to a Google Account for that.)

I don't know about installing 4-year-old 1st gen cameras that are still in the box.  I've seen posts in this forum where it seems customers couldn't get them to work.  It seems they were caught in a Catch 22 dilemma, where the 4-year-old firmware on the cameras wouldn't work with the current Google Nest app or Google Home app, or the software on the Google Nest servers, and the cameras' firmware couldn't be updated for the same reason.  I don't know if that's true or not; that seems to be what's happened in the posts.

We have several 1st gen Google Nest cameras and doorbells that are more than 4 years old, but they've been live and online the whole time and have received firmware updates and work fine.

[Escalante101]

My Account has already been migrated, except it is a 1st gen account.  So, I will have to sign up for the 2nd gen account and cancel the 1st gen account.  I guess I will not learn if the NestCams work or not until I try to hook them up.  My present two NC2400ES cameras are working fine, except the LED light on one of them is fading in and out orange.  My guess is something got fried by an intermittent power surge.  The camera works perfectly.  Thanks for the information.  Much appreciated.

[MplsCustomer]

@Escalante101 

There is no such thing as a 1st or 2nd gen "account".  There are 1st and 2nd gen Nest Aware SUBSCRIPTIONS.

If you've migrated, you should be logging onto the Google Nest app with the "Sign on with Google" option using your Google Account.

If your misbehaving camera is still working, maybe it's just the LED status light that is failing.

[Escalante101]

I am unable to provide / recommend a solution to the installation of the NC2400ES cameras.  As it turns out, I do, in fact, have a Google Nest Aware Plus "subscription", so I do not need to concern myself with that technicality.  I will not know if the NC2400ES cameras "connect" until such time as I hire an electrician with experience working with security cameras / Google issues, etc.  It's a little "hot" here in Phoenix right now, so this project may wait until the temperatures drop as I do not want someone collapsing from heat exhaustion while working outdoors.  I am sure the electrician will advise as to whether the camera with the faulty LED light should be replaced or whether I can just let that little problem go.  I have two extra cameras, so I can afford to replace the one with the faulty LED light.  As these cameras are "wired' it will entail drilling holes in walls, etc. to run the wires.  I will not allow anyone to drill any holes until we know that the cameras will "connect" to the Google Nest network (or whatever it should be called).  Once the electrician comes out and the necessary steps are taken to try to get the cameras up and running, connected, etc. I will be able to provide some commentary that "may" constitute a "solution" to this question.  Until then, I will remain in the dark like everyone else . . .  Thanks for your patience.

[MplsCustomer]

@Escalante101 

I'm just another Google Nest customer.

Judging from the model numbers, it seems like your cameras are all 1st gen cameras, which Google Nest has not been selling for 3 or 4 years now. The 1st gen Google Nest Outdoor Cameras are wired cameras, and the only 2nd gen outdoor camera Google Nest now sells is a battery camera, which can be plugged in with an optional power cable.

I've seen a couple of posts in this forum where customers have reported trouble trying to install "new" 1st gen cameras that they've had in the original box for years. I don't know what the real problem is, but it might be that the 1st gen cameras are on an old firmware version that is not compatible with the current version of the Google Nest app, and because the cameras won't install, the firmware can't get updated to enable them to install.

That may not be the actual problem; just passing it on.