Can't Connect Assisting Device

[Dave209]

Hello,

I have read the threads I can find, but don't have a clear direction.  Tried Google support, but because I didn't have serial numbers they refused to help.  Have a new Nest Pro Mesh system, works great.  Have a wired doorbell, thermostat, Hub max, 2 small hubs, 5 speakers and a chromecast.  All of these connect just fine except for the camera in the Hub Max (can't connect to supporting device, Thermostat)

I have a wired indoor camera and 3 outdoor cameras that produce the same error as the camera on the Hub.  I have tried resetting everything, I can't try 2.4ghz only on the mesh system from what I can tell.  I am out of the 15 day return window for the cameras, and am just totally frustrated.  I am concerned about deleting everything off of the wifi, because I don't want to lose what I have......this seems to be a big issue, any tried and true solutions

[MplsCustomer]

@Dave209 

For over a year now, Google Nest customers in this forum have reported getting a "cannot connect to assisting device" error when trying to add Google Nest devices. It seems like a Nest thermostat is often the "assisting device" that the install process cannot connect to. Some customers have resorted to temporarily removing their thermostat from the Google Nest app (or the Google Home app, as appropriate) during the install process in order to get past the issue. This does not work for all; some customers then get the "assisting device" error on another Google Nest device.

[Dave209]

Thank you, I have read a ton of posts, but this is the first that seemed relatively simple to try outside of the reboot everything option.  I really don't want to disconnect everything and risk none of it working again.

[EmersonB]

Hi folks,

@Dave209 I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble connecting your Nest camera to your app or Nest hub. To know more about this issue, I'd like to ask some questions: Do you see any error code? what is the light status of your Nest camera? How far is your Nest camera to your Wifi router? If you have other questions and concerns, feel free to let me know.

I appreciate your response, MplsCustomer.

Thanks,
Emerson

[Dave209]

Emerson,

It is always the same error, and it is tied to any camera that I try to install. The exception is that my doorbell works fine, but if I recall correctly, it was installed first. My large hub works great, but the camera won't connect, I have two other hubs that work, 4 speakers and a chrome cast. The issue is with cameras, I have a wired, 3 wireless, and the one in the hub, they all kick off the same message....I have a new nest pro mesh system in the house, and have tried moving closer to the router and the thermostat with no improvement. This is purely a Google problem and they are worthless when it comes to help. All they can get into is serial #'s, which in this case are absolutely irrelevant. Very disappointed in the cameras and letting everyone know.

[janthadeus]

Hey folks,

Jjczook, we truly appreciate your efforts here and for sharing the troubleshooting steps you took to isolate the issue pairing your cameras to your Wi-Fi network — it’s a big help. In the meantime, do you still have other questions and concerns?

Dave209, gotcha — sounds good! Keep us posted.

I appreciate the help, MplsCustomer and Emerson.

Thanks,

JT

[EmersonB]

Hey Dave209,

Just one quick final check in here since activity has slowed down. We'll be locking the thread in the next 24 hours, but if you still need help, I would be happy to keep it open. If there's more we can do, just let me know.

Best,
Emerson

[jjczook]

I had a bunch of nest cameras I needed to setup and ran into this same issue. I tried all the removal/adding back in of devices method but that didn't work for me. I'm also on using Google WiFi on a mesh network with 2 WiFi devices, which made it tricky as the installation process will ONLY work while the devices you're trying to add are connected to the 2.4GHz network and Google WiFi devices don't allow you to setup different networks for each frequency. I solved this issue by doing the following:

- I had 2 Google WiFi routers in my home and had to unplug the closer one, physically to me

- Checked my phone's WiFi signal strength indicator and moved to a spot where I was getting 1-2 bars service. This seemed a decent indicator that the 2.4GHz kicked in. Make sure your device is with you physically so that it's also utilizing the 2.4GHz network and not the 5GHz.

- Began and went through the setup process

I was able to install 10 nest cameras using this method.

[Dave209]

Thanks for that. I will try this over the holiday weekend. I am not sure I can far enough from my main router to do this as it is pretty much right in the center of the house. I might be running an extension cord down the block........it just shouldn't be this hard. I just don't understand why all the speakers, doorbell, chromecast, and so on work fine and it is only the cameras.

[EmersonB]

Hi everyone,

@Dave209 how's it going with your Nest camera? I'm dropping by to ensure that everything is covered here. Let us know if you have more questions in mind.

Thanks for answering, JT.

Regards,
Emerson

[Dave209]

Good news, but don't know why. Tried again today, all I did was unplug 2 out of 3 routers in my mesh, which I have tried before. This time all 4 cameras connected!!!!! 10th time is the charm

[EmersonB]

Hi Dave209,

Thanks for getting back to us and we're happy to hear that this has been resolved for you! It looks like we can consider this one complete. Please let me know if you have other questions or concerns as I will be locking this after 24 hours. Feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.

Regards,
Emerson