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Cold weather concerns with Nest Doorbell Battery

fernadno
Community Member

Hi,

Similar to some other posters here, I recently noticed that my Nest Doorbell battery (activated 2021-08-28), although wired, had lost much of its charge (down to 3%, indicated a 23 hour time to charge in Google Home app).

The 23 hour recharge estimate remained unchanged for 3 hours when kept wired to doorbell wiring.

From another recommendation on the forum, I decided to try unplugging from the doorbell wires and taking the doorbell indoors to charge via USB cable until 100%.

My doorbell remains plugged into a USB port, showing 2% charged, and an 18 hr 29 min time until full. It has been plugged in now for 1 hour, with no noticeable change in charge condition.

Outdoor temperatures have only recently dropped to below 0 degrees Celsius for longer than a few hours (max -7 degrees C).

Should I be concerned about the battery condition and how this doorbell is reacting to colder weather? Winter has yet to truly begin, and I am worried that this doorbell will not be functional as temperatures continue to drop. I know that ambient operating temperatures fall within -20 and +40 C (as indicated here).

 

 

 

1 Recommended Answer

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey folks,


We appreciate the feedback on our battery Cameras and Doorbells. Our team is looking closely into this behavior, and we will continue to pass along reports we see here in the Community. To learn more about cold weather battery charging behavior in Nest cameras and doorbells, please stop by our Help Center.

 

Best regards,

Brad.

View Recommended Answer in original post

606 REPLIES 606

mpb65
Community Member

Exactly....the Google rep that I dealt with was deeply offended that I would even dare trying to make a warranty claim for a refund under the published Google Defective Product Warranty.  Despite my showing it to him 3-4 times during our chat his final response was no refund, sorry for the inconvenience.  Seriously?

vatertime
Community Member

my rep did the same. It Started just rebooting over and over non stop. Got mine 2018 too. They WILL NOT HELP YOU. im serious. You will go nuts trying to get them to help even a little. Its a loss and it sucks. Go through it if you want but im telling you i spent the passed 2 weeks dealing with them and in the end they stick to their 1 year warranty no matter what. They even trailed me on for a week letting me think they were processing a replacement and then they closed the case. Theyre slimey liars.

mpb65
Community Member

Please also post your feedback on their Google Nest Facebook page under one of the doorbell postings.  Don't create a new stand-alone post as they will delete it.  Post under the Nest Doorbell threads.

One can hope. but I seriously doubt it on the hardware front, unless it's something really simple.   Hardware revisions are terribly expensive, likely eating all the profit that they have or will ever make on these doorbells, unless the results were just spectacular enough to ensure good future sales.  The taint is already there.  They'd  have to make a really good case, and prove it with beta testers.

Dplane
Community Member

Has anyone posted about this on the /Nest subreddit yet? I would - but I don't want to take the credit for the ones who first started bringing this to Google's attention. I do think it would be very good to get exposure there as well and maybe reach others who experience the same!

 

 

mpb65
Community Member

Not sure, but please go ahead!  The more exposure the better.

There have a been a couple of threads on there about it already, although hasn't received all that much attention, I don't think.  Given the nature of the problem, there is a somewhat more limited audience that cares about it, naturally reducing the broader interest.  You see plenty of people praising the virtues of this doorbell on Twiiter - I'm sure mostly in relatively warmer locations of course :).  It wouldn't hurt to pile onto some of the existing threads.

Part of the reason it may not have gotten much attention before because the time of the year perhaps meant not enough had experience with the folder temps yet? 

Oh yeah, it may well be.  It's worth piling onto the current threads, or starting new ones.  They do in theory have google representation there, although the answers they give are the typical sort of support-bot answers, reading from a script.

mpb65
Community Member

We have also been posting to the Google Nest Facebook Page. 

Andy631
Community Member

Hey Google, I'm in Canada and so a device that stops working at -20 is useless for months of the year.  Due to this, I will be exploring options to return my Nest battery doorbell and I will not be buying the floodlight camera as I had planned.  If there is any workaround please advise.  

mpb65
Community Member

Please also post this feedback on the Google Nest Facebook Page under one of the doorbell posts.

chemgeek
Community Member

Same here. Whenever temps get to around 0 C, the doorbell,simply won't charge sufficiently from wired power, and gradually drains charge until the battery is fully exhausted. The power failure can be delayed by limiting video recording settings, but power failure is inevitable. The only solution is to dismount it and bring it inside to charge for several hours. This is really unacceptable for an outdoor product. It only reliably works during warm seasons. The product should be recalled and replaced. While the product has nice features and is is useful when it works, the charging issue is a deal-killer.

mpb65
Community Member

Exactly.  Please make sure to share your comments to the Google Nest Facebook Page.

Dplane
Community Member

Kind of odd - since charging it to full inside and re-installing it it has continued to show its plugged in in battery status and so far has not indicated its losing a charge. Maybe it ll happen again soon but I expected it to start right away considering its between 5 and 15 degrees (F) outside overnight and during the day. 

If you have a Google hub, or other Google assistant device, you can ask it what current charge is.  It always will show infinity and plugged in in the app unless it gets down pretty low.

Nice, I didn't think about verbally asking Google about the power level of the device.

Yep, indeed.  The real question is why on earth would they not put that in the app?

Ah yes interesting. So yes it's not at 100% still but it is still at 97% since last night.. Which I guess is better than the super fast drain before but I suspect it ll probably suddenly drop rapidly again shortly. I wonder if we re ever going to see Google publicly acknowledge the issue - even if it's just a mention in a patch note. Tell you guys what - I've been a long time Google/Android fan (starting with the original Google Nexus phone!) but I've been very disappointed with their decisions and lack of QC in particular over the last few years - across the full spectrum of their devices and software. 

mcfarljw
Community Member

I found a way to at least see the remaining battery power on my Nest Doorbell (Battery) that has been wired into the doorbell power. All it showed in the Home app was the infinity symbol and said plugged in but if I open the doorbell camera using my Nest Hub it actually seems to show a percentage.

20220125_173755.jpegWould be easier to just see it from the Home app but I can at least verify it went from 83% to 84% during the day though it drops by far more during the night.

mpb65
Community Member

Wish I could do that, but mine died earlier today due to cold spell.  Thanks Google!  #nestdoorbell

mcfarljw
Community Member

I also received my replacement today but I actually think it was manufactured before the one I originally purchased (08/2021). The top one is the unopened replace they sent (07/2021).

20220125_174548.jpeg

I think I'm just going to return the replacement and not deal with the hassle of having install a new one since I highly doubt it will fix the issue.

Is your doorbell within warranty? Howd you get a replacement?

Yes, only purchased it 2 months ago. I just did everything the asked over chat support and they said there is nothing more they could do so they would send a replacement. I then got an email with the replacement other they opened for me.

Dbarrag
Community Member

Thanks for the tip on using the Google hub to check the battery level, it works like a charm. I think our only recourse is to raise the issue on all social media channels. A few tech blogs have picked up the story and it's the only thing that can force Google to fix this mess. 

I have also been a huge Goole suoporter since the days of the Galaxy Nexus. I have only had Google Nexus phones, pixels etc. I even owned the Nexus 7 which infamously died after less than 20 months of use. All these years my wife has laughed at me from the comfort of her indestructible iPhones while I struggle with hardware issues every year (anyone remember the Nexus 6P sudden battery collapse?). When I started to build my smart home accessories I was all about keeping consistency on the supposed Google ecosystem while paying a premium vs Amazon gear that does essentially the same at half the price. 

I dread calling the absurd Google support line to get the string of canned answers that make me feel like an idiot. I hereby give up on Google hardware, these guys are terrible at it.

mpb65
Community Member

Exactly....please make sure to post something on the Google Nest Facebook Page.  Maybe they can be embarrassed into a solution for all of us.

Abonitatibus
Community Member
I live in Massachusetts, and already got 1 replacement doorbell due to the battery and wire failure during normal winter winter in the 30s F. The issue was obvious within days of purchasing the item.  The reasonable winter temperatures in the 30s essentially disconnected the wired charging and then depleted the battery in 2 days.  No surprise, the 2nd unit I received has same problem. I checked the power output at the wires. It is within the stated acceptable range for power supply.  I tried just using the batter (no wires).  Same issue. When the temperature gets into the 30s the wired power supply appears to fail and the battery begins to drain extremely quickly, draining within 2 days and turning off.  When the weather becomes more mild, all of a sudden the doorbell is charging again, assuming it hasn’t already drained completely. When drained completely, recharging indoors takes 5 to 6 hours.  So google decided it was okay to ship out a seasonal doorbell.
 
Also, google customer service was very difficult during my initial request for a replacement. They forced me to reset the unit and ‘try’ again (fine), and when the problem remained tried to tell me I had to return the unit before they would ship a replacement (not okay). I refused to do that, asking how my having wires hanging out of my front door while waiting for a replacement was an acceptable situation, so they said they would put a hold on my credit card in order to send me a replacement first. Again, fine, but still asinine. The replacement came and I shipped back 1st unit and go figure, that shipment took 2 weeks to get back to google for ‘inspection’, while I received emails from google threatening to charge my credit card for the 2nd unit they had not yet received. This despite the fact they provided the shipping label, and could easily see the unit was stuck in Texas near their facility for days. When I called to point this out I was assured they could fix the problem, and then when the service agent checked in with his superiors he took that back and said they can’t consider the unit returned until it had been inspected. The item showed up the day they said they would charge me so I avoided that extra headache but certainly was put through the ringer by google for a product return where they know there is a defect and I still have useless product from them and no actual solution available.
 
When I called again to ask for a refund, they were very quick to say I only had 14 days to return the original purchase, despite their technicians pushing me hard to trouble shoot past that window until they agreed to send me the replacement.  
 
Now I am in a place where they are offering another replacement, which we know won't work any better, but I am worried if I don't continue to get 'replacements', they will say my window to replace the device has passed if and when they do put out a product that functions in the temperature range they claim.
 
This is not an acceptable way to treat customers.

Abonitatibus
Community Member
I Live in Massachusetts.  I have the battery model of the doorbell wired to my doorbell wires.  I had my first unit replaced due to the wired charging not working and the battery failing after 2 days.  I checked the power output at those wires. It was within the stated acceptable range for power supply. But when the temperature gets into the 30s the wired power supply appears to fail and the battery begins to drain extremely quickly, draining within 2 days and turning off.  When weather becomes more mild, all of a sudden the doorbell is charging again, assuming it hasn’t already drained completely.  Same exact issues with replacement unit.  Doorbell currently turned off at my front door.  So is this a seasonal doorbell?  Didn't know those were on the market.
 
Also, google customer service was very difficult during my initial request for a replacement. They forced me to reset the unit and ‘try’ again (fine), and when problem remained triedhh to tell me I had to return the unit before they would ship a replacement (not okay). I refused to do that, asking how my having wires hanging out of my front door while waiting for a replacement was an acceptable situation, so they said they would put a hold on my credit card in order to send me a replacement first.  Again, fine, but still asinine. The replacement came and I shipped back 1st unit and go figure, that shipment took 2 weeks to get back to google for ‘inspection’, while I received emails from google threatening to charge my credit card for the 2nd unit they had not yet received. This despite the fact they provided the shipping label, and could easily see the unit was stuck in Texas near their facility for days. When I called to point this out I was assured they could fix the problem, and then when the service agent checked in with his superiors he took that back and said they can’t consider the unit returned until it had been inspected. The item showed up the day they said they would charge me so I avoided that extra headache but certainly was put through the ringer by google for a product return where they know there is a defect and I still have useless product from them and no actual solution available.
 
More recently I called again to ask for a refund, which obviously was a no because of a 14 day return policy from the original unit purchased, despite the fact that this issue obviously may not present itself until the weather drops into the 30s.  Seems very convenient for google to cite their strict return policy, but have not accountability for pushing a defective product out to the market.
 
Needless to say I am extremely frustrated, and feel as though google does not want to address this issue with me in any meaningful way.

DocOnTech
Community Member

That I my situation as well.  I have been charging th bay for 2 weeks.   No luck.   I literally have no doorbell.  Going back to the old regular door bell.

JoshSpicer
Community Member

OK guys, I have gone through all the trouble shooting and etc with Google, replaced my unit... AND SO FAR IT HAS WORKED!!! 

Unit manufactured December 2021, clearly has different terminals for my doorbell wire to hook up to, it has stayed rock solid at 99% for the last 1.5weeks with several events recorded and currently -20°C. 

 

There's something different about this unit. 

They sent me a replacement as well that seems to be doing much better, though on the box it was listed as being manufactured a month before the one that was causing me issues. While it hasn't maintained it's charge entirely it's only down to 96% after 4 days of the same kind of weather. If you get a chance to snap a picture of the difference it'd be interesting to see. I would have much preferred they sent me a replacement that wasn't manufactured before the one that had issues though.

What number are you using to reach Google?

I just reached out via support chat from within the Google Home app.

Photos of the new terminals?

If Google does indeed has a hardware revision out there, they better plan on sending it to all of us early adopters.

mpb65
Community Member

Please post photos of new terminals.

mpb65
Community Member

Please post photos.

I got a replacement a week ago. It worked for the better part of a week, then died. I live in an area where many people walk by. The battery drainage seems a function of activity and temperature. Below 30F the problems begin.

Please post your feedback on the Google Nest Facebook Page.

realjax
Community Member

Same problem here with my nest cam battery . Completely died during a day where the lowest temp registered was just a little under 2 degrees Celcius ( thats 35 Fahrenheit!!!)   Went from 67% charged to completely dead.  Man.... I cant believe I keep buying their stuff thinking google devices are high quality.  What a joke.

 

Edit: I am done, going to return this and get my money back.

Same with me. Never again!