Doorbell not charging with 18v power supply

[CaraD]

I have installed the Nest Doorbell (battery) after fully charged through the charging cable and connected to the Google Home iOS app. When I wired the doorbell up with a 18v power supply, the Google Home app initally shows "plugged in" with a infinite sign for battery level. Within a few minutes, the infinite sign was replaced by a percentage while it still says "plugged in". The battery precentage keeps dropping and eventually the doorbell died.  It seems that the device cannot be charged from a 18v power supply. 

Could anyone suggest how to fix it?

[firmwaredev]

First thing to check is that the power supply / transformer meets the requirements.  From the documentaion:

Doorbell power: Rechargeable battery (included), or existing doorbell wires (8–24 VAC, 10 VA, 50/60Hz transformer).

As long as your supply meets that spec, you should be ok.  The fact that it shows plugged in means it's probably ok, but you should verify.  

Beyond that, is it cold where you live?  By that, I mean less than 0C for any length of time.  If so, you might be facing charging issues due to cold.   See this thread for more on that issue:  https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Cold-weather-concerns-with-Nest-Doorbel...

It appears that this camera runs completely off of battery, and uses the incoming A/C power only for trickle charging, hence can run out of battery in cold conditions if number of recorded events is sufficiently high.

Note, it will shut off when below -20C regardless of battery charge level.   This is discussed a bit as well in that thread. That would be within spec, however, as the operating range is specified as -20C to +40C .

[SaadMalik]

Hi all - I have the exact same issue. I tested the wires with a multimeter - 17.1 V. 

Should be okay, right?

I live in sunny California. And the battery dropped from 80% to 2% over the past 2 months even when "wired".

[firmwaredev]

Even while wired, power usage can exceed the input power, as it can only draw a relatively small amount of current from the doorbell circuit without tripping the chime.  This has lead to a lot of problems in cold weather, which of course wouldn't apply to you.   Assuming it's not defective, it sounds like usage vs charge is just in the negative for you.    Is it recording a large number of events per day?  Are there any constantly moving objects in view of the camera that might cause it to constantly be waking up and analyzing for event detection?

Some folks have integrated the doorbell with other home automation systems, like HomeKit or Home Assistant, that are frequently pulling live video.    Does that situation apply to you?

[SaadMalik]

Hi - the camera is not pointing towards the street so only a handful of events a day. I've lowered the sensitivity of the camera to see if it helps.

Not using any other apps which "capture" the camera. Thanks!

[Brad]

Hi there, 

I apologize for my late response and thank you for all of your patience while waiting for a reply. I can definitely understand how frustrating your situation must be, but I wanted to make sure that your issue was addressed. Do you still need help with this issue? I know that there's been a delay in response since you posted.

Please let me know if you need further assistance. 

Best Regards, 

Brad.

[SaadMalik]

Hi @Brad - i have the same issue. Would you recommend I send a new post with the same content? 

[Brad]

@SaadMalik

Battery life will depend on factors including activity, temperature, and camera settings that you select. Users can extend the battery life of their camera by adjusting video quality, length of video clips, time between recorded events, and using activity zones to monitor specific areas. Here are some typical scenarios. 

Nest Doorbell (battery):

• Busy: About 1 month battery life (About 25 - 30 recorded events per day)  
• Typical: About 2.5 months battery life (About 13 - 16 recorded events per day)
• Quiet: About 6 months battery life (about 2 - 5 recorded events per day)

I would suggest that if you have adjusted these settings accordingly, and are still having the issue you should look into a warranty replacement if it's defective. Please reach out to Support if that is the case. Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Best regards,

Brad.

[SaadMalik]

I don't understand. My Nest Doorbell (battery) is wired. I thought the whole point of having it wired is so that its powered and doesn't need to be charged separately every few months?

[Supermint]

Mine is having the same issue, in California as well. Initially after the install, when I checked the battery settings, it keep saying infinity, every time I checked.

But today, it said it will only last 1 more day, 7% left.

Very disappointed.

And today

[SaadMalik]

Well - at least we're not the only ones. I do hope Google/Nest provides a fix/update for this soon

[bravoleader80]

I do have the same issue. Wired the battery doorbell and the charge is dropping constantly. The google home app says infinity while the nest hub screen tells me the actual percentage. I have roughly 10 events per day and I can see the battery draining. I've already changed 3 doorbells through support. I really don't think this thing is charging at all using the wire. I'm really thinking to return it.

[Brad]

Hey folks.

Please go ahead and fill out this form, and support will reach out to you.

Best regards,

Brad.