Erratic behavior of Nest doorbell - broken or fixable?

[MJG47]

My Nest doorbell/camera is behaving erratically.  Not sure what generation it is - it is a 6 yr old wired doorbell.  When approached, the tiny LED at the top glows green and the light ring around the button glows blue.  When the button is pressed, all lights go out and nothing happens.  Press again, still nothing but I receive a message on my phone that someone is at the front door (i.e., the camera works).  Press a 3rd or 4th time and the chime rings inside.  At some point, the chime on my iphone may also ring (but not always).  Fixable?  How?  Or time for a new doorbell?  Any help would be appreciated.

[MplsCustomer]

@MJG47 

If your doorbell is 6 years old, it's a Google Nest Hello Doorbell and not the 2nd Gen Google Nest Doorbell indicated in your post. If you can view the doorbell's camera and the problems are limited to when the button is pressed, then your Nest Hello's internal doorbell may have failed, as it has for all 3 of our Nest Hello doorbells and as it has for many hundreds of other customers.

Google Nest says they "cannot" replace doorbells whose internal battery has failed unless they are less than 1 year old.

You can turn off your "Indoor chime" option (which prevents your doorbell from going offline when the button is pressed) and turn on "Visitor announcements" (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7672451) to get announcements on your Nest Hubs and Nest Minis instead.  We've done this with our Nest Hello doorbells.

You can also tear open your doorbell and try to replace the internal battery: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nest+Hello+Battery+Replacement/131729

This thread on the subject has over 1,000 replies, but Google Nest has now locked it:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Nest-Hello-Doorbell-cuts-out-when-butto...

[MJG47]

Thank you.  This is very helpful.

[EmersonB]

Hi everyone,

@MJG47, thanks for posting here in the Community. To confirm, have you considered resetting your Nest Doorbell to the factory default? Try reinstalling your Nest app just to be sure that you have the updated version.

To reset:

1. To remove your Nest Doorbell from its base, insert the release tool into the hole at the bottom of your Nest Doorbell. You can also use an unfolded paperclip or a thumbtack.
   • Tip: Don't unscrew the wires attached to the back of your camera.
2. Hold down two buttons on your Nest Doorbell for about 10 seconds:
   • Hold down the reset pin on the back (insert the release tool or paperclip into the hole near the top).
   • At the same time, hold down the big doorbell button on the front.
3. Your Nest Doorbell will chime and its light ring will start spinning blue, then flash yellow, and then all the lights will turn off. Release the two buttons.
4. The factory reset is complete when your Nest Camera chimes and the light ring starts slowly pulsing blue.
5. After the factory reset, your Nest Doorbell will appear as "Offline" in the app until you remove it.
6. To remove it from the app: open the app, then tap Settings Remove device Confirm.
7. If you're giving your Nest Camera to someone else, you're done. If you want to reconnect your Nest Camera to the app, simply go through camera setup in the app again.

I appreciate the help, MplsCustomer.
 
Best,
Emerson

[EmersonB]

Hi MJG47,

I'm dropping by to ensure that everything is covered here. How's it going with your Nest Doorbell? We would appreciate it if you could share the information I’m asking above. Also, were you able to perform the steps I’m suggesting? We'd be glad to hear from you.

Regards,
Emerson

[MJG47]

Thanks for checking in.  I decided to replace the Nest Doorbell and have done so.

Best,

Michael

[EmersonB]

Hey MJG47,

Thanks for getting back to us and sharing here your update. We're glad that you're able to do it on your end. Let us know if you have other questions or concerns.
 
Regards,
Emerson 

[EmersonB]

Hello MJG47,

I wanted to follow up and see if you are still in need of any help. Please let me know if you are still having any concerns or questions from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further.
 
Best,
Emerson

[MJG47]

Thank you, Emerson.  I have replaced the doorbell.

Best,

Michael

[EmersonB]

Hi MJG47,

We appreciate you getting back to us and we're glad that it's resolved now. We’ll consider this one complete so let us 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