Google Doorbell Battery Not Charging When Wired

[bbheli]

There appears to be conflicting information and Google support does not seem to post clear information.  In an article which I will post the link to below it says that the battery version will charge the battery gradually however this is not what we have seen. We are professional installers and time and time again we get calls that the camera is dead and on arrival it is always because the battery is dead. Unless there is a charging circuit internally it is not possible to charge DC batteries with an AC current which is what standard doorbells in the US are.  Further in a doorbell circuit current will only flow when the button is pressed which is not enough time to charge the battery even under the most busy use case scenarios.  The doorbell presents two issues. 1) You have a wired chime so you wire the doorbell but now to charge you have to remove it and the wires. Doorbell wires especially on older home will be brittle and often have very little slack to the wire. The user must disconnect these wires all the time and its just a matter of time before the wires break. 2) eliminate the use of the circuit and go wireless and now you need to by an extra device to hear the bell inside the home. 

Google please answer the question does the doorbell have an internal charger which is nothing more than a few diodes to create a bridge rectifier and a resistor and or a voltage regulator to change and drop the voltage to charge the battery. Having to take the doorbell down and brink it inside in cold weather is the stupidest solution I have ever hear especially where the doorbell can be wired. Additionally connection between the wires and the doorbell should be done with contactors on the base, wire the houses circuit to the base and pass it to the doorbell via contactors so the wires do not have to be messed with by the end user. 

How can this information get into the right engineering hands vs some support tier that is not as qualified as all the authorities posts and Google published articles confirm this is not addressed at the highest level. 

Link that claims it will charge which as I said above is not possible without the correct internal circuit and if it has the correct internal circuit non of the issues of battery should be an issue because it is operating from AC supply unless there is a power outage.  https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/10899820?hl=en#zippy=%2Cyou-prefer-not-to-manually-rech...

[kiritsarvaiya]

I have the same issue. Wired, but the camera just informed me that the battery is drained. Such a hare-brained device design. 

[Lance_L]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for posting in our Community. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and insights. As this is a community forum supported by other users and community specialists, the best way to get your thoughts, feedback, or feature requests to the people who can make changes is by submitting feedback. We are eager to see what possibilities lie ahead by taking our users' feedback and suggestions into account.

For anyone experiencing trouble charging their Nest doorbells, I’d suggest performing a factory reset to isolate the issue. Here are the steps:

1. Save any video history on the device, if any. Follow this guide.
2. Unmount the device and then connect it to the USB cable and power adapter.
3. Locate the reset pinhole on the back of the device.
4. Insert and hold the pin (you can use an unfolded paper clip or a thumbtack).
   1. At 10 seconds, the status light will blink yellow four times, and you’ll hear a countdown tone.
   2. At 12 seconds, the status light will be steady, solid yellow while the doorbell starts the factory reset, and you’ll hear a confirmation tone.
5. Release the button. Your device will restore to its factory settings.
6. After the factory reset, your device will appear as "Offline" in the app until you remove it.
7. To remove it from the app, open the app, then tap Settings > Remove device>  Confirm.
8. Make sure the phone is on the same Wi-Fi network as the selected network for the Nest device.
9. Bluetooth should be enabled, but it should not be connected to any Bluetooth devices. Disconnect any Bluetooth devices paired to your phone, such as earbuds, smartwatches, etc.
10. Cellular data should be turned off.
11. If you have an iOS device, tap Settings > Privacy > Local Network and turn on Local Network Access for the Google Home app.
12. Start adding the device back to the Google Home app.

After performing the factory reset, if the issue persists, contact our support team for further assistance.

Best,

Lance

[EmersonB]

Hello folks, 

I'm dropping by to ensure that everything is covered here. How's it going with your Nest Doorbell? Were you able to perform the steps we're suggesting? We'd be glad to hear from you.

Thanks for answering, Lance.

Cheers,

Emerson

[PhilN1]

Hi

Im now ordering my fourth Nest Battery doorbell.  Each of the others have had to be replaced because they last for less than a week (even when plugged in)

Over the last 2 weeks, I was on holiday and I had four "events", but even with this de minimis useage, the plugged in battery ran down to zero within a week

The transformer I am using is the one that Amazon recommends for attachment to the Nest Doorbell and it fits within the specifications that Google poroposes (though Google only offers USA specs)

I ssupect that the initial author on this thread is correct, (ie the product never draws charge from the transformer.  To prove this, I have today, ordered a Merross 310 smart plug and will graph the power draw to demonstrate whether Google's claim about trickle charging to 75% has any bona fides but having watched the deterioration on the previous three devices, I have low expectations

The poor people on the helpdesk are very nice but the product just doesnt work as Google says. 

It is, however, very frustrating that Google senior people don't just come out and explain that this product isnt reflective of their usual quality and they are either making a firmware change that will address the issues or withdrawing it and offering a replacement product that does work

Regards

Phil

[EmersonB]

Hey everybody,

I appreciate you posting here your thoughts and ideas. The Google Nest Cam (battery) and Nest Doorbell (battery) have built-in, rechargeable batteries that are made for long-lasting battery life. But the battery life you get depends on several things, like how much activity is recorded and your settings in the app. Battery life will depend on factors including activity, temperature, and selected camera settings. You can extend the battery life of your 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. You may visit the "Save battery for Nest Cameras and Nest Doorbells" article to learn more.

Regards,

Emerson

[PhilN1]

Thanks Emerson 

My issue isn’t with what Nest are seeking to do but with the product that I am experiencing 

• I’ve now returned 4 of these, all for the same reason.  Notwithstanding that I have the doorbell set at Nest nominated default settings, that it has been summer in London and I have the doorbell connected to a transformer which conforms to Nest specs, (and I’m able to see (via a Meross smart plug) that the battery is being trickle charged at a constant 3.5w) the doorbell ran down to 6% over about 7-10 days (even when I was away for two weeks and had an average of less than 1 “event” per day) and the trickle charge did not recharge the battery 
• return number 5 is imminent 

[PhilN1]

And so the sad story continues 

I fully recharged (USB c) the doorbell on Tuesday and reconnected it to the transformer. Since then the transformer has sent an average of 73wh each day to the doorbell. The doorbell remains set at the default settings and “events” recorded each day average about 10 (range of 6-12). The temperature in. London is about 17c (range 12-20)

Again the pattern of “not fit for purpose “ repeats itself and after 3 days the doorbell software advises that it has fallen to 46%. 

of greater relevance, last night, before bed, the battery chargé stood at 46% and after ten hours of charge and zero “events” the constant drip charge at 3.5-4w/h had barely moved the dial and the battery chargé level stood at 47%

I looked at a chargé calculator and learned that at a constant charge at 3.5w and 18v a 46% charged battery would fully recharge in 17.5 hours. Assuming that the charge is linear it should have charged at 3.5% ph

• something is just wrong. This new battery shouldn’t have run down and it should have recharged. Either the battery or transformer is wrongly sized or the recharging process doesn’t work 

[Lance_L]

Hello everyone,

To make sure that your transformers are compatible with the Nest Doorbell (battery), please refer to the requirements below:

• Voltage: 8 to 24 V AC
• Power: 10 to 40 VA (10 to 40 Watts)
• Frequency: 50 to 60 Hz

If your transformer doesn’t meet the requirements, you may contact a Nest Pro to help you upgrade the transformer. In the US, you can contact our installation partner, OnTech, to help you set up the Nest doorbell. For all other countries, you can book an appointment with a Nest Pro. You can check out this handy guide for information on Google Nest professional installation services.

I appreciate your help, Emerson.

Regards,

Lance

[PhilN1]

Thank you Lance

over the past two weeks, I’ve bought 3 transformers

- 24v and 0.5 amps: average output over 4days received by Nest 4w

-24v and 0.5amps: average output over 4 days received by Nest 2.5w

- 24w and 0.8amps: average output over 4days received by Nest 2.5w

the common denominator is Nest - the Nest Doorbell (battery) DOES NOT OPERATE AS ADVERTISED!!!!!!£!££

[Lance_L]

Hi everyone,

@PhilN1, the most accurate way to check if your doorbell system is compatible is to measure the voltage on its wires.
 

Warning: To avoid the risk of shock, injury, or death, always use caution when working with electricity. Remember, if you’re uncomfortable working with electrical wiring, you can get a local pro installer to do it for you.
 

Use the following steps to check your doorbell’s wire voltage:

Important: Use a multimeter that has metal probes. 'No contact' voltage testers (often shaped like pens) may not be sensitive enough to give you a correct reading.
 

1. Remove your current doorbell from the wall.
2. Disconnect the wires from the doorbell. The voltage can’t be accurately measured while still connected to the doorbell.
3. Follow your multimeter's instructions and measure the voltage on the wires.
4. For the Nest Doorbell (battery), the voltage requirement is between 8 and 24 V AC.

If the multimeter’s reading is within the voltage requirement, the system wiring should work with the Nest Doorbell.
 

If the measured voltage is either below or above the requirement, there are a few options:
 

1. Contact a local pro to upgrade the transformer so that it can work with the Nest doorbell.
2. Install the Nest Doorbell with the optional Indoor Power Adapter, which lets you plug your doorbell into an indoor power socket. 

Here’s a helpful guide on how to check Nest doorbell compatibility.

I hope that helps.

Best,

Lance

[PhilN1]

Thank you Lance

i continue to spend money on this white elephant 

Nearly time to return #6 doorbell 

Today Amazon delivered my 10-15th transformer. All with measured output of -24v (using a multimeter). Some transformers claim 0.5 amp others 0.8amp and all with 50-60hz but when push comes to shuv the delivered wattage received by the doorbell rarely exceeds 2.4w.

Today’s transformer runs at 24v (measured with multimeter) with 0.8amps BUT the received wattage is only ~ 2.4 (yes, I know it makes no sense 24*0.8 should be 20 w)

All transformers produce the same output +/- and it means the doorbell runs flat over a about 10 days

thiis is a joke!

[Lance_L]

Hey everyone,

@PhilN1, Oh no! This is not the experience we'd like you to have. Since we are unable to isolate the root cause of the power drop from the transformers to the doorbell, I’d suggest contacting a local pro installer to help you further. Also, you may use the link provided above if you want to reach out to a Nest Pro.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Cheers,

Lance