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Google Doorbell (battery) charging issues

Rakh1
Community Member

Hi all,

I've been running the new Nest Google Doorbell (battery) since October. It is wired to a 25VA transformer at 16v:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B7Z8PQS/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_RWFJY5VN53ARRBQJH9QT?_encoding=UTF8&ps...

Despite this the battery slowly reduces over a few weeks until eventually it dies.  The only recovery is to charge with USB-C and reconnect. 

Voltages are fine, I've tried two different transformers (first one was only 10VA). With both, the device reports it is plugged in with 'infinity' life left.  When it gets low I can see that the device does charge, but it is slow (usually a percent or 2 overnight). 

Seems very odd, and I see others with this problem. I have adjusted battery balance (but why should I have to if it is wired in). Have tried everything I can think of, but am very tempted to return as faulty and go back to my old original Next Doorbell (wired).

Has anyone managed to fix this?

Rich

16 REPLIES 16

EmptyNester
Gold Product Expert
Gold Product Expert

It sounds to me like you have done everything right in checking the specs for power.  It sounds to me like there is indeed something faulty with that one.  

I ended up going back to my old Nest HELLO for other reasons.  I really missed the 24/7 recording.  And with the  new one even wired with power it was still chopping the beginning and end of far to many recordings and I would miss stuff.   

I think I may do the same and revert.  Have talked to Google support who were useless. There are lots of issue with the battery staying charged due to number of events, temperature, transformer performance. I've been patient but this iteration of their doorbell is a step back.

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi there,

 

Just checking in to see if you still need assistance with this issue. Please let me know if you need further assistance. 

 

Best Regards,

Brad.

hayesti
Community Member

@Brad  My Nest doorbell's battery is rapidly draining to zero despite being powered by our transformer/chime. I had this installed by a professional just ten days ago. If this is a wider issue with all the units, there is little they'll be able to do. What should I do?

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

@hayesti

 

If your Nest Doorbell (battery) is wired in, then the battery should not be draining. It sounds like your doorbell may not be installed correctly. It does have an internal battery, but as long as it is properly set up as wired, then it should be keeping it charged. Granted, if you live in a very cold area, then please check out this link on Cold Weather and Charging.

 

Best regards,

Brad.

hayesti
Community Member

@Brad 

 

Thank you for the reply. The battery hasn't even lasted one week from a full charge. From your assessment either the installation is not correct or the device is faulty. I like in the UK and our temperature hasn't gone under 2c for the past week. Could you get in contact with me to sort this out? Thanks

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

@hayesti

 

I am afraid I cannot reach out to you. I am only over these Nest Community Forums. You will need to reach out to UK Support.

 

Best regards,

Brad.

jdanbburn
Community Member

I live in Texas, there’s no cold weather here, and still have the same ongoing issue. I believe the google nest doorbell (battery) is just a poor manufactured product that should not have been released 

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi jdanbburn,

 

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with your Nest Doorbell Battery. I can understand how you feel so I want to check this further. Is your Nest Cam Battery exposed to extreme temperatures(sunlight, dust and rain)? How frequently do you receive camera notifications? Also, do you keep it connected to the charger until its battery is full?

 

Going over these steps might help:

  • Keep it connected to the charger until its battery is full.
  • Adjust the angle of your camera to a more productive area that catches fewer unimportant activities.
  • Reposition your camera where there's a shade to provide some cover.

You may also check this article for your guide on how to save battery for Nest cameras and doorbells

 

Let me know how it goes.

 

Cheers,

JT

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi jdanbburn,

 

It's me again. I want to make sure you're all good — how did the steps go?

 

Regards,

JT

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi there,

 

It's me again. Just wanted to jump in here to make sure that you saw my response. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns as I will be locking this in 24 hours.

 

Best,

JT

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi there!

 

I am sorry for my delayed response! I would suggest if you haven't already checked your notifications settings, or your sensitivity settings for motion detection, etc. as those settings can burn a lot more battery if they are going off all the time. Please let me know if you need further assistance.

 

Best regards,

Brad.

MplsCustomer
Bronze
Bronze

@Rakh1 

If you live someplace that gets cold at all, you might want to check out this long thread of posts on the effect of cold weather on the doorbell: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Cold-weather-concerns-with-Nest-Doorbel....

It seems that the new Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) is set up to run off of the battery, while the battery is trickle-charged at a low-enough level so as not to trip the chime (even if you aren't using a chime), and this charging level is not enough to keep the battery charged as temperatures drop--even when they're within operating temperature range.

But you can read the posts for yourself.

I read about the cold, but I am in the UK where snow is a novelty.

hayesti
Community Member

I'm also having this issue. Are there any updates?

MplsCustomer
Bronze
Bronze

The challenges you are facing with the Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) is that it runs off of the battery AND the battery is trickle-charged at a rate low enough to avoid tripping a chime (even if you have no chime wired in).  As customer @firmwaredev  has pointed out on the three threads below, it's possible that at any temperature power usage can exceed the charging rate and drain the battery. Some customers have been able to tweak their doorbells to reduce how many events it detects in order to reduce their power usage, and thereby get by. But it doesn't always work.

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Nest-Doorbell-Battery-draining-while-ha...

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/nest-doorbell-battery-will-not-hold-a-c...

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Cold-weather-concerns-with-Nest-Doorbel...
(A VERY long thread)

Last week, Google added this page on charging behavior for its new battery doorbells and cameras:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/11830989?hl=en