Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) - Event recording issues

[Mindfool]

Problem:
Google Nest Doorbell (battery) is not recording all events reliably. When I test the camera it misses about half of all events. When it does record, more than half of the recorded events fail to capture the first half and do not record for the duration of the motion/event, even if the event lasts 10 seconds, it will only record 5 seconds.

-Is it a failure to sense motion?
-Is it a failure to start recording when motion is detected?
-Is my doorbell faulty? If so, may I get a replacement?

Google Home Settings:
-Google Nest Aware subscription: active
-Power source: wired
-Events monitored: people package, animals, vehicles, and motion
-Zone: full coverage (expanding and isolating the zone area does not help)
-Video History: 30-days
-Wake-up sensitivity: high
-Video quality set to high
-Night vision: auto
-Status light brightness: low

If this is happening to you too please notify Google.

[Theraven51]

I have the same issue.  It's just a defective product and they don't care.  I've spent hours with customer service and they don't have a clue.  If I could I would return them and go with another company.

[Lance_L]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for posting in our Community. I’m sorry to hear that your Nest doorbell isn’t working. No worries; let’s check it out.

@Mindfool, how’s the WiFi connection where the doorbell is located? Does the device show offline during the missing events? Have you tried to toggle the camera and microphone off and then back on?

To completely isolate the hardware issue, let´s factory reset the device. Follow the steps below:

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.

Let me know how it goes.

@Theraven51, Could you tell us the case ID from the interaction with our support team so I can take a closer look?

Keep me posted.

Best,

Lance

[Lance_L]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to follow up and see if you’re still in need of any help. Let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Lance

[Mindfool]

Thank you Lance_L for helping me out. Since your post I have tried a few different things. Unfortunately, problems persist in which recording and sensing/detecting movement seems poor, see below.

• Case ID [5-3568000034182]
• The doorbell does not have a connection issue with it going offline. 
• I have reset the device to factory settings via Pinhole at least twice and have removed and added several times from Google Home too.
• Since my original posting, I have upgraded my wifi to Google Nest Pro and have an access point about 5 feet away. I'm kind of having buyer's remorse. Google Home reports that it is a good connection with internet speeds comparable to my ethernet connections.
• I only have about 2-5 devices on my new Google Mesh network.

What are the functional expectations of the Google Nest Doorbell (battery)? For instance, is it to be expected that only two-thirds of motion is captured? And that only about 10% of video will have complete captures.

Am I setting the bar too high for this product?

Thanks,

Mindfoolio

[Lance_L]

Hi Mindfool,

Thanks for the follow-up information. I appreciate all the details you provided. Let’s check it out.

The camera of the Nest Doorbell (battery) is designed to analyze its video data for people, animals, and moving vehicles and can recognize when the same people reappear. To detect anything besides a person, animal, or moving vehicle, the camera checks for general motion in the scene. It learns what's normally in its background view and looks for movement and changes. While we don’t have exact figures, two-thirds of the motion is captured, and only 10% of it is completed; these are not the expected behaviors of the device.

Upon checking the case ID, we can see that the device is already out of the remorse and warranty periods. I know this is not the answer you’re looking for, but we can only replace devices if they are still within the warranty period.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Lance

[Mindfool]

I appreciate you looking into this Lance and it is quite the bummer. I purchased this from the Google Store on September 10th, 2021. As of this writing, it has not even been two years. If I purchased this in the UK or Ireland, I would still be within warranty, see link to product support documentation warranty periods.

Perhaps there is a good reason. Regardless, this is disappointing. 

If I were not out of the warranty period, would this case qualify for a replacement?

I really hope others experiencing this problem are reporting this issue. Something needs to change.

[Lance_L]

Hello Mindfool,

I genuinely understand the inconvenience you have faced. I have checked this further for you.

The serial number found in the case ID indicates that the device was purchased in the US. The Nest Doorbell (battery) standard warranty in this case is 1 year. If it was within the warranty period, we’d be happy to replace it for you.

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. We're always looking for ways to improve, and we'll take this as feedback.

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

Best,

Lance

[Theraven51]

The sad part is I have 10 of these cameras purchased at different times and they are all doing the exact same thing. So if that's not the expected behavior that means they are all defective and google continues to sell a defective product. 

[Mindfool]

@Lance_L  Thanks for all the help, your service has been excellent. It is just a bummer that Google can not be more flexible with warranty policies. Going forward, I will be more proactive in addressing problems. Feel free to close out Case ID [5-3568000034182].

@Theraven51 I hear ya. It sucks and I hope Google takes steps to address it.

-Mindfool

[Lance_L]

Hi Mindfool,

It’s my pleasure. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions in the future.

Theraven51, I know how it feels when something isn’t working the way it should. Do you have any case IDs from our support team that I can check for you?

Regards,

Lance