How can you set up a "ROUTINE" to turn cameras on or off when leaving and returning home?

[Wine55]

I want to be able to "arm" my camera's when leaving home and turn them off when I return.  I don't want to turn them all on and off manually.  I want to create a routine to do this.  If not possible today, when is Google going to upgrade the app to make this possible?

[ciarlatano]

I'm trying to figure this out, as well. This choice is part of the setup process, but it simply doesn't work. I have a Nest Cam wired and battery that I have spent two weeks with trying to get it working. If there is no solution, I am going to have to return them and go back to Arlo.

[Brad]

Hi there, 

Thanks for bringing up the concern you're having. I'd love to look into this for you. Our newer cameras do not have routines enabled as they are in the Google Home app and not in the Nest App. You can set up schedules, which are somewhat similar, but do not quite work the same as routines. 

Best regards, 
Brad

[ciarlatano]

This is really disappointing, and frankly makes no sense. During setup in the Google Home app, you are asked if you want the camera to automatically turn on/off based on Home/Away, which is the logical way to use the camera for security. The fact that this question exists tells the user that Google realizes this, as well. Then it simply doesn't work. You can turn off notifications while you are home, but this does nothing to stop the camera from continually recording events while you are home (which is invasive) and burning up the camera battery.

You also can't have the camera sensing motion trigger any events, like turning on lights. These are the most absolute basic functions of a security camera.

[Brad]

@ciarlatano 

They still have the ability to work with Home + Away, but not with setting things to turn off at certain times, etc. but I understand that this may be frustrating to see, but please share your experience with our developers and engineers in the app. That is the best place for you to provide your feedback in the future.

Best regards,

Brad

[ciarlatano]

The inability to work with Home and Away is the complaint of both users in this thread. Where can we get assistance in making this feature work? If I could get that working, I would be inclined to keep the cameras. I have been unable to get any assistance in this, and have exhausted all possibilities on my own (resetting the camera and re-adding, disabling home/away assist in the Nest app, removing the Nest app from all devices, resetting and re-adding the camera with no Nest app installed, etc).

[Brad]

@ciarlatano 

As this is not a current feature the way you wish it to work, this would be considered a Feature Request then. I do not have any form of ETA to provide, but we’re always looking for ways to improve, and appreciate your feedback. You can send it at any time using your devices by saying, "Hey Google, send feedback," or by following the steps found here. This thread will remain open for 24 hours for any follow-up questions or concerns. 

Best regards,

Brad

[ciarlatano]

This is the big point of frustration. The camera/Google Home does setup for Home and Away when you configure the camera. You stated in this thread that Home and Away work with the camera. When asked where to find a resource to make it work, you state it doesn't work. It's a circular process with no resolution.

As much as I would really like to have my cameras in the same ecosystem with all of my hubs, audio and Nest Protects, I am just going to have to give up on the idea of the Nest cameras until Google gets these even fundamentally working. It is really a shame, because the things the camera actually does work incredibly well.

[Wine55]

It is very frustrating.  All I want is a routine that can be activated via Google Assistant. 

Simply put:  "Turn on all cameras" when leaving the house,  "Turn off all cameras" when arriving home. 

Being a "tech" company, this surely is something that their programmers could develop.   It's ridiculous that I need to manually turn cameras on and off when needed.

[janthadeus]

Hey there,

We hear you. Our team is working hard to deliver the best experience for our users — we'll take this as feedback. Keep an eye on the Google Nest Community page https://goo.gle/2JvnMRy for any updates. Please let me know if you have other questions or concerns as I will be locking this in 24 hours if I won't hear back from you again. Feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.

Check out this link on how to file feedback.

Thanks for your help, Brad.

Best,

JT