Low battery even when plugged in nest camera (battery)

[Paullukehurst]

Hi

i bought two nest camera (battery) around 2 months ago and recently one of them, the one I’m the quietest location, has started running out of battery all the time even though it is plugged in using a google 5m cable

when I check the charging status it seems to flick in and out of saying it’s connected, but physically the cable is securely connected and I’ve tested the cable and it’s getting power 

(a stable 6v to the outside terminals on the cable end)

Ive tried taking the camera off the mount and charging it inside, but once I put it back it did the same within around 2 days 

surely it should have lasted a lot longer than that on a new charge even if it wasn’t plugged in

is it a dead battery? Warranty return maybe? Or is there anything I can try to revive it?

I’ve tried everything in the rouble shoot low battery issues FAQ and nothing in there worked

thanks

paul

[MplsCustomer]

@Paullukehurst 

That doesn't seem right.  Our Google Nest Battery Camera is plugged in all the time with the optional 10-meter power cable (with the power cable feeding toward the FRONT of the camera).  If we select the camera in the Google Home app, it says "Live" and shows a live video feed.  We can only see the charge level if we unplug it, in which case it says "Idle" with the battery percentage.  (It's always at 100%, even in cold weather.)

[Paullukehurst]

Yes, the lead is the right way round, and it does swap to the infinity battery thing if it’s above something like 15%, but it shows it when the battery is low

it seems to need the battery even when it’s plugged in?

[MplsCustomer]

@Paullukehurst 

I'm just another customer, but seems to me your camera is not functioning as it should. It is certainly behaving differently than our camera, where the battery remains charged at 100% with the camera plugged in all the time, even with temperatures as low as -18 degrees Fahrenheit.

Google Store's own link on battery life for its battery-powered cameras and doorbells (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/10901611?en-US#cam-life), under "Protect your camera from extremely cold temperatures", says "you might want to connect your camera or doorbell to a power source so that it stays charged." That certainly implies the camera's battery will stay charged if it is wired, even in cold temperatures.

I don't know why your camera's battery isn't staying charged. Are you sure it's getting continuous power and always shows as "Plugged in" under Settings | Battery in the Google Home app?  Ours does.

If it were my camera and it was getting continuous power, I would contact Google Nest Support and would start here: https://support.google.com/googlenest/gethelp.

[Shards]

Mpls customer is a bot. I’m having the exact same issue. Nest doorbell battery is discharging even though I went through the effort of fitting a wiring a transformer to charge the doorbell battery. Don’t buy! Waste of money.

[MplsCustomer]

@Shards 

This "bot" is currently distracted by his granddaughter.  This thread are about the Google Nest Camera (Battery).  Our battery camera is working fine while plugged in (except that it works ONLY with the Google Home app), but it seems some other customers' cameras may have defects with the cameras or the enclosed power cords that prevent their cameras from staying charged.

The Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) is a different story entirely. The battery doorbell apparently runs off of the battery even when wired. In addition, unlike the older Google Nest Hello Doorbell, the battery doorbell does not use a chime connector, which provides the Nest Hello with enough power to run the doorbell's camera. Instead, when wired, the battery in the Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) is apparently trickle-charged only at a very low level low to prevent setting off the homeowner's chime. As a result, many customers are reporting the battery in the Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) simply cannot stay charged even when wired, especially when temperatures get down to around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), even though that is well within its operating temperature.

If you browse the thread below about cold weather concerns with the battery doorbell, you'll find over 500 customer comments (including some from customers who live where it is NOT cold), and very little in the way of response from Google Nest. I, for one, think the Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) is inherently flawed. That's why we instead bought one of the older Google Nest Hello Doorbells for our third (unwired) entrance last month, and powered it with an OhmKat Power Adapter for the Nest Hello.

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Cold-weather-concerns-with-Nest-Doorbel...

[Brad]

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.

[Paullukehurst]

Hi Brad

yes, I never did get an answer as to why this is happening 

it’s an intermittent problem but it’s still very annoying 

many thanks 

paul 

[Brad]

Hey there, 

This is a known issue that we are looking into. I do not have any further updates on it at this time.

Best regards,

Brad.

[Paullukehurst]

Pretty much the dismal response I’d expected, I must say Googles customer service around this product  is about as poor as any I’ve come across, especially for such a relatively expensive product with what seem to be quite widespread problems. I haven’t seen a single response on any forum post for anyone apart from you, and it seems to be impossible to phone or email an actual customer service team.

last time I spend any money on a google product 

[SomeGuy]

I’m having the exact same issue. Is this a defective device or is this a design process?  Is there a point going through a warranty if the issue is across the line?

[Paullukehurst]

I’ve no idea im afraid, somewhere in this thread “Brad” has just said it’s a know issue that they won’t talk about, or offer any solution to it seems

not very helpful, but possibly means it’ll be something they address in a software update at some post maybe?

of the two camera I have only one of them is doing it?

[MplsCustomer]

@Paullukehurst

I think some of the new Google Nest Cameras (Battery)--or their power cables--are defective, and should be replaced by Google. Perhaps you could try swapping the power cable--or temporarily connect the non-charging camera with the indoor charging cable and an extension cord--to determine whether it's the camera or the power cable that is defective.

As I mentioned above, our battery camera is working fine, but other customers are also reporting they're unable to keep theirs charged. A few months ago a customer posted a photo showing that the plug that inserts into the bottom of the camera just fell apart. There was a new report today of a camera not charging: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Nest-Camera-battery-depletes-occasional...

[Shards]

Just buy a different brand. Google sucks.

[Shards]

I had the exact same issue after wiring a higher voltage transformer. I returned my nest doorbell and bought the ring elite.

[hayesti]

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

[Paullukehurst]

No, I'm afraid  not

google have just said that it’s a known issue they they're working on but that they won’t say any more than that so no help at all from them as yet

[Brad]

Hi folks.

I am sorry that I do not have a fix for this issue. It is still a work in progress and we are still collecting data on the issue. I do not have a workaround fix as much as I wish I had one to provide. Please leave your information on this main thread, as I will be locking this thread to keep the issue to one main thread. 

Best regards,

Brad.

[Shards]

Perhaps don’t lock the thread and give us a permanent fix. 

I have wired a 240v - 12v AC 60w transformer. Battery is still discharging in a warm climate in AUS.

I will try a 240v - 24v 150w transformer. I don’t see why this will work either as Ohms law tells me it’s the same amperage but hopefully the higher voltage will help.

If the above also doesn’t work I will try to find a high amperage output transformer. 

thanks for selling me garbage Google 👍

[MplsCustomer]

@Shards 

There are other threads in this forum reporting problems keeping the Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) charged even when wired in mild temperatures. This one is in the UK: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Google-Doorbell-battery-charging-issues.... This longer thread has customers suggesting that a different transformer won't help: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/nest-doorbell-battery-will-not-hold-a-c....

You could ask Google for a replacement, hoping that yours is simply defective rather than inherently flawed. (In other posts, Google Nest Support is saying they don't yet know why the battery doorbells have trouble staying charged.)

Or, since you've already taken the trouble to wire your Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) with a transformer, you could ask Google to replace it with the older Google Nest Hello Doorbell. (I have no idea whether they would honor such an unusual request, but at least the Nest Hello Doorbell works consistently [though many customers are now reporting problems when they're a couple of years old: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Nest-Hello-Doorbell-cuts-out-when-butto....])

These are just suggestions from another customer. You may disregard them if you wish.