Nest Cam/Google Cam with Battery Remains Idle

[Whendm]

I recently purchased two google outdoor cameras with batteries. 1 I use to monitor inside my home when I'm not there. The second, I mounted yesterday outside to monitor the front yard. The second camera remains idle until I hit the live button. What good is a security camera that only turns on when I physically turn it on? I'm quite annoyed with this. I have multiple NEST cameras indoors and outdoors and they ALL work. When I turn them on, they stay on, and when I turn them off they stay off. I looked for a solution to the idle issue with the google camera, and one individual said that it may need to be hard-wired to stay live. If that's the solution, then I guess I should have hired a company to install security cameras instead of the Google garbage. All of my Nest cameras work well, I can snip footage of events when needed, and I know as long as they have power and wifi, I won't have any issues. Unless google ups their game to be equal to or better than NEST, I will NOT be purchasing another camera from them, nor will I recommend the cameras to others.

[MplsCustomer]

We have had a new Google Nest Camera Battery mounted outside for two months now, and purchased the optional power cable at the same time so it could be powered all the time, because we didn't want to be limited to event-based recordings for the last 3 hours only. We bought the camera only because the previous Google Nest Outdoor Cameras were no longer available. In our wired mode, the camera records and streams 24/7 like our other Google Nest cameras and doorbells, except that, along with everyone else, we discovered we have to support it separately in the Google Home app and cannot access it at home.nest.com.

Given all the postings in this forum about the camera going into "IDLE" mode and other issues when running on battery power and with event clips being too short, I'm glad we got the power cable.

[Brad]

Hey folks,

Thanks for providing feedback! I am looking into this further. Thanks for your patience.

Best Regards,

Brad.

[aespi]

Same issue..... what are they thinking????

[Brad]

Hi there, 

I apologize for my late response and thank you for all of your patience while waiting for a reply. I can definitely understand how frustrating your situation must be, but I wanted to make sure that your issue was addressed. Do you still need help with this issue? I know that there's been a delay in response since you posted.

Please let me know if you need further assistance. 

Best Regards, 

Brad.

[aespi]

Yes. Since no one ever provided any assistance! Please respond to the questions / issues posted.

[cscott]

How do we get idle mode off and live on???

[Cct]

How to use the battery without always being in idle? Google this makes no sense. We need solutions

[Lighyt]

I have an outdoor camera that could be run with battery, but we had wired. So this camera is wired, but still showing idle and battery at 70%. I'm not sure what to do with it at this point. It worked for about a month wired, but suddenly is on battery power with the battery slowly draining. 

[MplsCustomer]

@Lighyt 

If your Google Nest Battery Camera is plugged in, it should show as "Plugged in" with an infinity symbol under Settings | Battery in the Google Home app. That's how ours shows (using the optional weatherproof power cable) and we've had it for 3 months. I've tried shutting off the power to the camera several times in the last week to test it. The first time I did so, it showed as "Idle" with an 87% charge. Since then, it has showed as "Idle" with a 100% charge each time, with temperatures from 45 degrees Fahrenheit down to 3 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Lighyt]

Yes. It showed plugged in with the infinity symbol when it was installed. Just today I noticed it's showing battery, now 68% charge, and idle. It is mounted by high and I can't reach to unplug and reset.

[MplsCustomer]

@Lighyt 

I'm just another customer who happens to have a Google Nest Battery Camera. It would seem that the plug on the bottom of the camera (attached magnetically with the cord going towards the front of the camera) has come loose, or the plug going into your power outlet has come loose, or you're not getting power to that outlet. Our camera only shows as "Idle" with a battery charge percentage when it is unplugged.

[Lighyt]

Yea, the floodlight isn't getting power so the camera switched to battery mode. I'm going to check and make sure all the wires are connected properly. Seems the only logical explanation. It's not cold related because it isn't that cold yet where I live, and I have another floodlight/camera that was installed the same day, also outside, and it has no trouble.

Thank you for your help! 

[MplsCustomer]

You can also see this thread on the effect of cold weather on the Google Nest Battery Doorbell, with some reporting on the effect of cold on the Google Nest Battery Camera:
https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Cold-weather-concerns-with-Nest-Doorbel...

[J-Aus]

Installed my 2 x Google Nest Cam's last week. On one I have the power cable and the other I will rely on battery and recharge regularly. Well, as it turns out, the the Cam with the power cable is live continuously whilst the other is "Idle". It would appear that you need to power it continually if you want to see 'live stream" without initiating it when checking. However, it does record an "event" and so it is working for what it is designed to do. Security. Something Google should explain more clearly in the specifications.

J  

[Brad]

Hey folks,

I am wondering if ya'll are still having this issue, or if after the latest updates, it's been resolved? Please let me know if you are still experiencing this issue.

Best Regards,

Brad.

[MplsCustomer]

@Brad 

In response to your question, I just checked our Google Nest Battery Camera.

If I unplug the camera, it still shows as "Idle" (with a battery percentage of 100%).

If the camera is plugged in, it displays the camera's view and if I check under Settings | Battery, it shows as "Plugged In" with an infinity symbol.

I don't know what "latest updates" you are referring to.

[AlexF_808]

Same issues as described by @Whendm  The wired Google doorbell works a treat! The battery powered Google Cam only works when I prod at it via my iphone. The product is not working as described! I wouldn't have purchased it had I known & I will certainly not be recommending battery powered Google Cams!

[Brad]

Hey folks,

I wanted to explain why Community Specialists Lock threads. We follow up and lock threads when there hasn't been any activity from users in the thread which helps us to maintain a cleaner community. I hope this explains a bit more about why we lock threads.

Best Regards,

Brad.