Nest Cam Outdoor Battery Drains even when plugged in

[SLee25]

My camera is about 2 years old. Recent I started getting the  low battery notification.  I then immediately turned the battery off to let it charge . After 1/2 a day, the battery was fully charge and it showed the infinity sign. Then few days later I checked the battery and it was down to 16%. I ignored it and then I got “Device offline. Empty battery” notification the next day. My camera had been plugged in all these time. I understand in the winter battery charging may not be as effective, but this happened in the middle of summer. Does this mean the battery is not charging anymore?

[MplsCustomer]

@SLee25 

What do you mean you "turned the battery off to let it charge"? I don't know how you would do that.

Is your camera plugged in all the time with one of the optional power cables? (It seems some customers have had trouble using the 1-meter charging cord.) Is that circuit on all the time? Is the USB plug seated firmly in the bottom of the camera with the cable feeding towards the FRONT of the camera? (Other customers have had issues with both of these.) When you installed your battery camera, did you specify during the install process that it would be plugged in, rather than running off of battery power?

If all of these are true, then your battery camera should be running off of your home's household current and NOT off of the battery, and it should keep the battery charged.

We've had a battery camera for 23 months, and it's always "Live" and online. If we check the battery setting, it always shows as "Plugged in" with the infinity symbol. But if we unplug the camera to check the battery level, so far it's always showed anywhere from 77% to 100%.  I hope your experience doesn't mean that ours is going to fail.

[SLee25]

Via the google home app, you can turn off the camera completely. This way I was able to let the camera “rest” and get charged up. It seems to me the camera is using more power than the power supplied. I even tried to change the USB charger to a higher amperage one, but that didn’t help either. FYI, for the past 24+ months I had no problem with the camera while plugged in

[MplsCustomer]

@SLee25 

How did you change to a USB charger with a higher amperage? Google Nest does not provide any connections to do that, unless you are using the 1-meter charging cord rather than one of the optional power cables.

Are you using one of Google Nest's optional power cables? Is the USB plug seated firmly and making contact? Is the power cable feeding towards the FRONT of the camera? Has the USB plug gotten wet from rain or snow?

Google Nest says (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/11830989) "For wired installation setups with a Nest Cam (battery), the wires power the camera directly."

Unless there is a defect somewhere, it would not make sense for the camera to be using "more power than the power supplied", anymore than it would for, say, the wired Google Nest Outdoor Camera to do so.

[EmptyNester]

When  you view the camera in the GOOGLE HOME app and you hit the GEAR icon you will see a BATTERY option.  When you click it does it show the words "PLUGGED IN" just above the infinity sign?

If you are able to figure this out then please post here how you got this resolved.  This might help other people with the same or similar issue.

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi everyone,

@SLee25, I just want to check if you managed to see the response above. Please let us know how it goes.

I appreciate your input, @MplsCustomer and @EmptyNester.

Best,

Jenelyn

[BeachGoalie3079]

No.  It only shows empty battery. The camera is mounted in the kitchen above a cabinet and the power plug is concealed so as not to become unplugged.

[BeachGoalie3079]

Also..there is no infinity sign

[MplsCustomer]

@BeachGoalie3079 

Then it may not be plugged in and receiving power. Is the USB plug seated firmly and with the cord feeding towards the FRONT of the camera?
You could try contacting Support using the link and instructions in this post:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Using-Google-Nest-s-quot-Contact-Us-quo...

[Lance_L]

Hello BeachGoalie3079,

I’m sorry for the delayed response here. I wanted to follow up to check if you still needed help. Have you had a chance to try the suggestion by MplsCustomer above? If yes, how was it?

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 locate the reset pinhole on the back of the device.
3. 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.
4. Release the button. Your device will restore to its factory settings.
5. After the factory reset, your device will appear as "offline" in the app until you remove it.
6. To remove it from the app, open the app, then tap Settings > Remove device>  Confirm.
7. Make sure the phone is connected to the same Wi-Fi network (or mobile hotspot, if available) as the selected network for the Nest device.
8. 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.
9. Cellular data should be turned off.
10. If you have an iOS device, tap Settings > Privacy > Local Network and turn on Local Network Access for the Google Home app.
11. Start adding the device back to the Google Home app.

Let me know how it goes.

@SLee25, do you still need help? Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Thanks for the help, MplsCustomer, EmptyNester, and Jenelyn.

Best regards,

Lance

[BeachGoalie3079]

Hi.  I am frustrated by a similar situation.  We bought this and installed for our over 100 year old mom to monitor for her needs. Today is now the third time the AC powered camera is offline because of an empty battery necessitating a trip to intervene.  The first two times it did this I needed to disconnect and reconnect power cable to reset the camera.  Is there a solid solution available here or is this a defective device.  This device provides no help if it goes offline in middle of night and she was to fall.  Any solid suggestions here?  

[MplsCustomer]

@BeachGoalie3079 

In addition to the suggestions I posted earlier on this thread, keep in mind that if you set up your battery camera to run on battery power only initially, and then later plug it in, it doesn't seem to work, and you may have to remove your camera, do a factory reset, and reinstall it. It seems that either the camera needs to be plugged in prior to installing it or you have to specify during the install process that it will be plugged in.

[BeachGoalie3079]

Thanks for the reply. As we selected this camera to monitor the activities of a 100-year-old plus young lady, the camera was installed from the beginning on AC power. Are there any suggestions in the community about what to do next, or is this in fact a defective unit?

[SLee25]

Hi all, just want to provide an update. My problem is finally solved! I replaced the third-party charger with the official nest cam charger and the camera’s battery doesn’t drain anymore. My only guess is that overtime the third-party charger degraded and doesn’t supply enough power to the camera? 

[Lance_L]

Hey SLee25,

That's great news! I’m happy to hear that the issue has been resolved. Thanks for sharing your resolution with the Community. It’s always best to use official accessories like chargers with your Nest devices since they’re designed to work together.

Reach out if you have any other questions in the future.

Cheers,

Lance

[wattson]

I have a nest cam outdoor camera. I had an electrician splice the factory supplied power cord and connect it to a prerun CAT5/Ethernet cable which runs to a location inside my house. At the inside location, the CAT5/Ethernet cable is spliced back with the factory supplied power cord and plugged into the wall using the official nest cam adapter/charger. The camera recognizes that it is plugged in and gives the infinite sign, but the battery still drains.  I am tinkering with the power/video settings to see if there's a combination of settings where this won't happen, but it appears as if the camera is pulling more power than is being supplied.

[MplsCustomer]

@wattson 

I am not an electrician, but perhaps your CAT5/Ethernet cable splice does not provide sufficient power to your camera. I've also seen a few posts from customers who seem to have issues using the 1-meter charging cord and adapter that comes with the camera to power their camera on an ongoing basis. I don't know whether the adapter that comes with the 1-meter charging cord has the same specs as the adapter that comes with the optional 5-meter and 10-meter power cables that Google Nest sells. They certainly look different.

We've had a battery camera for almost 2 years now, plugged in with the optional 10-meter power cable, and it's been online and "Live" the whole time, and the battery remains charged.

[Lance_L]

Hello everyone,

@wattson, thanks for posting in our Community. I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with the Nest camera. Let’s check it out.

Since the outdoor camera needs to be connected to a power source located inside the house, I’d recommend connecting the device to the Nest Cam (battery) Weatherproof Cable. This will ensure that the camera and power adapter will work together, the weatherproof cable1 (in 5 m and 10 m) and power adapter keeps your Nest Cam connected with continuous power.

Let me know if you have any questions.

@BeachGoalie3079, have you had any chance to try the steps above? If yes, how was it?

I appreciate your help, MplsCustomer.

Best,

Lance

[wattson]

It is connected to a power source inside the house.

Can you tell me the power specifications for the camera and USB adapter?

[Lance_L]

Hi wattson,

Here are the power specifications for the Nest Cam outdoor or indoor (battery):

• Built-in rechargeable 6 Ah, 3.65 V lithium-ion battery
• Pogo pin magnetic connector
• 7.5 W USB-A power adapter
• Weatherproof cable with cable clips (sold separately)

You can find here the technical specs for Nest cameras and doorbells.

Cheers,

Lance

[Anonymous]

Battery drain yes. How many of you feel drained by the so called experts here and their worthless solutions for this worthless POS product?

I am returning all of these expensive toy cams for a full refund.