Nest Cam with Floodlight battery drain

[swAngel]

I’m in the UK and after purchasing this product direct from Google, the unit was installed by an electrician earlier this year in April and has been working well.

About a week ago I got an error message on my phone (Pixel) saying that the battery was low. This seemed odd as the whole unit is mains wired. Later in the day the battery had drained completely. He’s what I’ve tried:

The floodlights still come on, so mains power is getting through.

I unmounted the camera unit and charged it separately as I have a charging cable that I use for another Nest Cam (Battery). Charged fine and after 4.5hrs the phone app told me it was fully charged and to remount the unit.
The live feed worked as usual although night vision seemed to be of far lower quality. And the battery was still draining. It will likely last another 10/12 days but it’s clearly not working as it should.
In conclusion, the main unit is getting mains power but obviously, the camera unit is not.
Any ideas?

[MplsCustomer]

@swAngel 

If you have a switch for the circuit that includes your floodlight camera, is it always turned on? (It should be.)

When you check Settings | Battery for your camera in the Google Home app, does it show as "Plugged in" with an infinity symbol? It should; that's how our plugged-in battery camera has showed up for the last two years, and it's the same camera that is in the floodlight camera fixture. The battery on our camera has been between 77% and 100% for over 2 years. (We have to unplug it to check the battery level.)

Is the power cord for your camera seated firmly in the bottom of your camera, with no damage to the part that plugs into the bottom of your camera?

I've seen a few other posts similar to yours, where the battery on the floodlight camera doesn't stay charged even though it's receiving continuous power. On other posts, the problem has been that the floodlight fixture isn't turned on all the time.

If you need to contact Support, you can use the link and instructions in this post in this forum:

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

[swAngel]

Thanks for your input and suggestions @MplsCustomer 

Yes, there is a switch and it’s constantly on.

Settings|Battery currently shows the battery level at 85% (it was fully charged 2 days ago). Previously it was showing as plugged in with the infinity symbol.

Power cord is firmly seated at the bottom of the camera. I’ve also disconnected and cleaned this connection point although there were no obvious signs of any dirt or obstructions.

I have also seen similar issues being raised in this forum but without any successful conclusions or fixes.

Mains power is clearly getting to the unit as the floodlights are operational. But there’s obviously a power connection issue between the unit and camera.

Given that the set-up has been working well for 7 months since installation in April, has the unit just suddenly developed a fault?!

[MplsCustomer]

@swAngel 

If Settings | Battery does NOT say "Plugged in" with an infinity symbol, then something is wrong. Try contacting Support.

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. I just want to check if you managed to see the response above. Were you already able to contact our support? How does it go? 

I appreciate the help, @MplsCustomer.

Best,

Jenelyn

[swAngel]

Thanks for following up @Jenelyn_O 

Yes, I spoke with a CS rep earlier today and we went through the issues. Rebecca agreed to send a replacement unit and we discussed how the cost of reinstallation (qualified electrician required) was to be covered. The call dropped while Rebecca was seeking further info on that. Expected a call back given that she'd made a note of my phone number but haven't heard anything yet.

I guess I might need to call the CS team again?

Thanks, M 

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi there swAngel,

Thanks for letting us know. Could you please share your case ID number? It will help me to check your case. 

Best regards,

Jenelyn

[swAngel]

Thanks @Jenelyn_O 

Where will I find the case ID number?

[canosoup]

Great news! How old is your camera?

[swAngel]

Purchased in April this year so 7 months.

[Jenelyn_O]

Hey swAngel,

Please check your email. Rebecca who assisted you yesterday should send the email with your case ID number. Please check your inbox, junk, or spam folder. 

I appreciate the input, @canosoup.

Kind regards,

Jenelyn

[swAngel]

Thanks Jenelyn

I have checked and double-checked but no email from Google/Nest Customer Service or Rebecca.

Do I have to start the process again?

Best,

[Jenelyn_O]

Hello there swAngel,

Thanks for checking. No worries, you can fill out this form, and let me know once you're done. It will help me to search your case to review. 

Regards,

Jenelyn

[swAngel]

Thanks again @Jenelyn_O  and the form's been completed.

Look forward to hearing back

Best, M

[Jenelyn_O]

Hey swAngel,

I was able to check your case. Unfortunately, the refund for a technician isn't possible. I would like to sort out the issue with your camera for us to check your eligibility for a replacement. Could you please confirm if you were able to try to angle your camera to a more productive area that catches fewer unimportant activities? If the issue persists, perform a factory reset on your camera. 

Let me know how it goes.

Kind regards,

Jenelyn

[MplsCustomer]

@Jenelyn_O 

Since the floodlight camera--like our plugged-in battery camera--should be running off of household current, why should the amount of activity reflect the battery level?  The camera should NOT be running off of battery power.

[swAngel]

Thanks @Jenelyn_O  

As @MplsCustomer says, the camera not receiving mains power has nothing to do with it’s angle or what it’s monitoring.

We’ve already tried a factory reset. Regardless, this can’t be the issue for the mains not getting through from the main floodlight unit to the camera.

Best, M

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi folks,

Gotcha — thanks for keeping me in the loop. Since the issue persists, I'll hand over your form to our team to check for replacement options. Please keep an eye on your inbox or messages as they will get in touch with you soon.

I appreciate the input, @MplsCustomer.

Kind regards,

Jenelyn

[swAngel]

Hi there @Jenelyn_O 

Not heard from anyone yet on this?

Thanks, 

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi there swAngel,

I'm sorry that it's taking too long. Unfortunately, we don't have a specific time frame to give. Our team will get in touch with you, as soon as they review your case. Please bear with us. 

Thanks,

Jenelyn

[swAngel]

@Jenelyn_O  Still haven't heard anything . . . 😞