Nest Camera (Battery) - Live Video Unavailable

[matt3]

I read the post by Merlin, which got hijacked by someone else with a different problem which then was considered solved (that person just had flat batteries).  Well my problem is the same as Merlin's problem

• I have fully charged cameras
• I have reset
• I have moved from various WIFI networks including ones 2 meters away.
• I have reset my phone.
• I am using a Pixel 5 phone.
• I have a home hub.

I get recorded events on my cameras in the home app, but when I click the "Live" button, I get "Live video unavailable".  I have to repeatedly click on it and sometimes after 4 or 5 attempts it connects.  This makes the feature practically useless unless someone is standing around for 3-5 minutes.  

My upload speed is in excess of 10mbps which should be sufficient.  I have used 2.4ghz and 5ghz bandwidth for WIFI signals.  I can safely say I have performed all of the "stock standard" troubleshooting delay tactics from tech advice.

What is the next step?  I cant be the only one and wonder if google omit this from the search as you cant find it anywhere and I know others have had it happen.

[CharlieD]

I had a similar problem.  My situation is not the same as yours but maybe it will point you in the right direction.  

I have a OnePlus phone and a chromebook with the Google Home app on both.  I could connect to the live video on my chromebook with no issue.  However, in the OnePlus I could not.  I had the same problem as you.  On my phone there is an option in the display settings called "Vibrant color Effects".  Basically it does some extra video processing to make the colors more vibrant.  Once I turned that off I was able to connect to the live visdo.

My suggestion, therefore, would be to check the various settings to see if there is something that might cause extra work to be done on the video signal and turn that off if you can.  If you can, also check the developer settings if you know how to get into them.  (google it if you don't)  Maybe something there, too.  

[matt3]

Hi Charlie,. I have a Google Pixel 5 phone.  But is the same across all devices including Google hub max.  I don't think what you have suggested is relevant to my problem but thanks for trying.  Problem is still unresolved.

[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.

[matt3]

Hi. it was not addressed or fixed.  Still a problem.  Out of curiosity what in this feed of messages indicates to you it was addressed? 

[Brad]

Hey Ya'll. 

My check in was simply that. As for this issue, restarting and factory resetting your Google Nest camera or doorbell will have different results and I would suggest you please make sure you try out both;

Restart: Keeps all your settings, and it should reconnect to the same Wi-Fi network. This is helpful if it ever becomes frozen, has trouble reconnecting to the internet, or isn't working normally.

Factory reset: Erases all your settings and options, and restores its factory default settings. It will not automatically reconnect to Wi-Fi and you'll need to set it up again.

Once you have tried that, I would like to hear your results here if possible. Need to determine if it is a hardware issue or if this is some sort of bug or other issue. 

You can find this information, plus additional information on this process here. Please let me know if you have further questions.

Best Regards,

Brad.

[fredraymer]

Brad,

I tried a restart numerous times without any luck, while using my old wireless-g router. I then purchased a wi-fi 6 router and had problems with connectivity (like you mentioned), so I was forced to perform a factory reset on all 4 of my cameras in order to connect to my new network. Before this reconnect, I even deleted the household on the Home app and started all over again. Once everything was set up, I still had the same problem. My son came over last night and while connected to my network, he was able to go live on all 4 of his cams at his house, without any hesitation.

[fredraymer]

Brad, I see that you've apologized for being late to the party, but what I don't see is your suggestion of what to do. There appears to be quite a few people with this issue and I'm one of them. I can't view alive feed on more than 1 of my 4 outdoor cams at a time. 

[CharlieD]

OK.  Sorry my specific solution did not apply to your situation.  I was just trying to point out that maybe there was some kind of option on your devices that caused some extra processing to be done on the video stream and maybe that was causing your issue,  That's what it seemed to be in my case.  Good luck and I hope you find a solution.

[Fridge197]

I am having a very similar problem. Was having no issues when I had everything running off a Netgear Nighthawk router but decided that a Nest Mesh wifi system would be a better option with my growing list of Google Smart products. I have 3 older Nest indoor cameras and they work fine but the 3 outdoor cameras are experiencing the same issue as you are having. I'm getting a paltry 5mbps upload during peak so maybe that's the problem but since changing routers everything else seems to be better except these 3 cameras.

[matt3]

It makes you wonder why when you Google search, this is one of the only threads you see.  Given how many people on this thread have had the issue, you would think there is more out there on Google.  I am getting suspicious they remove the negative comments from Google searches.  There are also people who get on the thread who just say the same stuff "reset".  It's actually a pretty annoying process to reset these things.  You have to take the camera down to do it.  I am starting to regret my decision.  I know someone who bought a Unify system and it works great....

[Jkafle]

Ok I seem to have exact same issue now. But my current issue diverged from specific one key moment.

Earlier :

Once I received the camera , the setup and paring process with google home app was a breeze. I was successful on testing everything this camera offered;

Live view, record , plugged or unplugged recordings , battery stamina test , color and night vision 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz etc.. 

On every scenario , the camera worked as claimed and never one moment I had any issue with live video. 

Then:

Because the camera was not for my house but for a remote location. I sat it up here so that I can be familiar with the pairing process with my 4g router in my remote property. So once set up I packed the camera in its original packaging. Because the camera does not have a physical button for turning on or off, I simply turned it off from Google home app. The camera sat on there for next 3 days , I could still connect the cam and see live view from within inside the camera packaging (It was still within the range of my wifi router) . All functions were still working.

Then: 

So yesterday I was heading to my remote property location for installation. Before I drive , I somehow got curious (Luckily) to test it again . I opened the camera from the original packaging.... 

Then the moment starts : Whatever you described above and followed, 100% same issue here since that 'Re-opening Moment' 

It was like opposite to the  Schrodinger's Cat , once inside the box my camera was alive but once outside from the box it is dead (Of course, I tried putting it back into the packaging) but no luck , 

100% I'm into your situation since then. 

[Cwil]

I also have the same issue. Live video not available. What to do?

[mlv555]

Factory reset: Erases all your settings and options, and restores its factory default settings. It will not automatically reconnect to Wi-Fi and you'll need to set it up again.

But you lose any clips you might have save

[darding12]

I am also having this issue but only on one of my Nest cameras. I have a Nest Cam Battery and the Nest Cam Floodlight. I can live stream the Nest Cam Floodlight fine but the regular Nest Cam Battery just randomly stopped connecting for the live feed. I still get all of the notifications and can watch recordings from the Nest Cam Battery, just no live feed. 

I do also have Nest Aware with the 24/7 recording. 

[noelwtrw]

I'm having the same problem. I get a notices, but video is not available. Yesterday I had the same problem, but then today I could see the videos from yesterday. But can not see the videos for this evening.