Nest Camera trying to connect to assisting Nest device

[StevenL843]

I keep receiving the “trying to connect to an existing device” when trying to set up a 3 pack of Nest battery cameras. I’ve tried adding the cameras in different orders and all the other tricks mentioned previously. After speaking with support they suggested adding another home and connecting the cameras there which seems to work. The problem is I have the 1 year Nest Aware Plus already tied to my old cameras under the original home. The customer support basically seemed to say I would have to add my old cameras to the new home and pay again for Nest Aware on the new home. Is that correct? Seems like I just wasted $120. 

[MplsCustomer]

@StevenL843 

The "trying to connect to an assisting device" error has plagued some Google Nest customers for over a year now. I don't know why it affects some customers but not all, but it's long past time for Google Nest to address the problem.

Have you tried these "tricks"? I know they have not worked for everyone.

If you have existing Google Nest wired cameras, have you tried just unplugging them while trying to install your 3 new battery cameras? Or are the 3 new cameras getting caught on each other being the "assisting device"?

If you have a Nest thermostat, some customers have tried temporary removing it during a new install, since the thermostats seem to often be the failing "assisting device".

Have you tried adding your 3 new battery cameras to a new temporary "home" and then removing them from the temporary "home" (after they've gotten their Wi-Fi settings) and adding them to your regular "home" (and then deleting the temporary "home")? At least you'd find out whether you can even add them all to the same "home"; some customers have found that even if they created a new "home", they couldn't add all their devices.

If Google Nest's solution is for you to create a new "home" and move your devices there, then Google Nest should pay for a new Nest Aware Plus subscription, or transfer it at no cost to you.

[Brad]

Hey there,

Thank you for bringing up the concern you're experiencing, I would love to look into this further for you. The first troubleshooting step that I'd recommend would be to restart your device. This process should keep all your settings, and reconnect it to the same Wi-Fi network. This is helpful if it ever freezes, has connection problems, or isn't working normally.

Best regards,
Brad

[EmersonB]

Hi everyone,

@StevenL843 how's it going with your Nest camera? With regards to your concern about paying extra for a new Nest Aware subscription and creating a new home structure to add your 3 pack Nest cameras, this is the option that I can give to you — create a new home structure and add your 3 pack Nest cameras there, then transfer your old Nest cameras in it. In case you don't have other Nest products using the Nest Aware from your old home you can delete it then transfer the hanging subscription to the new home structure. Hit this link for the steps.

Keep us posted.

I appreciate the help, MplsCustomer and Brad.

Regards,
Emerson

[EmersonB]

Hello StevenL843,

Just one quick final check in here since activity has slowed down. We'll be locking the thread in the next 24 hours, but if you still need help, I would be happy to keep it open. If there's more we can do, just let me know.

Thanks,
Emerson