Nest Doorbells (Wired) shut down in cold temperatures

[Donewright]

Greetings,

I have two of these Nest Doorbells, both wired.   I've had them for years. The doorbell out front has always shut down when it gets real cold outside.  I just lived with it. Well now in the middle of this winter storm, the front doorbell and back doorbell have shut down.  Both units are under a 4 foot overhang and are not exposed to the snow or rain, just the temperatures. This is insane, why does a wired device need to shutdown?  I have three Google outdoor cams around the house and they work fine.  It seems to be a flaw with this design. I can understand if it contained a battery, but these have no batteries and are wired directly into the doorbell transformer.  It seems they both have power, as the green light is on when I looked at it.

There must be a way to alleviate this issue.  

[Eve_O]

Same here. We live in IL and today, well actually right now as we speak it is -9 degrees, and yup Nest is offline. Mind you, I also have a wired connection. 😒

[MplsCustomer]

@Donewrightand @Eve_O 

Perhaps your doorbell transformer doesn't have quite enough power to keep the doorbells going in cold weather. We live in Minnesota where the temperature is currently -11 degrees Fahrenheit, and our 3 Nest Hellos stay running at temperatures down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. When we got our second Nest Hello, we got a new 16V 30VA transformer.  (Our third is powered by an OhmKat Power Adapter for the Nest Hello.) The transformer requirements are here: https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9247132?hl=en

You could also consider getting one of the silicone skins for the Nest Hello that are available on Amazon; we have that on two of ours due to the peeling problem.  I think they also offer a slight degree of protection from the cold.

By the way, the Nest Hello DOES have a small internal battery that Google Nest does not document, and it is subject to failure after 1 or 2 years. The battery on all 3 of ours has failed. When it fails, the symptoms are that the doorbell goes offline for a minute when the doorbell button is pressed and the doorbell chime does not work. If you're past the 1-year warranty, the only workaround is to turn off the "Indoor chime" option and turn on the "Visitor announcements" option and rely on visitor announcements sent to a Nest Hub, Nest Mini, or Nest speaker (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7672451?hl=en).  (For those willing to undertake it, it is possible to pry open the Nest Hello and replace the battery, even though it is NOT designed to be user-replaceable: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nest+Hello+Battery+Replacement/131729.)

Here is a VERY long thread (980 replies) on the internal battery failure:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Nest-Hello-Doorbell-cuts-out-when-butto...

[janthadeus]

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to follow up to see if you still need our help. Please let us know as we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks for the help here, everyone.

Regards,

JT

[Donewright]

I don't think any helps is available.  It sounds like my doorbells are considered disposable.   They are hardwired and have a plenty of power to run, they only stop working when it gets cold.   I have 11 Nest camera's, inside and out and the only ones that faile are these doorbells.  

[MplsCustomer]

@Donewright 

I am just another Google Nest customer, but the difference between your Nest cameras and your Nest doorbells is that the cameras are connected to standard household power, while the power going to your two doorbells depends on your doorbell transformer. With a 16V 30VA transformer, two of our Nest Hello doorbells remain powered and online through Minnesota winters, as does our third Nest Hello, powered by a 20VA Ohmkat Adapter. Have you considered checking the specs for your doorbell transformer?  Perhaps there's not quite enough power.

[Donewright]

Greetings,

 I appreciate your reply.  The transformer is rather new, yet I do not remember the specs.  These doorbells run fine in the summer on the same transformer.  I did disconnect one camera though in an attempt to bring the other back online.  With just one one camera connected, it still would not return to service.

Once the temperature reached 30 degrees, both cameras returned to service.

[Brad]

@Donewright

Not sure which Nest Doorbell you have, but the Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen) must be connected to a transformer rated to 16 to 24V AC and at least 10 VA to receive enough power. 30 VA is recommended for homes that have high-impedance doorbell wiring due to long wire runs or thin doorbell wiring.

You may need to upgrade or replace your current transformer. You also need to replace your current Nest chime connector with the new one that comes with the Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen). For more information, check this article. Please let me know if you need anything else.

Best regards,

Brad

[Brad]

Hi there, 

Just checking in to see how the conversation is going. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. We'll leave this thread open for a little longer for follow-up questions and concerns. 

Best regards, 

Brad

[Donewright]

Brad,

For process of elimination, I've purchased a new transformer:  16v 30va

I just need to get into the attic to swap them out.

[Brad]

@Donewright

Glad to hear you were able to replace the transformer. Please let me know how that process goes.

Best regards,

Brad

[Brad]

Hi there, 

Just checking in to see how the conversation is going. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. We'll leave this thread open for a little longer for follow-up questions and concerns. 

Best regards, 

Brad

[Brad]

Hi there,

Just checking in on this thread and the activity on it. We'll leave this topic open for another 24 hours in case there are any follow-up questions or comments.

Best regards,
Brad

[Donewright]

Still need to  get into the attic to install the new Maxdot 16v 30va transformer i purchased from Amazon. 

[Brad]

@Donewright 

Once you have it installed, let us know if that resolves your concerns. I hope that replacing the transformer will do the trick.

Best regards,

Brad

[aatienza]

Hey there,

It's us again. How's it going? Do you still need our help?

Thanks,

Archie

[aatienza]

Hello there,

Just checking in to make sure that you've seen our responses. Please let me know if you have other questions or concerns as I will be locking this in 24 hours if I won't hear back from you again. Feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.
 

Thanks,

Archie

[Donewright]

i appreciate the response.  this is the most detail that i have heard related to my problem.   i installed a new transformer several years ago.  i dont recall the specs. ill didnt realize there was a battery in there.  

ill research the skins or find a replacement for these.  

tthanks again

[gmrfish]

Similar situation with ours, except it doesn't cut out, but it dims and becomes bright again twice every minute. Therefore it is taking video twice a minute! Temps in the low 20s and it starts. I was given NO solution to this issue by Google when I reported it last year. I was offered a $10 coupon or some crap like that. So I just turn it off when the temps dip very low. Kind of pointless to have a video doorbell if it isn't turned on. Other video doorbell companies don't report these problems. Who is the moron who designed it? Have them fix the issue!

[Donewright]

gmrfish, i just went back and reviewed the clips prior to them going offline.  I see exactly what your talking about.  Both door bells did the very same thing!  Dimming and brightening then sends the video clip every thirty seconds or so

[aatienza]

Hey folks,

Nest doorbell devices are designed to be able to withstand extreme temperature conditions. However, when Nest doorbells keep operating at or above 104°F (40°C), the chime may stop working and the doorbell may go offline.

Meanwhile, if the device's internal temperature drops below 25°F (-5°C) and loses power, the doorbell may continuously reboot as it attempts to restart during cold weather.

I appreciate the help, MplsCustomer.

Thanks,

Archie

[gmrfish]

But it is not even close to -5F. It will dim in and out at +25F. It is incredibly annoying. Also what is annoying is reading a "solution" or "reason" from someone who hasn't experienced the situation at all. You may be reading it on paper, but bet you don't own one or experienced the same issue and have a real solution. We wouldn't be wasting our time on here looking for a solution if there actually was a real one. Whatever.

[Brad]

Hi there,

Thank you for your help, @aatienza! 

I know that keeping your Nest devices charged is very important, and I would love to help you out. When it comes to keeping your Nest Doorbell (battery) or Nest Cam (battery) up and running, here are some articles and troubleshooting guides for the best charging practices:

• This is a great article on general charging times for your devices.
• This helpful article tells you how to save the battery with your doorbell or camera.
• And this last article, will go over charging expectations when you may live in a cooler/colder environment which will address charging temperatures, etc.

I hope those articles help shed some light on charging and maintaining battery levels of your Nest doorbell or camera. Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Best regards,

Brad

[Donewright]

Brad,

  As mentioned multiple time,  these are wired doorbells

[michaelvli]

This past winter is the 2nd time that I've had the above issue with my wired Nest Hello.  When temps drop into the teens or single digits, the brightness of the doorbell video starts fluctuating from normal to dim.  The doorbell does this for several hours before it finally turns off and goes offline.  I've had to disconnect the device, bring it inside, and hook it up to a charger.  Once the camera is charged, I connect it back to low voltage wires and it works fine for the rest of the season even when the temperature drops into the teens or below.

This is annoying because disconnecting and reconnecting a doorbell in frigid weather really sucks especially when my fingers are numb from the cold.  Also, this past year, I was out of town for 2 weeks during Christmas which is when the Nest Hello decided to stop functioning.  I lost packages and didn't have any documentation.

Brad - The documentation provided by Google that you shared (charging times, save the battery , cooler/colder environment) is not relevant to our situation because they only apply to battery powered Nest Hellos.  We have WIRED devices.

Questions:
1.  Why does the brightness of the video feed fluctuate from normal to dim just before the device turns off?  Is it not getting enough power from the transformer?
2.  If temperature is the issue, then why does the device work fine after I bring it inside to charge and the issue doesn't happen again for the rest of winter or when the temperature remains cold?
3.  Does Google offer any solutions to address this issue for WIRED devices?

Thanks.

-Vee

[Brad]

@michaelvli

Thank you for the clarification and insight. Even if you have a wired camera, they still have an internal battery that can be drained if it's cold enough. However, if you are in a place where it does not get cool, it may be related to something else. I would invite you to please fill out this form, and support will reach out to you with next steps.

Best regards,

Brad

[MplsCustomer]

@michaelvli 

Perhaps your doorbell transformer is just barely adequate, and bringing your Nest Hello in to warm up and reconnecting it is just enough to ensure there is sufficient current running to power the camera. Charging the small internal battery in the Nest Hello should not make a difference, because it does not power the camera, but rather is used to ring the chime when the doorbell button is pressed. (That's why, when the internal battery fails, the doorbell chime quits working and the doorbell goes offline for a minute when the doorbell button is pressed: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/Nest-Hello-Doorbell-cuts-out-when-butto...).

Have you checked your transformer's specs against Google Nest's requirements (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9247132?hl=en)?

This is just a guess on my part.  We have 3 Nest Hellos and are on our 5th Minnesota winter with the oldest, and while the internal batteries have failed (and we've turned off the "Indoor chime" option as the workaround noted in the above thread), we don't have any problems with video quality and the doorbells continue to work.

[Brad]

@michaelvli

Just checking in to see if you have filled out the form I sent, or seen user MplsCustomer's helpful suggestions. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. We'll leave this thread open for a little longer for follow-up questions and concerns. 

Best regards, 

Brad