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Nest Hello Doorbell cuts out when button is pressed

DarkGhost18
Community Member

I've had my Nest Hello Doorbell since 2018, it worked perfectly and without issue until recently. Now everytime someone presses the button, it cuts out mid ring in the device, and loses power. The camera stops working until maybe 30 seconds later. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to resolve this issue?

1 Recommended Answer

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey folks, 


Sorry for the confusion that the earlier actions caused - We noticed that this is still affecting some users and there are more recent discussions happening. You can join that thread here. In the meantime, all future updates will be on the more recent post. We’ll be closing this thread to keep the discussion fresh - however, there may still be some workarounds provided by users in the comments there. 

 

Best regards,
Brad

View Recommended Answer in original post

1,027 REPLIES 1,027

tylerlawing
Community Member

Hi, I'm following up on this. I'm still in this boat. My nest continues to not work correctly. Did anyone receive a resolution to this?

Dramienh
Community Member

Same problem. I found a fix. I threw it in the trash can and went with Amazon.

J-Town
Community Member

Update: get to 2nd level support and complain about planned obsolescence and they may offer a replacement.

it’s a shame most of these devices will end up in the trash. I’d still buy the product, but it would have been nice to know a wired product will fail in 2-4 years.

Spoiler alert, this is not a "fix". You'll be going through the exact same issues with Amazon's Ring within a year or two. This affects all hardwired doorbells.

https://community.ring.com/t/recording-stops-after-doorbell-pushed/4224

Yep, I stopped replying because people don't read other comments to see that other people have the same exact problem with Ring doorbells, they all have a battery inside and batteries that are exposed to extreme heat\cold will eventually die so his fix is just temporary.

J-Town
Community Member

So the easy fix is turn off “indoor chime on off” in the nest app and rely on voice notification via nest hub. I have lots of hubs in my house so you can’t miss the doorbell.

The activation of the real door bell causes a drop in voltage which power cycles the device. The little battery inside is intended to bridge this voltage drop.

Other option is to replace the battery inside but I would only consider this if the above option can’t work for you. It looks like a hassle to replace, but it can be done.

Thank you!  I was about to spend some real money to fix this issue, most likely purchasing the 2nd Gen Nest Doorbell (wired).  But not being compatible with the Nest app was giving me pause.  Flipping the "indoor chime off" selection was free, fast, and completely effective.  Who needs a "boink" sound from a mechanical chime when multiple Google speakers around the house more effectively announce that someone is at the door?

David Zeckhausen

MattM
Community Member

I am having the same problems… a few weeks back, the video would freeze any time the button was pushed, and the chime in the house no longer would go off. I initially replaced the chime transformer with a higher output one, but that made not difference. I attempted a factory reset, but could never get it to work. Holding the main button and reset button never caused anything to happen. It seemed as if the doorbell would go dead before resetting. This made me think the internal battery must be shot. Bought a brand new doorbell, installed it, and it triggered the chime ONCE when I first pushed it. Nothing after that. And the video freezes when I push the button, just like on the old unit. The sound on the doorbell itself only played on the first push as well.

 

So much for it being the old unit was defective. Put it back on, and will be returning the one I just bought. If a solution to this isn’t available soon, I’m ready to switch to Ring.

RR9999
Community Member

@MattM - can you please confirm the reset step (5 sec hold of main button + reset pinhole pressed together) was done with USB power? For example, USB from a laptop or phone power adapter.

For me, the reset step resulted in a reboot with the light around the main button coming on.  Additionally, I had to remove and add in nest app, of course, and configure WiFi for the doorbell, etc. At least the reset step worked for me.

MattM
Community Member

@RR9999 I had not previously used the USB power, but tried it again, this time plugged into a power source, and got the same result. As soon as I hold both buttons, the device turns off and continues to do nothing until I have released them.

 

I also rarely get notifications from the app anymore, despite the instances of motion, people, etc. being saved when I open and look.

 

Also, just checked, and am on the same software version as everyone else.

RR9999
Community Member

Got it, thanks. It is certainly strange that reset itself is an issue. Others also have this issue. Maybe you could try holding the button + reset pin pressed for longer…like 30s or even 1min. 

For me, reset worked and it has (so far) solved the reboot issue when pressing front button on my old (March 2018) doorbell.
Google assistant is doing voice announcements on whichever device (speaker, nest hub, nest WiFi points, indoor iq, etc. ) I am near. This is both for old (March 2018) and shiny new (Nov 2021) doorbells

But, I still have the mechanical chime not ringing even with my shiny new (Nov 2021) doorbell.

TomS
Community Member

If in the app, indoor chime is set to off, the nest doorbell will not freeze on button push, and chimes will not ring. Is this the case with your set up; indoor chine set to off?

RR9999
Community Member

For old unit which had reboot issue on pressing button - Indoor chime ON or OFF did not matter

  • before reset, I had reboot issue upon button press & also, no voice announcements albeit I could see motion events recorded. Also, mechanical chime not working.
  • after reset, no reboot issue and no issue getting voice announcements. But, mechanical chime not working still.

for new unit - again, indoor chime ON or OFF did not matter. No reboot issue, no issue getting voice announcements. But, Mechanical chime not working. 

Lore4321nz
Community Member

Did you also replace the puck near the chime?  That is supposed to hold a charge and disburse it when the bell is rung to help with the voltage drop.  Seems google sort of foresaw the issue but didn’t one up with a good enough solution. 

JimBob
Community Member

I am another user having this issue. Adding on here so Google can see more people are effected. 

Johnk26
Community Member

Hi all 

I'm having identical issues ..Started happening Friday after Thanksgiving 

After i added nest battery cameras to my Google home app , I noticed door cam/button  made the announcement on my hub with no video(same on phone app) , Door button/cam times out for about 30 sec (mimics a power failure)

Otherwise without button press working normal 

Has to be an app issue(maybe software update)  as this door button is only 1 year old and was working perfect ...

sockpuppetsami
Community Member

Today I noticed the doorbell themes were removed again in the app so I figured I would see if this issue has been fixed.  To my surprise my doorbell is working again.

MattM
Community Member

I have no themes, but still all the other issues. To add to the pile of information here: if I turn indoor chime to OFF in my app, then the doorbell functions normally (for the most part), not freezing on a doorbell ring, and playing the sounds.

sockpuppetsami
Community Member

I got excited too early.  I tried again this morning and it's back to not working.  The only difference between yesterday and today are the temperatures which supports the battery issue theory.  Yesterday it was 38 degrees when it worked and then this morning it was 30 degrees when it didn't work.

 

The things that still don't make sense to me about this are:

if it is a cold temperature / battery issue, why was someone in Arizona affected?
why would a new Nest doorbell still have this problem with a new battery?

Do you think its the device that installed in the door bell chime unit?  The device that is suppose to relay power while it chimes?

axlahn
Community Member

From what I can tell, I don't think it's the Chime Connector.

Here is what's happening from what I've gathered:

1) Chime connector routes power away from mechanical chime and provides constant voltage to the doorbell.  That power keeps your Nest doorbell running and maintains a charge to the internal battery.

2) When the button is pressed, the doorbell temporarily swaps over to the internal battery and the Chime connector swaps power over the mechanical chime for a brief period while it dings the dong.

3) Power is restored back to Nest Hello and battery is disengaged.

So, when someone turns of the Chime within the app (thus the doorbell), power is never routed to the mechanical chime and the battery is essentially not being used (at least for any functions that we are aware of).  Doorbell works as intended with the exception of no mechanical chime.  Even if we physically remove the doorbell from the chime (and/or the transformer and power externally via the USB port) unless the doorbell chime is turned off in the app, any button press will engage the battery.

If the battery is too weak to cover the voltage drop, the doorbell will reboot.

For those that are saying the doorbell isn't working even with the chime turned off in the app, I'm guessing the battery is completely dead but I'm just guessing here in that scenario since we're not sure what else the battery may be used for.

Regardless, most things are pointing to the battery as being the culprit.

When a battery is new, it can operate in a wide range of temperatures.  As it ages, it's ability to hold a proper voltage range is reduced.  So someone in a colder climate will see the battery work less efficiently sooner than someone living in a warmer environment.  But even someone living in say Arizona will have the battery eventually lose its ability to hold a constant voltage long enough to power the doorbell.

As to the new doorbell experiencing this issue, as mentioned in my other replies, I have no idea.  That seems like an isolated case from what most of us are experiencing or it's not really new.  For example, if the person claimed warranty and Google sent them a 'new' unit, it would be a refurb.  Or if they bought it at retail, maybe someone swapped out their dead doorbell for the new one.  Or, it's just a dud.

Perhaps it’s time for a class action lawsuit if google will not address the issue or at least be honest with their customers?  I mean, other companies admit and address the battery issues on their devices and offer battery replacement options at a cost that is beneficial for them and their customers. 

im from AZ and i have the same issue as everyone else here at the same time frame it happened when temp here was still in the mid 70s. still looking for a solution.

Another person in Arizona affected here. Trying to make my way through this thread in it's entirety.

doggo
Community Member

Same issue here.. doorbell button press and it resets/cuts out no video. Mine is about 3 years old.. this just started happening in the last few weeks.

Awahnee
Community Member

I have the same issue, started just the other day.  same software version as everyone else and the bells (2 of them) are a couple years old.

MattM
Community Member

Once I changed the indoor chime setting to “off” everything else about the doorbell seems to work correctly. Is this the case for everyone else?

TomS
Community Member

Yes, works fine if indoor chime set to off. But, as a result, this door bell stops being a door bell. 

MattM
Community Member

Well, of course. I wasn’t suggesting it is a solution, but rather establishing that we all are indeed experiencing the same problem.

RR9999
Community Member

Maybe you could re-try the reset step again…. in case the reset pinhole did not get pressed fully. 

sockpuppetsami
Community Member

I looked in the app today and got a new notification about new themes.  Changing the theme in the app doesn't seem to change the theme of the doorbell from ding-dong when rang.  Did Google just stop doing any QA before making changes?  This is getting ridiculous.

Themes work for me. It is both at the doorbell as well as in the assistant device(s) with visitor announcements ON.

joshund13
Community Member

If you turn off the indoor chimes then it won't reboot.  This is a temp fix for me since I have Nest Hubs that take over the door bell function.   I heard my doorbell chimes buzzing, maybe the round device that's installed in there is going bad or its the internal battery.   I made a call to support today to hopefully get mine fixed.  Currently, they say the battery is fine but that my unit is overheating due to sunlight.  I've tried to explain these issues occur at night when its 30-40F when its not overheating...

AkumaX5
Community Member

So after reading thru this post since I have been having the same issue i have come to a similar fix to @RR9999 where I was initially having the reboot problem on button press and I ended up replacing my transformer since it was only a 10VA instead of a 20 or 30 I know have a 30VA.  After initially replacing it i was able to press the button and it worked without rebooting but come today i tested and it rebooted. So i took it from outside and put it on the usb power and tried it and still was rebooting. So i did a factory reset which i hate having to do cause you loose all your old footage which google needs to fix especially since this had been their issue.  So after doing all this and turning off the indoor chime it looks like all is working fine. And i am now able to hear the different doorbell sounds which i couldn't before.  But this is still an issue since I can't use my internal chime luckily i have google home speakers in every room so i will definitely hear it when it is rung. 

RR9999
Community Member

@AkumaX5 - good to hear that reset step helped with reboot issue….and, 30VA transformer may have helped as well. Maybe you can confirm by re-using the older 10VA transformer now that you have done the reset step.

Google’s info for power requirement in North America does allow up to 40VA. So, you would be ok - https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9247132?hl=en

Also, you could check if indoor chime value in app - I.e., ON or OFF - is still relevant for doorbell operation…albeit, the mechanical chime does not work.

I agree with your point about losing old footage upon reset.

Btw, maybe the 21st century approach is to use visitor notifications on assistant enabled devices…..versus the mechanical/electronic chimes. 

Iyftysm
Community Member

I turned the doorbell chime off, so only my Google Homes alert me to the doorbell being rung, not my actual chime, and the camera stays running when rung now. It’s a fix, but only because I have Google Homes in most of the rooms of my house.

Doesn’t address the actual issue of not being able to use my home’s doorbell chime AND have a functioning doorbell camera, tho. 

cjoshi
Community Member

Oh no. And here I am keep looking into my wiring. Lol. It's google who screwed up not me. Plus no solution or help with so many complaints. What a shame. 

MattD
Community Member

I am also having this issue, sporadically. First doorbell press today did ring, while a second doorbell press later did not and it caused the Nest to restart (last thing you see in the footage is the hand reaching towards the button…).

Mksat1
Community Member

Same issue here... Google PLEASE FIX IT!