Nest cam with floodlight is draining the battery

[Gator12]

I bought a nest cam floodlight from the Google Store in July. Installed by an electrician. Floodlight worked perfectly. Camera showed the infinity symbol when plugged into the floodlight but the battery would totally drain after a few days. Nest support were not the most helpful. Eventually they said to return it and I only got my refund last week after 3 months.

Today I bought another nest cam floodlight and had my electrician install it. Its only installed a few hours yet the battery is draining again. The floodlight is getting constant 230 volts. If I turn off the camera it will take over an hour to charge 1%. When cam is powered on it is obviously using more power than its getting from the floodlight.

I know there was an issue with these floodlights not charging the camera as there are closed threads here on the subject. Unfortunately all the threads are closed without the issue being resolved. I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some advice. I can't face dealing with nest support again as the last one took 3 months to resolve.

I can return it to the shop for a refund after the weekend. I can buy a nest cam battery and an outdoor power cable & then buy a smart floodlight from a different manufacturer. Maybe a Philips Hue. That is rather messy though. Has anyone who had charging issues with the floodlight been able to resolve the issue? 

[MplsCustomer]

@Gator12 

It should work.

We've had what is basically the same camera, the Google Nest Camera (Battery) plugged in with the optional power cable for 14 months and it's been "Live" and recording 24/7 the whole time through a Minnesota winter. If we unplug it to check the battery level (the only way to do so), it's always been between 77% and 100%. Per Google Nest, "For wired installation setups with a Nest Cam (battery), the wires power the camera directly" (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/11830989?hl=en). That should apply to your camera as well; the battery simply should not drain.

The only clue I can offer is to make sure that the power cable on your floodlight camera is plugged in securely and tightly to the bottom of the camera (there have been problems with this) and is feeding towards the FRONT of the camera (some have had the USB connection plugged in the wrong way).

[Gator12]

Thank you very much for taking the time to help me.

I have several nest cam battery  and have a USB charging cable from these. The USB cable charges cam at about 20% per hour. The floodlight is charging at less than 1% with the cam powered off. Swapping the other nest cams and using them with the floodlight leaves me with the same issue. All cameras charge as expected with the USB cable. All of the cameras drain if powered on & connected to the floodlight. Obviously by trying different cams I have plugged in the floodlight several times. I could make a bad connection once but not half a dozen times. I am also using the screw provided to anchor the cable from the floodlight to the cam. There are other threads on the exact same issue but they are all locked now and no solution was posted.

I'm in Dublin & the temperature today was 8C and tonight 6C. 

[MplsCustomer]

@Gator12 

I'm just another Google Nest customer, but your tests certainly seem to conclusively demonstrate that the USB cable and/or the USB adapter built into your floodlight camera is faulty.  And it's not good that this is your second faulty floodlight camera, and faulty for the same reason.

Our battery camera ran fine all last winter with temperatures down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Gator12]

I might return the faulty nest cam floodlight for a refund. Then buy a Wasserstein 3-in-1 Floodlight. It's Google approved and can charge a nest cam. The only downside is that the floodlight isn't a smart one. The plus side is that I can run a floodlight & cam without having to use an outdoor nest cam power cable. 

Wasserstein 3-in-1 Floodlight, Charger, and Mount for Google Nest Cam Outdoor or Indoor, Battery - Made for Google Nest (Camera NOT Included) https://amzn.eu/d/1Qtc9oT

[Spaghetti69]

I have 3 of the floodlights and 6 hardwired battery cams, however I'm on 120v. All mine stay powered fine summer or winter but they don't charge fully. To prolong the batterys serviceable lifespan Google does not charge the batteries to 100%, more like 80, and not constantly or fast. I know this because if my power goes out my cameras that had an infinity symbol before will all have a charge level of 50%-80%, not the 80-100 you'd expect since Google doesn't say anywhere that charging while on the mount will never fully charge the camera

[MplsCustomer]

@Spaghetti69

We've had a Google Nest Camera (Battery) for 14 months plugged in with the optional power cable into standard US 120v power. Whenever I've flipped the switch on that outside outlet to check the battery level, it has always been between 77% and 100%. I just checked now; it's at 80%; the outside temperature is 19 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Gator12]

Charged to 100% earlier today via mains charging cable. 3 hours later it is at 77%. Electrician called again today. Floodlight is getting 230 volt. Floodlight is able to pass 5volt charging according to his multi meter. He says camera shouldn't be draining if receiving 5 volts. He says there is either a software issue with the floodlight or the pins aren't making contact with the cam despite the infinity symbol showing on the app.

[MplsCustomer]

@Gator12

For what it's worth, my impression of our USB plug with the pins that inserts into the bottom of our camera is that is really quite flimsy and fragile.

With 230v, are you outside the US? I have no idea whether that makes a difference or whether the camera fixture can automatically handle either 120v or 240v power.

[Gator12]

Just to update.

Camera totally drained several times over the weekend. It was my 2nd one with the exact same fault bought in two different countries. I really didn't want a 3rd one so I went for a refund. Sales rep said they did have issues with some of these floodlights but he talked me into trying a 3rd one anyway. He pointed out I was heavily invested in the Google eco system. I have 4 other Nest cams, Nest wifi, Nest doorbell etc. Anyway long story short. Had the new one installed & it is charging correctly. 3rd time is the charm 🙂

Thanks for the feedback & advise

[Brad]

Hi there,

Thank you for your patience, and sorry to hear that you're experiencing this. 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

[EmersonB]

Hi everyone,

@Gator12 how's it going with your Nest camera? Were you able to read the information and check the links they shared above? I'm dropping by to ensure that everything is covered here. I hope that the information sheds some light on the issue. If you have other questions and concerns, feel free to let me know.

I appreciate the help, Spaghetti69, MplsCustomer and Brad.

Regards,
Emerson

[Gator12]

I had a faulty floodlight camera. My 2nd faulty one believe it or not. I returned it& got a new one that is working perfectly now. Thanks

[EmersonB]

Hi Gator12,

Thanks for getting back to us and we're glad that it's working perfectly now. Please let me know if you have other questions or concerns as I will be locking this after 24 hours. Feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.

Regards,
Emerson