Nest camera not detecting motion

[burrridge60527]

I have several Nest outdoor cams, all are hard wired. No issues with power. Our main camera, however, won’t pick up motion even though it is set to pick up motion (and people). We are experiencing a rash of vandalism in our subdivision and it’s critical that this camera work properly. For example, a car will drive by but it does not record. (It may record every fourth car or something.) I use Nest through the app on my iPad. I have checked all my settings. I have tried turning the camera off and on again. It’s still not picking up every motion it’s supposed to. My safety is at stake and this is unacceptable. I am scared. What to do?

[mejiacruz]

Hi @burrridge60527,

I know that having your camera working properly is very important, especially when there is a rash of vandalism in your subdivision. I'm really sorry that the motion detection and events are not working properly with your main camera.

I'll need to gather additional information to better diagnose what may be affecting your camera.

• Are you subscribed to Nest Aware or Nest Aware Plus?
• is this camera power connected 24/7 like the other cameras?
• Do you have any activity zone active?

Besides the questions you can try with the following troubleshooting steps:

• Power Source: Nest battery cams record more frequently when plugged into a power source. If it's solely relying on battery power, it might be set to conserve battery and record less often. Check if your camera can be plugged in and try that if possible.
• Event Detection Settings: Make sure event recording is enabled in the Google Home app. You can also customize the types of events (people, animals, motion) your camera detects and records.
• Camera Sensitivity: In the Google Home app, you can adjust the motion detection sensitivity of your camera. If it's set too low, it might miss some activity. Try increasing the sensitivity but be aware that a very high setting can lead to more frequent recordings of unimportant events.
• Activity Zones: You can define specific zones within the camera's view where you want to focus on motion detection. This can help reduce unwanted recordings from outside those zones.

Other Possibilities:

• Internet Connection: If your Wi-Fi connection is weak or unstable, it might affect the camera's ability to upload recorded events. Check your internet connection and ensure the camera has a strong signal.
• Nest Aware Subscription: While not necessary for event recording, a Nest Aware subscription unlocks additional features like 24/7 video history (depending on your camera model) and longer clip lengths for recorded events.

Additional Resources:

• Google Nest Help offers a guide on troubleshooting event video history:https://goo.gle/3mzwIaT

Please try those steps and let me know if you are not able to get the event detection fixed, please reply with the answers so we can assist you further.

Regards,

Josh

[burrridge60527]

Hi Josh, thank you for responding. My subscription is with Google and the IOS app via iPad. (Every month, when I’m billed, I get a message saying something like “Here’s to another month of peace of mind”….something like that.) I’ve had these outdoor cams since 2019 and they were professionally installed. The cameras are all hardwired and there have been no issues with power. There have been no power outages or damage to this camera. I have not designated any “Activity Zones” on any of the cams. The following activities are set to detect: motion (cars, people, all other motion), sound. The cameras are on a strong WiFi signal, I’ve checked that. I can scroll back 10 days’ worth of video and make clips to save to my camera roll on the iPad. I KNOW that this particular cam isn’t picking up all the motion it should because I see the mail truck go by from my window, and sometimes the camera picks it up and other times not. The path of the mail truck never deviates, so that’s why I know the cam isn’t functioning properly. This seems VERY unsafe and could very well miss the nefarious action I am trying to record.

[ovidioj]

Hello @burrridge60527,

I understand your frustration with the Nest Camera is not detecting motion. I apologize for the trouble you're experiencing.
To assist you better, we'll need some additional information. I'm sending you a secure form where you can provide all the necessary details and also please fill out all the information required.

Here's the contact us form

Once you've completed the form, please let me know. This will allow us to investigate the issue further and find a solution.

Best regards,
Jorge