New Google Nest camera has poor video quality

[Clipper]

I replaced my old Dropcam with a new Google Nest Cam provided by Google's replacement offer. The new camera is 2nd generation indoor wired. The video is wavy, with horizontal flutters. My old Dropcam had perfect video quality using in the same room with same lighting. I have tried both video quality settings (Max and High) with no difference in quality. I have had my internet service provider check modem, router, and download/upload speeds, and all levels regarding internet signal show normal. Any ideas on what might be causing this?

[MplsCustomer]

@Clipper 

Our one new 2nd gen Google Nest indoor camera provides excellent-quality video. Since you mentioned the lighting, is there anything unusual about the room's lighting?

I suppose you could try a factory reset:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9252162

[Clipper]

The room lighting has led fixtures used in offices. These are the same fixtures as were used with the old Dropcam which had great video quality. I have not tried a factory reset yet, but have in fact done a Camera restart. The restart does result in good video quality, but to this point, it only lasts for a short while before the poor quality returns at this point, I am still suspicious about Wi-Fi quality although my Internet service provider has replaced the router with a brand new one and my other Wi-Fi devices are working well. 

[janthadeus]

Hi folks,
 

Thanks for taking some steps beforehand — these are of great help! Let’s further check this — how’s the temperature of the camera (hot, warm, cold or normal)? 
 

Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

1. If the Night Vision settings are on Auto, switch it to Manual. Then, manually toggle the setting on and off. Observe the feed to check if the pink or purple tint goes away when you toggle the Night Vision settings off.
2. Unplug the camera from the power source, wait for 30 seconds, and plug the camera back in. To view the steps on how to restart your doorbell, have a look at this article: Restart or factory reset Nest camera or doorbell.
3. Ensure the camera is installed in a supported location and not in an area prone to overheat or direct sunlight.
4. Unplug the camera from its power source and reposition it after it’s had sufficient time to cool.

Let me know how it goes.
 

I appreciate your help here, MplsCustomer!

Thanks,

JT

[EmersonB]

Hello everyone,

@Clipper, I'm dropping by to ensure that everything is covered here. How's it going with your Nest Camera? Were you able to perform the steps suggested above? We'd be glad to hear from you.e to find us.

I appreciate the help, MplsCustomer and JT.

Regards,
Emerson

[Clipper]

Hi Emerson,

I have to say that my experience overall with this camera is disappointing to say the least.  I can live with the video quality since it is relatively good when I am away from the office which is the purpose anyway. But, the fact that Google apparently has no customer support for issues like this is unacceptable.  I started a Nest Aware subscription on Sunday, May 21 paying $60 for a one year subscription for 30 days event video history.  As of today, May 24, I have no video history showing in my Google Home app.  It is as if I have no subscription, just video history for the last few hours, then no retention.  Without a real person to talk to, how am I supposed to find out what is wrong?  I have spent way more time trying to make this device useable than any other electronic device I have ever owned, and I have many!

[MplsCustomer]

@Clipper 

Is your camera in the same Google Nest "home/structure" on the same Google Account?

You can check your subscription using the link below. If you click on your subscription, it will show you the Google Nest "home/structure".

https://store.google.com/subscriptions

You can also try the "Contact us" link under "Nest Aware Premier Care" on the page below to "Get 24/7 access to Nest Aware Experts on the Nest Customer Care team. They’re available to answer questions, help you access features, and manage your subscription."

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9233159

[Juni]

Hi Clipper,

That certainly hasn’t been easy for you. Have you had the chance to contact our support team? Let me know if you need further assistance.

Regards,

Juni

[Juni]

Hi there,

I want to check if you have additional questions and concerns about your device. Let us know by updating this thread, and we're glad to assist you further.
 

Thanks,

Juni

[Clipper]

Hi, 

I finally got my Nest Aware subscription issue resolved by reaching a customer service tech support person at Google. I appreciate everyone offering suggestions in this forum. 

[Juni]

Hello there,

I’m glad it’s resolved now. I’ll keep this thread open for one more day. If you need further help, let me know.
 

Cheers,

Juni

[janthadeus]

Hey Clipper,

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 for chiming in, Emerson.

Best,

JT

[Clipper]

Hello all,

Thank you for all of the suggestions. With more time spent to follow the camera behavior, I believe the best explanation came from my internet service provider (Spectrum), pertaining to my internet service speed. My business office location only has one desktop computer and three non portable Wi-Fi devices. When I am out of the office, the camera video quality is good.  When I am at the office, the additional mobile devices that I bring into the office for use (iPhone, tablet, etc.) causes the video quality to diminish.  Spectrum suggests that if I boost my service to a higher level, the bandwidth required for the camera would be met so video quality would be unchanged with the additional mobile devices.  It makes sense to me, but what do you folks think? The reality is, the purpose of the camera is to monitor this location when I’m away, so not that important when I’m at the office anyway. I just wondered why the new camera behaved this way, while the old Nest Dropcam it replaced never varied with different device loads.

[janthadeus]

Hello there,

Got it — thanks for sharing your observation with us. Check if the quality and bandwidth of your camera settings are correct.

Here’s how: 

1. Open the Home app .
2. Touch and hold your device's tile.
3. At the top right, tap Settings .
4. Choose Video.
5. Under “Video quality,” choose Max or High.
   • High settings uses less bandwidth.
   • Max settings uses more bandwidth.

Important: If the camera encounters bandwidth issues and video starts to buffer, it automatically adjusts downwards slightly to prevent the camera to disconnect and it automatically adjusts and will automatically adjust its resolution and compression according to how much bandwidth is available.

Thanks,

JT

[EmersonB]

Hello Clipper,

We wanted to follow up and see if you are still in need of any help. Please let us know if you are still having any concerns or questions from here, as we would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further.
 
Regards,
Emerson

[Clipper]

Thanks for reaching out.  Unfortunately, it seems that the Google camera is a such a bandwidth hog that unless I pay more to up my internet capacity, I will just have to live with the lousy video quality.  Unless you have heard that this type of video quality is unusual and perhaps this particular camera is defective, I will probably replace it with another brand.

Clipper

[MplsCustomer]

@Clipper 

I don't know if this will help, but this link has information on Google Nest camera data usage:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9245832

[EmersonB]

Hi Clipper,

@Marc8, it's us again. Were you able to hit the link that MplsCustomer has shared? In case you have an update, you know where to find us.

Best,
Emerson

[Clipper]

I appreciate the insight, but the fact remains that unless I spend more money on internet, this camera will always suck.