Pink Video on new Gen 2 indoor wired nest camera

[Gaze]

Both of my brand new nest cameras are having a strange colour shifting issue. The videos appear to have a pink hue to them, the image is doubled up and slightly shifted and there is a black bar at the bottom. 

Troubleshooting online I've come across a few explanations as to why this could be happening:

Temperature - This can't be the case as I'm using both cameras indoors and the temperature in my house is set to 20C / 68F.  The camera is not cold or hot to the touch either. 

Night Vision - I have the camera operating in a brightly lit space so I have the infrared set to off by default. In the interest of sorting out this issue I've toggled it on and off, set it to auto, set it to always on - this did not fix my issue. 

Reset / Factory Reset - This worked as a temporary solution. However it ultimately reverts back to how it was in a day or two. It probably goes without saying, but having to pull down the camera and reset it on a regular basis is not a proper solution to this issue. 

I purchased two of these cameras on November 20 and December 6 was when the pink hue first appeared on one of the cameras. A few hours later the pink hue disappeared but there was still a black bar at the bottom of the video and the video was doubled. An hour after that the video wen back to normal. The next day the pink colour shift returned - seemed to fix itself again a few hours later. The next day the colour shift returned -etc.

I wasn't around to trouble shoot the issue until a few days later. Trouble shooting offered the same results as not doing anything at all. 

Just today I noticed my second camera has started to do the same thing. 

I'm disappointed that I'm having to do any of this troubleshooting just a few weeks after buying these cameras. I've noticed that others are seem to having this issue. Is there a permanent solution to this issue? I may have to go with another camera system if these require a regular reset. 

Thank you,

Gaze

[colgbo]

I have the same issue with one of my cameras. When it happens (which isn't too often) I turn the camera off and back on and everything works normally.

[Gaze]

It happens just about daily, or every second day for me. A regular reset on a security camera is a bubblegum and duct tape solution. I bought this camera to use in a location that I'm not physically at. Pretty annoyed that I'm having major issues with 2 of these cameras straight out of the box. wild. 

[Brad]

Hey there,

Thank you for bringing up the concern you're experiencing, I would love to look into this further for you. The first troubleshooting step that I'd recommend would be to restart your device. This process should keep all your settings, and reconnect it to the same Wi-Fi network. This is helpful if it ever freezes, has connection problems, or isn't working normally.

Best regards,
Brad

[Gaze]

Hi Brad,

Thanks for getting back. 

As mentioned in my original post I have done a restart on the device as well as a factory reset. Worked as a temporary solution - ultimately am having the same issues. 

Thanks,

Gaze

[Brad]

@Gaze

Thank you for restarting your device. Have you made sure that your app is updated in full? We have sent out some recent updates that might be a huge help to you. Also, make sure that there isn't any other bright light sources near the camera, just to verify it isn't another light messing with the camera settings.

Best regards,

Brad

[Gaze]

Hi Brad,

I have attempted both suggestions. The colour shift is not caused by another light source. I've also updated the app.

I ended up calling Google support. I went through the troubleshooting steps with a live agent. Still no permanent fix. They've arranged for me to send back the camera and am now waiting on a replacement.

I will be updating this thread if the replacement camera ends up having this same issue. Fingers crossed it does not. 

[Brad]

@Gaze

Thank you for the update. I hope the replacement works for you. Please keep me posted.

Best regards,

Brad

[TechSavvy70]

I have 3 cameras, each in a different room that turn pink every 3 days or so.  Today all 3 turned pink, 2 within a couple minutes of each other and the 3rd about an hour later.  When this happened, the sky had turned blue from cloudy.  As usual, I turned off each camera remotely for a few seconds and then back on.  This always fixes the problem, but the problem typically occurs a couple days later.  I would think Google would have figured out this problem and provided a software fix by now.

[Gaze]

It sounds like we both received defective products. I'm looking forward to to see if it happens to the replacement camera that's being shipped to me. 

It probably goes without saying, but I don't think having to reset a security camera on a regular basis is an acceptable solution. These cameras are expensive as well, so extensive troubleshooting out of the box is something I'm not particularly thrilled about either. 

That being said, I am happy that Google has been responsive in terms of assisting with my issues. Of course I would prefer to not have to call them at all! 

[Brad]

Hi there,

Glad to hear that simple restarts tend to work for some of you. If you are waiting on a replacement, please let me know if you run into this again.

Best regards,

Brad

[Gaze]

To recap: A simple restart did not work for 2 of the 3 people in this thread - 5 of the 6 cameras mentioned in the thread require multiple resets a week which is not an acceptable solution. Colgbo required a reset, just not as frequent as the rest of the cameras. 

I received the replacement and I'm having the exact same issue in less than 24 hours. I have done the standard trouble shooting on my end.  I'm going to call an agent to see if I can have this resolved. At this rate it seems unlikely. I will update the thread either way. 

[janthadeus]

Hey Gaze,
 

Thanks for giving us an update. We appreciate your efforts here. Sure, no problem. Keep us posted. We’re here to help.
 

Thanks for the help, Brad.

Best,

JT

[Lex_Trial]

Hi, I am having the same issue with my 2 indoor wired cameras. I can reset them and the pink is gone, but it comes back within a day or two. I've already returned 1 of them, thinking maybe it was faulty. the new camera had the same pink within a day of setting it up. I'm following this thread to see if there's a real solution. This is very disappointing considering it's a Google product. 

[Gaze]

I'm sharing the same frustration and disappointment as you. I decided to go with this product even though it cost more money than some of the alternatives. I was willing to spend a bit more to go with the Google product. The customer support has been excellent, but the camera itself does not work reliably. Got off the phone with Google and am shipping all three units back for a refund. 

[janthadeus]

Hey folks, 

We appreciate your efforts here. As a user myself I understand where you're coming from. Let's check this out — could you fill out this form and let us know once you're done?

Looking forward to you response.

Thanks,

JT

[Gaze]

Hi Janthadeus,

The form you linked to appears to be a generic Help Center form. Unfortunately  we are well past that point. I've already gone through troubleshooting, reaching out to the nest community, calling customer support and have already shipped all three units back to Google and have received a full refund. 

Disappointed that these cameras don't work. Hopefully Google addresses this issue so others won't have to eat up their personal time troubleshooting brand new devices! 

Thanks for the assistance! 
Gaze

[EmersonB]

Hello everyone,

@Gaze thanks for getting back to us. The form that JT has shared is for you to reach our support team. In case your Nest Camera is under warranty and if it needs replacement then they are the one who's going to process it. We don't have the tools here in the community to do that, that's why we give our forms to the users. We know where you're coming from and we really wanted to give you our assistance as much as possible. Well take note of it and ensure that we'll learn from your experience as we continually improve our products and service. Rest assured that we'll take this as feedback. We'll learn from this to deliver a better process and experience in the future. Aside from your feedback, is there anything else I can help you with?

I appreciate your help, Brad and JT.

Regards,
Emerson

[Gaze]

Hi Edebia,

Thanks for the form. As mentioned in the thread the cameras were all fresh out the box and under warranty. Sent a few back to Google for replacement units. The replacement cameras suffer the same issue. The solution ended up being me returning all units to Google to get a full refund, so no forms are required! 

Thank you

[Gaze · Accepted solution]

Just got off the phone with Google. Unfortunately there was no technical solution to fix this issue. I'm shipping all three units back to get a refund. I wish this story had a happier ending! 

Just to reiterate - this is not a problem with IR/Night Vision. This is a reoccurring issue with the Indoor Wired Nest Camera (Gen 2).

[Pauljw]

I have 

I have the same issue with my cameras too. I've already sent one back and this is the image from the replacement camera. Terrible quality camera and no fix from Google - so frustrating!

[Gaze]

That is so frustrating! Probably not what you thought you signed up for when you bought these cameras.

Hopefully you aren't waisting too much time trouble shooting / dealing with customer service. Fingers crossed you don't have any issues getting your money back.

[MuffinButton]

I’ve been having the same issues. On my second camera now. Must be something to do with them pointed out if the window. Which is garbage that they can’t be used as intended. Not sure if the indoor/outdoor would work better. 

[Gaze]

Wild update to this saga… Google has charged me for one of the cameras that I returned. Not only have I spent time buying, trouble shooting and shipping these cameras but now I’ve been charged for a camera that I don’t have. Customer service folks have been nice, but overall this has been a horrible experience on my end. Now I need to get on another call to get my money back. Truly absurd. This is my last straw. Can’t say I’ll be buying anymore Google products anytime soon. 

[Brad]

Hi there, 

Just checking in to see how the conversation is going. As a reminder, if you are still experiencing this, please fill out the form that JT sent, and a higher tier of support will reach out to you with next steps. 

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. Thank you to those who have filled out the support form JT sent. Once filled out, you will be moving forward with support regarding your form. We'll leave this topic open for another 24 hours in case there are any follow-up questions or comments.

Best regards,
Brad

[RawwrBag]

I’m sorry but can you please link directly to the post/form you are referring to? I don’t see it anywhere on this topic.

Probably doesn’t matter for me because I’ve already returned the cameras to Amazon, but might help others. Google support was _not_ helpful, repeatedly claiming the camera was overheating due to placement despite my provided proof that it was not (indoors 69F, cloudy & raining outside, no direct sunlight, good airflow, etc.) They straight up said to return it without escalating me up a tier. So I did. /shrug

Also, why close the topic? This issue seems very widespread. It’s the first Google search hit, which is why I’m here.

[Brad]

@RawwrBag

The form was sent previously, but here is the form once more if you plan on filling it out. Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,

Brad

[angrybird]

I filled out the form but honestly not expecting anything to happen. If it gets returned I'd probably get the same problem. I have just resorted to turning it off and on again like others here. Disappointed as well that I have to check and do this dance often.

[Pauljw]

I filled out the form two weeks ago and I've not had a reply yet. 

[Gaze]

I agree. As a user dealing with this issue it feels like the problem is being swept under the rug by closing a topic that so many people are engaging with. I think a better solution would be leaving the thread open so users dealing with this issue can know it's not just their unit. Hopefully more engagement leads Google to address this widespread issue sooner rather than later. 

[proglems]

I’m having exactly the same issue and had hoped there was a firmware upgrade or another solution besides everyone saying they have this issue and Google CS replying with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. 

heres 2 screenshots of my feed today

img 1 

Img 2 

[Gaze]

Thanks for sharing these screen grabs. You are definitely having the exact same issue I was having. I think this really hammers home that it’s not the IR/night vision issue that others are having. It seems like this is a pretty common issue. I’ve spoke to a few fellow Google Nest owners in person as well who have this same issue.

Hopefully Google fixes this or stops producing faulty units. It’s really not fair to be sold a product that claims to do all these things and is easy to set up but in reality doesn’t do it’s most basic function reliably. 

[proglems]

I don’t even use the night vision features  on my cameras! 

[Ligu]

hi - same issue : almost daily indoor camera turns to pink since a couple of weeks - shutdown/restart and works ok - very disappointing … (“la vie en rose”)

[Gaze]

That is unfortunate to hear. I hope they come out with an update that fixes this issue. 

I would describe a security camera that requires a daily restart as "not working" not as "works ok" - but that's just me. haha

In all seriousness though I hope you and everyone else dealing with this can get this fixed!

[Lmark]

Thanks do this thread. I just got my three indoor wired camera two weeks ago (no night vision enabled) and the same pink video is happening to two of the three. I am going to not bother for an exchange but will return them all. 

[Gaze]

Coordinating these returns takes up a lot of time and effort, so I don't blame you.

Who would have thought buying a security camera would come with all this additional homework. 

[LeeroyJ]

Same issue happening on both my 2. Gen indoor cameras too

[Gaze]

So bizarre! I hope the resets or software updates that Google will recommend you do will work for you.