See battery level while plugged in?

[Dan1111111111]

Anyway to see the battery level while the door bell is wired? 

[Dan1111111111 · Accepted solution]

It should allow you to see it either way.  That or some way to see the voltage.  Otherwise there is no way to know if the unit is getting enough power to trickle charge and run.  Ie a week ago my transformer dropped voltage (was old). I was able to see the battery percentage when it was very low. It said plugged in but I would swipe and see %.  Anywho probably as designed but devs should I put a way to monitor plugged in power. 

[RXShorty]

Hi @Dan1111111111 

I am able to see the battery level when using the Google Home App and selecting the Doorbell.

For more information check THIS link.

[Dan1111111111]

All I see if the infinity in the circle.  (I have seen the battery % there before but only when it was very low. 

[RXShorty]

Hi @Dan1111111111 

That is rather strange. Did you try restarting the App/Phone already? 

[janthadeus]

Hey folks,

We appreciate you sharing the steps that resolved your issue — it's a big help. As we got our resolution here, I'm going to mark this thread as resolved. I'll be locking this thread if we won't hear back from you again in 24 hrs. Should that happen, feel free to create a new one if you have more questions or have other concerns in the future.
 

I appreciate the help here, RXShorty, MplsCustomer and Emerson. 

Best,

JT

[Dan1111111111]

Do you see infinity and are able to scroll to the side to see battery?  (I should also ask if yours is wired.)  Make sure we are comparing apples to apples.  

I have no issue seeing battery % when it is not wired.

[MplsCustomer]

@Dan1111111111 

We have had the Google Nest Camera (Battery), plugged in with the optional power cable for over a year, and when we check the Battery setting, we always see just "Plugged in" with an infinity symbol. We have to unplug the camera to see the battery level; it's an annoying design feature.

Perhaps the Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) is designed the same way. If so, it seems a rather stupid design to have to disconnect the doorbell from its doorbell wires just to view the battery level.

[EmersonB]

Hi folks,

@Dan1111111111 thanks for posting here in the community. When the Nest doorbell (battery) or Nest cam (battery) is installed and setup as wired you will not see the battery percentage, because it is being recognized by the system as it continuously getting powered by the wires. Let me know if you have any additional questions from here.

@RXShorty and @MplsCustomer I appreciate the help.

Thanks,
Emerson

[Dan1111111111 · Accepted solution]

It should allow you to see it either way.  That or some way to see the voltage.  Otherwise there is no way to know if the unit is getting enough power to trickle charge and run.  Ie a week ago my transformer dropped voltage (was old). I was able to see the battery percentage when it was very low. It said plugged in but I would swipe and see %.  Anywho probably as designed but devs should I put a way to monitor plugged in power. 

[EmersonB]

Hi Dan1111111111,

I truly understand your point. However, since it was set up as "wired" the Google Home App will recognize it as powered through wire, that's why it has the infinity symbol indicating that it has continuous power supply and that it's not being charge. 

Though we appreciate your thoughts about making our products better and more user-friendly. Our team is working hard to deliver the best experience for our users — we'll take this as feedback. Keep your eye on the Google Nest Community page https://goo.gle/2JvnMRy for any updates. Please let me know if you have other questions or concerns.

Regards,
Emerson

[MplsCustomer]

@EmersonB 

Your statement that when the battery doorbell is "powered through wire, that's why it has the infinity symbol indicating that it has continuous power supply and that it's not being charge[d]'" is simply not true.

According to Google Nest itself, "If you’ve connected your Nest Doorbell (battery) to your existing doorbell wiring, the wires don’t directly power the doorbell. Instead, the battery is trickle charged by the power that comes through the wires, and the doorbell runs off the battery charge." (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/11830989?hl=en)

Further, since there are circumstances, such as cold weather or lots of events, that can deplete the battery on the doorbell, it is not very practical to not know the charge level until it is drained unless you unmount your doorbell.

[Dan1111111111 · Accepted solution]

I found my own answer 🙂

When wired - it charges the battery to 75%.  When at 75% it does not show the charge.  If you catch it just right - you can see it at 74% when you swipe.  

As to above it is not only practical but is absolutely necessary or one would not know if their wiring has issues.  Ie. when my transformer was drying and voltage was under 16V.  It seems that the doorbell does show you  this but only when it is below 75%.  Which is fine with me.  Better than only showing it when you are in the red with minutes left.  

[MplsCustomer]

@Dan1111111111 

So when the battery doorbell is wired, it shows the infinity symbol if it's charged to 75% and shows as charging with the battery percentage if it's below 75%?

[Dan1111111111]

Pretty much yea.  I found an article somewhere on the FAQ for the device that talked about the 75% deal.  I just happened to look at the camera for a package delivery yesterday and caught it at 74%.  I cant recall if it showed it charging or not.  I think so.  Either way it went bye bye again the next time I checked it as I assume it got back to 75%. 

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/10899820?hl=en#:~:text=Important%3A%20To%20help%20prolo....

Important: To help prolong the life of your doorbell's battery, it will only charge to 75% if the doorbell is wired to the doorbell system. Before you install your doorbell, you can use the USB cable to charge the battery above 75%. However, after the doorbell is wired to the system, the battery will drop down to 75% and stay at that level or below.

For the following situations, you should wire your Nest doorbell to the doorbell system. Choose your situation to get more information.

[Dan1111111111]

On a side note - my old transformer was a very old 16V 10VA.  Checked the voltage with a meter and it was all over the place.  That was what prompted this whole question as it was very hard to tell if the device was charging or not.  Just had to wait until it got below 75% with use and never climbed back up.    Replaced with new 16/30 and all is good with the doorbell world. 

[MplsCustomer]

@Dan1111111111 

It's too bad Google Nest doesn't just document the behavior.

[EmersonB]

Hi Dan1111111111,

That's awesome, we appreciate users who are keen on sharing with us their experience. We'll take this as feedback. If you have other questions and concerns, feel free to let me know.

@MplsCustomer thanks for the information.

Best,
Emerson