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Setup of indoor camera not possible, because connection to other nest devices not possible

Romox
Community Member

Hey,

I just received my two indoor cameras and I'm not able to setup any of them.
Both stop with the error "Your camera couldn’t connect to your other Nest product(s)".
So i followed the suggested troubleshooting, but I'm not able to resolve the problem.

The cameras are 2nd gen and inside my google home there is only a doorbell (battery) as nest device.

I was thinking of that maybe the second doorbell from the apartment above me can cause these problems?

 

Thanks for any suggestions.

1 Recommended Answer

MplsCustomer
Bronze
Bronze

@Romox 

In the past, Google Nest used to have us set up our Nest cameras and doorbells by selecting our Wi-Fi network and entering the password. Then they decided--I guess--to make it "easier" for us by getting that Wi-Fi configuration data from one of our previously installed Google Nest devices. So an "assisting device" is just another Google Nest device that is already working.

The problem is that the process doesn't work very well, and your new Google Nest device for some reason can't find the "assisting device", and as customers, we have no idea which one of our already-working Google Nest devices is regarded as the "assisting device".

Some customers in this forum have reported success with either of these two work-arounds:

1) Temporarily turn off or disconnect your existing Google Nest devices (like your existing wired cameras) while setting up your new Google Nest device; hopefully, this then causes the device to let you select your Wi-Fi network name and enter the password (the way it used to work in the past). Then turn your other Nest devices back on.

2) Temporarily set up another "home" in the Google app, add your new Google Nest device in that home, which--since there are no other Google Nest devices in that home, hopefully causes the device to let you select your Wi-Fi network name and enter the password. Then, once the Google Nest device is working, remove it from the temporary "home", add it to your regular "home", and delete the temporary "home".

We have not encountered the "assisting device" error, so I don't know whether either of these will work for you.

Google Nest has not admitted to any of the above, and--in spite of hundreds of "cannot connect to assisting device" posts in this forum--has not fixed the problem or offered an official solution.

View Recommended Answer in original post

9 REPLIES 9

MplsCustomer
Bronze
Bronze

@Romox 

In the past, Google Nest used to have us set up our Nest cameras and doorbells by selecting our Wi-Fi network and entering the password. Then they decided--I guess--to make it "easier" for us by getting that Wi-Fi configuration data from one of our previously installed Google Nest devices. So an "assisting device" is just another Google Nest device that is already working.

The problem is that the process doesn't work very well, and your new Google Nest device for some reason can't find the "assisting device", and as customers, we have no idea which one of our already-working Google Nest devices is regarded as the "assisting device".

Some customers in this forum have reported success with either of these two work-arounds:

1) Temporarily turn off or disconnect your existing Google Nest devices (like your existing wired cameras) while setting up your new Google Nest device; hopefully, this then causes the device to let you select your Wi-Fi network name and enter the password (the way it used to work in the past). Then turn your other Nest devices back on.

2) Temporarily set up another "home" in the Google app, add your new Google Nest device in that home, which--since there are no other Google Nest devices in that home, hopefully causes the device to let you select your Wi-Fi network name and enter the password. Then, once the Google Nest device is working, remove it from the temporary "home", add it to your regular "home", and delete the temporary "home".

We have not encountered the "assisting device" error, so I don't know whether either of these will work for you.

Google Nest has not admitted to any of the above, and--in spite of hundreds of "cannot connect to assisting device" posts in this forum--has not fixed the problem or offered an official solution.

I removed my existing doorbell (battery powered) from my home.
Afterwards I successfully commissioned the first camera, unplugged it and commissioned the second camera.

At the end I also added the doorbell again.

Pretty annoying bug from Google. I wonder how many nest products are returned because of this minor bug.

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi folks,

 

Thanks for your help here, MplsCustomer.

 

I know how you feel about this but thanks for your efforts. I'm dropping by to ensure that everything is covered here. If you have other questions and concerns, feel free to let me know.
 

Best,

JT

aatienza
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey folks,

 

I just wanted to follow up to see if you still need our help. Please let us know as we would be happy to answer any questions you may have. 
 

Thanks,
Archie

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for dropping by Archie.


Just wanted to jump in here to make sure that you saw our response. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns as I will be locking this in 24 hours.

 

Best,

JT

Romox
Community Member

Well we're still waiting for some information when we can except a Bugfix. This bug is nasty and I guess a lot of your nest devices are sent back because of this.

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi Romox,

 

I know how you feel about this. I'd be happy to dig deeper into this. What are the status lights of your cameras? How far are your cameras from your doorbell battery and router? Do you have an Android or iPhone? Also, what WiFi frequency band do you try to connect to (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz)?

 

Going over the steps here might help:

 

  • Close all the apps running in the background of your phone, so other apps won't interfere with the pairing setup, reopen the Google Home app then try adding your cameras again.
  • Bring your phone closer to the cameras at least 10 to 12 inches close.
  • Make sure Bluetooth is on. Toggle Bluetooth off, then back on to refresh the connection.
  • Restart your cameras by following these steps:
  1. Locate the reset pin between the cord and the support arm.
  2. Press the pin once (you can use an unfolded paperclip or a thumbtack).
  3. Your camera will restart, and the status light will be steady, solid white.
  • Move your cameras closer to the assisting device (doorbell battery) and to the router at least 3 to 5 feet.
  • If all else fails, factory reset your cameras then try pairing them again.

Let me know how it goes.

 

Thanks,

JT

aatienza
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey Romox,

 

I just wanted to follow up to see if you still need our help. Please let us know as we would be happy to answer any questions you may have. 
 

Thanks,

Archie

aatienza
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey Romox,

 

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,

Archie