Since the June 2023 Home app refresh my Next Doorbell battery life has dropped to about 2 weeks

[ItReallyDoes]

The battery used to last several months. But since the Home app refresh the battery life has dropped significantly. I'm having to recharge roughly every 2 weeks.

I have Zones set up so it only reports on actual door visits. I get maybe 5-6 alerts a day, as I always have.

With the app update I had to choose Favourites, and chose the doorbell as one of these, but that now means that whenever I open the Home app the doorbell camera is now enabled, rather than only enabling when I explicitly choose to view 'Doorbell'. It could be down to this? I'm suspicious that it is because surely if the camera really is running 100% then the battery would last hours, not 2 whole weeks. But I can't think what else has changed.

So - is this the likely reason for my battery drain? And is there a way to keep the Doorbell in my Favourites list for easy access, but not streaming the camera all the time whenever I'm in the app? (I don't want to turn off the camera completely, because what's the point of a video doorbell if I disable the video?)

[MplsCustomer]

@ItReallyDoes 

I took all our cameras out of "Favorites" to avoid displaying all live feeds when I open the Google Home app (and the delay that involves).

I can still click on "Cameras" to see all of our live feeds, or click on "Devices" and select one of our cameras to see that one live feed.

[ItReallyDoes]

Ah, I hadn't realised the doorbell would count as camera. Which is daft, because obviously it's a camera.

I'll certainly make that change, see if it makes a difference. But I'd still like to find out the proper cause.

[EmersonB]

Hello everyone,

@ItReallyDoes, thanks for reaching out here in the Community. The battery life of your Nest Camera or Nest Doorbell will depend on factors including activity, temperature and selected camera settings. You can extend its battery life by adjusting video quality, length of video clips, time between recorded events and using Activity Zones to monitor specific areas. Here are some typical scenarios.

Nest Doorbell (battery)

• Busy – About 1 month of battery life (about 25–30 recorded events per day)
• Typical – About 2.5 months of battery life (about 13–16 recorded events per day)
• Quiet – About 6 months of battery life (about 2–5 recorded events per day)

Nest Camera (battery) and Nest Doorbell (battery) will show you estimated battery life in the app approximately 48 hrs after each time that they're charged. As your Nest Camera or Nest Doorbell learns over time, its battery life estimate will adapt to conditions to improve accuracy. So if there's a lot of recorded activity at the beginning, the estimation will be relatively low. But if the activity drops off afterwards, the battery life estimation will increase. Cold temperatures affect battery life. As the temperature gets colder, the battery life gets shorter. Hit this link for more information and Let us know how it goes.

I appreciate the help, MplsCustomer.

Regards, 

Emerson

[ItReallyDoes]

Thanks for not actually reading my question and just posting a stock answer that does not answer my question.

[Lance_L]

Hi ItReallyDoes,

Thanks for posting. I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with this — let's get this sorted out.

To completely isolate the battery issue, let´s factory reset the device. Follow the steps below:

1. Save any video history from the doorbell, if any. Follow this guide.
2. Unmount the doorbell and then connect it to the USB cable and power adapter.
3. Locate the reset pinhole on the back of the doorbell.
   Tip: The reset pin on the Nest Doorbell (battery) is located below the USB port on the back of the doorbell.
4. Insert and hold the pin (you can use an unfolded paper clip or a thumbtack).
   1. At 10 seconds, the status light will blink yellow four times, and you’ll hear a countdown tone.
   2. At 12 seconds, the status light will be steady, solid yellow while the doorbell starts the factory reset, and you’ll hear a confirmation tone.
5. Release the button. Your doorbell will return to its factory settings.
6. After the factory reset, your doorbell will appear as "Offline" in the app until you remove it.
7. To remove it from the app, open the app, then tap Settings > Remove device>  Confirm.
8. Make sure the phone is on the same Wi-Fi network as the selected network for the Nest device.
9. Bluetooth should be enabled, but it should not be connected to any Bluetooth devices. Disconnect any Bluetooth devices paired to your phone, such as earbuds, smartwatches, etc.
10. Cellular data should be turned off.
11. If you have an iOS device, tap Settings > Privacy > Local Network and turn on Local Network Access for the Google Home app.
12. Start adding the device back to the Google Home app.

Let us know if that helps.

Thanks for the assistance, MplsCustomer and Emerson.

Best, 

Lance

[Lance_L]

Hello ItReallyDoes,

Buzzing in — do you still need our help? Don't hesitate to reach back if you do.

Regards,

Lance

[Lance_L]

Hey ItReallyDoes,

I'd like to bump in here and make sure that you’ve seen our response.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns as I will be locking this thread after 24 hours.

Cheers,

Lance

[ItReallyDoes]

Thanks for the reply. I shall try a factory reset over the weekend when it's less likely the doorbell will be in regular use. I shall report back next week.

[Alex_S]

Hi there,

Thanks for the update. Keep us posted.

Kind regards,
Alex

[EmersonB]

Hey folks,

@ItReallyDoes, 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.

Thanks for answering, Lance and Alex.

Best,

Emerson

[ItReallyDoes]

I have followed the advice above - factory reset, remounted and now re-set up my monitoring zone. I shall monitor it for the next few days to see what the expected battery life shows as so I can see if it has made a difference. I will report back later this week.

[Lance_L]

Hello ItReallyDoes, 

That sounds like a plan. Keep me posted. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for the help, Emerson.

Best,

Lance

[ItReallyDoes]

Well, doesn't look like it's made any difference.

Since re-installing the doorbell on Monday and having the usual 5 or 6 alerts a day max, it's already down to 87% and saying battery life is only another 3 weeks.

That's a lower batterylife than even the 'busy' usage of ~20 notifications a day. I'm nowhere near that level of usage.

This doorbell is only about 18 months old. I don't know the lifespan of these devices but they are expensive devices and I would not expect to have to replace them every 2 years.

[Lance_L]

Hey ItReallyDoes, 

We’re sorry to hear that. Let’s check this out — could you fill out this form and let me know once you’re done?

Best regards,

Lance

[ItReallyDoes]

Ok I have done so

[Lance_L]

Hi ItReallyDoes,

We got your form — thanks for filling it out. Our team will reach out to you via email to further assist you. Also, please be advised that this thread will be locked after 24 hours.

Cheers,

Lance