Solar Panel (Wasserstien) draining batter in days

[GAllTheWayHome]

The Solar Panel (Wasserstein Solar Panel For Google Nest Cam, bought on Amazon for official google products) is draining the battery within days. I have roughly 2-4 hours of direct sunlight hitting the panel. The Google Home app shows that 'solar' power is working and charging the battery, however the video feed goes from 'idol' like it does with battery only mode into 'live' 24/7 mode as if it's plugged into a direct power source (wired). This seems like a software issue where solar powered should revert to 'idol' mode and not be live 24/7, unless you give the option in the app to switch or something. I can't use the solar panel and had to remove it and go back to battery only mode. This is really frustrating me as I didn't expect this issue. 

Also could you add % of battery when it's charging into a power source? Right now it just says' plugged in' but I have no idea how much longer until it's 100% charged. Phones can do it, why can't this device?

[GAllTheWayHome]

To clarify, on battery only, I can get like 5-8 weeks on one charge (depending on activity) and not this few days life.

[GAllTheWayHome]

Does going into 'live' vs 'idol' mode affect battery? I see that happen when I plug in a battery pack to charge the device and when I have it plugged into the solar panel. Maybe that's why the solar panel is draining the battery? 

[groot]

I couldn't find the manual for the solar panel online, but with a 1.7W solar panel and only 2-4 hours per day you're only getting (at maximum) 3.4 - 6.8 Wh per day.  According to the battery specs on the doorbell, it has a 21.9 Wh battery, so you're only getting something like 15% - 30% charge in a day.  Since solar panels usually only get a fraction of their rated output (clouds, indirect light), it will very likely be less than that.

For reference, the doorbell asks for a 10 VA (10W) transformer for the normal plugged-in operation.

Moral of the story, it sounds like the solar panel is too small and/or not receiving enough sunlight to keep up with usage in Live mode.  I saw some power options in my settings under Gear Icon > Battery > Battery Usage.  It looks like you can set it to extend battery life, and the "Learn More" link has some tips on increasing battery life that you could try.

One question, what does the battery menu say at night when the solar panel is not receiving sunlight?  

[GAllTheWayHome]

Agree, not enough light for LIVE mode but I did try turning off LIVE mode and got  idle mode like it does when it's on battery only but I just couldn't find it, I'll check again based on your recommendation. 

When it's connected to the solar panel I see a plugged in Infinity sign with the words solar power all in orange and then after like a day it tells me how many days left I have of the battery. I guess it just has to learn how much battery it has left. 

I was under the assumption that solar powered would be just used to power the battery and charge it not to put it into a live mode but maybe I'm wrong. 

Thanks for your input and I'll check some things out and get back to you!

[GAllTheWayHome]

Updated from testing over the weekend,

Before connecting the solar panel, it's on idle mode on battery only.  Battery was charged to 100%.  After connecting to the solar panel it turns to live mode in the app, similar to the wired nest doorbell. Solar panel started off in the shade for a few hours before getting direct sunlight, live mode was on in the shade. 

day 1 Lost 3 percent in 24 hours plugged in to solar

day 2 lost 2 percent in 24 hours  plugged in to solar

With battery i get up to 6-7 weeks, so solar is actually draining the battery faster within 3-4 weeks.

There's a software issue where the camera is always in live mode, that's the only thing I can think of that's causing solar to require more battery than a battery-only mode.

Other question is,

- Is there a required number of direct sunlight in a given setting (like balanced battery, more battery, etc) that will produce more charge per day than drain?

- it's also winter here at the 34 % N Lat so not sure if that impacts angle required on panel?

Thanks again for your help! I'm also messaging with the Wass. reps.

[groot]

It sounds like it shouldn't be going into live mode when on solar, but it must be detecting a power source and doing it anyway.  I'm assuming power consumption in live mode is quite a lot higher than idle.

The winter sun angle and temp definitely aren't helping.  Less direct sunlight and the battery won't perform as well in the cold.

Having said all of that, this is all speculation and guessing on my part.  Hopefully Wass. support can help you with the issue.  Sorry I can't offer more direct help!

[GAllTheWayHome]

No worries, I appreciate your help! 

Got an update from the manufacture, so I'm going to run some additional tests in the coming weeks or more, including longer sun exposure to the panel. Will report back later.

'When the camera battery is above 70% (and up to 100%), the solar panel will not charge the battery even though it shows "solar". During this period, there is only battery consumption from the camera and no charging current input from the solar panel. The battery % will only be going down due to the operation from the camera, not drain from the solar panel. '

[GAllTheWayHome]

Update:

• Battery at 61%, went from 100% to that in about 2-3 weeks on battery only mode. 
• Plugged in solar panel, after it fell below 70% as recommended by manufacturer. Camera switched from idol to live mode, as mentioned earlier. Got roughly ~4 hours of direct sun.  
• Battery drained from 61% to 28% in 2 days, had to remove the solar panel connection or else I'd run out of battery in one day (per app update).
• Solar panel should at least charged the battery above 61%, not drain it

So 'I think' it still comes down to a software issue. Also when I plug in the battery pack to charge the camera it also switches to live model from idol. I think that's the problem. If the camera is connected to Solar or Battery, keep the camera in idol mode unless the user switches it to live (knowing that it will drain the battery quickly). 

I'm not going to use the solar panel until there's a software issue as I don't think having even 8 hours of direct sunlight will keep from draining the battery. I know this is a new product from google and they'll make updates but this is a pretty simple test they should have run.

I was going to buy another camera and solar for the other side of my house but there's not way until the issue is fixed.

@groot what do you recommend I do to report this issue to Google's engineers? 

Thanks and appreciate your help!

[GAllTheWayHome]

One other note, when I plug in a battery pack to charge the camera's battery the app says it goes to Live mode, not idol, which means it's sending video feed 24/7 and drains the battery faster. 

I actually have to turn off the camera when charging with an external battery,  otherwise, it seems to never charge the camera or at least charge it extremely slowly.  Also, when it's plugged into an external battery to charge it doesn't know that it's plugged into a battery versus an actual electrical socket, as I can't see what the percentage of battery is on the device so I don't know when it's done charging.  I think that's another big issue that needs to be fixed with software.

This is the same issue, I think, as when it plugs into solar. So reason why I think it's no the panel that's cussing the issue.

[Brad]

Hey there,

I just wanted to jump in real fast and thank you for your feedback. Please feel free to submit your feedback to us. I've put instructions for feedback below.

1. Open the Google Home app

1. .
2. At the top right, tap your account.
3. Tap Feedback 

1. tap the type of device you'd like to submit feedback for.
2. To display available emails, in the "From:" section, tap the arrow on the right. Select your email address.
3. In the feedback summary, write a brief description of your issue.
4. Be sure to check the box for Screenshot and System logs.
5. To submit feedback, at the top right corner, tap Send 

If you need anything else, please let me know.

Best Regards,

Brad.

[GAllTheWayHome]

Submitted my feedback and a link to this thread. Thank you for your help.

[waxlabo]

I am experiencing this exact issue here too. I was starting to think I got a faulty panel from Wasserstein. But looks to be it might just all be software issue. 😞

[GAllTheWayHome]

reached out to Wasserstein's support (website) and started a lengthy ticket with them, they're aware of this issue. i'm getting a new panel in a few weeks and i'm going to run the tests again. I'll keep everyone posted. 

[waxlabo]

I did the same however I only got an initial response from them informing me of how the charging will only kick in when battery drops below 70%. Since then they have started to ignore me or been extremely busy since I have not had a reply in 6 days.

[GAllTheWayHome]

it can take a few days for them to get back, been emailing with them for a month + but the service is good. yes 70% and below and the panel charges, but the live mode seems to kill the battery off in 2-3 days. I'll retest with the new panel. 

just make sure to submit feedback to google (in the app), see instructions from like 3-4 posts previous to this on how to do that, this should help google identify the issue and help take action.

[waxlabo]

Is there any indication when the camera is charging from Solar? I only notice on mines that it detects when the solar panel is connected and there is never any indication that it ever goes into charging.

[GAllTheWayHome]

yes, no indication that the battery is actually charging (vs. saying solar plugged in) and what the new batter % is. 

To confirm, after plugging into the solar panel I look at the battery option in the app. So like 30 mins, 60 mins or maybe an hour or three later I see the blue battery goes from '?' unknown status to an orange battery sign that says 'solar' or something like that. 

I think there's a big software miss on google's side, as they need to show the battery % and if it's charging for either an external battery pack (to charge it) or solar panel (also to charge it). I think we're the beta testers in this situation (ha).

[waxlabo]

I’m trying to run a test by turning off my camera and letting it charge but I’m not sure it’s actually charging at all. All I see in battery is the infinity sign indicating that it’s plugged into the solar panel. I have my camera show up in HomeKit with Sterling Home Hub and that seems to be able to pull in some more information we cannot see but I am not sure if it is accurate. At the time I turned off the camera it showed 46% and it’s been about 3 hours since and it is still at 46%. In HomeKit it also shows it isn’t charging. I have tested HomeKit while I have the camera plugged into power and it does seem to be accurate on providing me battery percentage and if it is charging or not. But I can say if it really is. I still worry that I have a faulty solar panel.

[GAllTheWayHome]

i forgot to turn off the camera in the last test, i'm going to try that as well in a week or so when the battery gets below 70%. i'll be sure to test the new panel when i get it in a few weeks as well.

tests, under 70% 

1) turn off power and charge it in the sun for 1 day with 3+ hours of direct sunlight.

2) keep camera on but let it go into live mode as it normally does and keep it with 3+ hours of direct sunlight for 1-2 days.

[waxlabo]

How do you know if the camera has dropped below 70% if there is no percentage indication?

[GAllTheWayHome]

battery powered mode, in the app shows the % of battery. i had to unplug the solar panel and wait for a bit before i got the battery % again, when i'm testing the solar panel out and need a pre/during/post test. so... basically im not using solar at all unless i test, rest of time it's just battery.

when i charge it with a external battery i turn off the camera,  as i think it charges faster as the camera doesn't go into live mode. 

[waxlabo]

Thank you for explaining.

[Brad]

Hi there,

I understand that y'all have provided feedback already, and thank you for it! I am sorry I do not have a fix for this inquiry. Just checking in to see if you still need assistance with this issue.

Please let me know if you need further assistance. 

Best Regards,

Brad.

[waxlabo]

Yes. I still have not been able to get my solar panel to work. I did notice the google home app may have updated since it does seem to show battery percentage while it is connected to solar. Well I saw it momentarily today but now it is gone and I’m not sure why. I have been in touch with Wasserstein support and they informed me that if I remove the camera from the magnetic base and leave the solar plugged in then it will show me if the camera is charging and I should see a battery logo with thunderbolt. It is true however my camera never actually charges it seems as the battery will only keep decreasing day by day and never once have I noticed it increasing in battery level with the solar panel plugged in. My panel is on the roof with about 5-7+ hours in direct sunlight.

[GAllTheWayHome]

In addition to what waxlabo mentioned, I'm waiting on a new panel from Wass. so I can see if it's a panel (hardware) vs software issue. I should have the new panel in a few weeks and then I'll start testing. Once results are in I'll post here, so I imagine another week or so on top of that date range.

Thanks

[Brad]

Hey Folks.

At this time, I'll go ahead and lock this thread. If you're still experiencing problems, feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.

Best Regards,

Brad.