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What does “idle” mean? How does that compare to “camera off?”

Sandyroo
Community Member

Nest Battery Cam (new) running on battery:

What does “idle” mean? How is this different from “camera off?” If the camera is “off” does it no longer detect motion or sound?  

Does “idle” detect events faster than “off?”  Does “idle” consume battery faster than “off?”

1 Recommended Answer

@Sandyroo 

We have one of the Google Nest Battery Cameras. While ours is plugged in all the time, I believe that, when the camera is on battery power and you visit the camera (showing as "Idle") and click "Live", and then exit the app or quit viewing it, the camera will return to "Idle" on its own.

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6 REPLIES 6

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi Sandyroo,

 

Thanks for reaching out! Good question. Your Nest Cam (battery) will go into idle mode whenever it's running on battery. To stream live video in this case, you'll first need to tap "Live video" for your camera in the Google Home app. If Nest Cam (battery) is wired, the live video will stream without needing to tap the option. When your Nest camera is turned off with the Home or Nest app, it won’t detect sound or motion, stream live video, or record and save activity.

 

In addition, your camera will stay powered and connected to Wi-Fi when it’s switched off. That way, you can turn it back on and control it remotely in the app. Your camera can also switch on automatically with its schedule, when you leave home, or in the case of an emergency.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Thanks,

JT

Sandyroo
Community Member

Thanks, this is helpful.  That begs another question (below). A user-case example (me!):

  • Activate "cameras" button to show all cameras, and their state (idle, live or off).  
  • Tap "Live video" on any camera and it connects, showing you the live sound/image.  On that image, the "Live video" button transforms into a "Camera off" button.  If you tap that button, the camera doesn't return to idle.  It turns it off. As in "...it won’t detect sound or motion, stream live video, or record and save activity."
  • There is no explanation in help.  I don't want to leave the camera "live," depleting the battery.  I want to depart the app with the cameras idle, monitoring for motion and sound.

So, that begs the Question: How do I turn the "live" image off, and return the camera to idle state, where it will detect motion, sound?  The only visible button is "Camera Off" (which apparently means Off-Off, no longer monitoring motion or sound).

@Sandyroo 

We have one of the Google Nest Battery Cameras. While ours is plugged in all the time, I believe that, when the camera is on battery power and you visit the camera (showing as "Idle") and click "Live", and then exit the app or quit viewing it, the camera will return to "Idle" on its own.

Hi folks!

 

Thanks for chiming in and I appreciate your help, @MplsCustomer.

 

Checking back in — we hope you've got the answer you're looking for. Let us know if you have more questions in mind.

 

Cheers,

JT

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi Sandyroo,

 

Checking in to see if you still need help with this. In case there are any follow up questions or comments. Please let me know if you need further assistance.

 

Regards,

JT

janthadeus
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi there,

 

It's me again. 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