"Can't reach this camera." (Nest 2nd Gen Cameras Live Feed on Google Home) - Any Fix?

[Gio235]

In our home we have six 1st gen outdoor cameras, two Nest Hello doorbells, and two 2nd gen indoor (wired) cameras.

I have Xfinity Gigabit X2 (2000Mbps down/~350Mbps up). I'm using Xfinity's XB7 gateway in bridge mode with 2 TP-Link Deco XE75Pro units and a TP-Link Deco X50-Outdoor unit (all units hardwired; wired-backhaul).

All Nest cameras are on 5Ghz (channel width set to 80Mhz) and have been running great.

I wouldn't mind letting the cameras connect to the 2.4Ghz band, but since I can't change the channel width from 40Mhz (default) to 20Mhz, the connectivity of the 2.4Ghz band to the cameras is highly unstable. Especially considering I'd like to have my cameras on the highest video quality available.

I've changed the 5Ghz band channel width from 160Mhz to 80Mhz which improved the responsiveness of our 2nd Gen cameras in the Google Home app (especially being able to view video history which I made a post about a few months ago).

The only real bug I've encountered since is the "Can't reach this camera" message after viewing the live feed for a few seconds. Tapping the "retry" button goes back to the live feed instantly and all is good.

This happens after I open the Google Home app and select any of our 2nd gen cameras to view their live feed. No matter what, after I view the live feed for a few seconds the message pops up and I have to tap retry in order to view the live feed again. It's quite annoying.

No errors are reported when viewing the preview/live feed from the camera list selection on the Google Home app, nor have my 1st gen cameras have experienced this issue (both on the Nest app and Google Home app).

I've seen users report that setting up QOS and changing the bandwidth limit (not sure if the Deco app allows this) for said devices (e.g., Nest cameras) should fix the issue. However, I wouldn't really need to setup a QOS since my speeds are sufficient, right? I don't believe this is a network issue on my end or my ISP since all other devices are operating normal.

My 1st gen cameras are all set to high (max video quality on the Nest app), and my 2nd gen cameras are set to High (lowest video quality offered from the Google Home app). In total my cameras would be using ~13.7Mbps upload speed.

I'm currently not enrolled on the Public Preview. I would like to try out the Public Preview again, but both the stable version and the Public Preview of the Google Home app have quite a few bugs and freezes up at times.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @Gio235 

Thank you for reaching out to the community! I understand that you were having some issues with the connectivity of your Nest Cameras. I know this can be frustrating, but let me assist you with that!

Before we continue, I need to know more information about the situation, just to provide you with more accurate steps.

• When did the issue start?
• Just to be clear, is this issue only happening with the 2nd gen cameras?
• In case the issue is only with the 2nd gen devices, what is the status of the LED lights?
• How far are the cameras from the Wi-Fi network?

Once you share this information, I would be able to assist you further! I will be waiting for your answer.

Best regards, 

Debora

[Gio235]

- The issue probably started when I first installed the cameras (2022 and 2023).

- This only happens with the 2nd gen cameras (1st gen cameras are not affected).

- The status light shows they're operating as normal (green).

- Each of the cameras are just a few feet away from a Deco XE75Pro unit.

The issue: When viewing live feed for a few seconds, I get the "Can't reach this camera" message and have to tap "retry" for it to go back to the live feed. There's no gaps in the video history (I have Nest Aware Plus). This always happens when I open the Google Home app and select one of our 2nd gen indoor (wired) cameras.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @Gio235 

Thanks for the information provided! It seems like we had a connectivity issue with the Nest Cam (2nd Gen), so I found some information for you:

• Update Wi-Fi network and router settings 

On this link, you can double-check if the cameras have the correct Wi-Fi recommendations. Usually, we recommend using a 2.4 GHz network for the cameras, but I understand that is not possible. However, if you can, try to reconnect them under this network.

If you notice that the Wi-Fi recommendations are correct, we can proceed with other steps to check if the issue is with the cameras or with the Google Home app. Once you check the information I mentioned before, please let me know!

Best Regards,

Debora

[Gio235]

My network has all WiFi bands under one SSID. As mentioned before, I already tried connecting just the 2nd gen cameras on the 2.4Ghz band (I have the option to specify which band a device can connect to, as well as the nearest node). Having only the 2nd gen cameras on the 2.4Ghz band still reproduces the issue I'm encountering with them. I also recently decided to try out the Public Preview again, but the issue still occurs (so that's both the stable and the Public Previews of the Google Home app that's affected). None of my other 1st gen cameras have this issue, even before or after transferring from the Nest app to the Google Home app.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @Gio235 

Thanks for your information! I only have one inquiry: could you please tell me who your internet service provider is?

Also, I can recommend that you perform a factory reset on your cameras. In case you don’t know how to do this, please follow the instructions on the following website:

• Restart or factory reset Nest camera or doorbell 

That link shows you how to perform a factory reset on your devices. Please let me know what the result of those steps was!

Best Regards,

Debora

[Gio235]

Xfinity is my current ISP. I'm on their Gigabit X2 (2Gbps download/~350Mbps upload).

No other device (including my 1st generation Nest cameras/doorbell) are experiencing issues.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @Gio235

Thanks for the information. For this issue, I can suggest the following steps:

Step 1: Factory reset the device (check for Nest Aware service and save any recorded videos).

• Explanation: A factory reset returns the device to its original settings, often resolving software glitches that can cause connectivity problems. Before doing this, if you have a Nest Aware subscription, ensure you save any important recorded videos, as they will be deleted during the reset.

Step 2: Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

• Explanation: Connection issues can sometimes originate from your internet service. Your ISP can check for outages, signal strength problems, or other network issues that might be affecting your devices.

In case you have already performed a factory reset on those devices, please let me know the result. The best option for these connection issues is to re-add and refresh the Wi-Fi connection for your second-generation cameras.

Best Regards

Debora, 

[Gio235]

It seems as if the issue resolved itself. Not sure if it's because I'm currently on the Public Preview of the Google Home app or if there was an app update, but I haven't encountered the error I initially mentioned.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @Gio235

I'm happy to know that the issue has been resolved! Please let me know if you have any other questions or inquiries.

Best Regards,

Debora