"hardwire" battery version of Nest Camera

[acemory]

Hi, I have two battery operated google Nest Cameras. We recently missed an event because the cameras were not charged. I am wondering if anyone has any feedback on whether or not I can effectively hardwire the cameras by leaving them connected to their charger indefinitely?

I know that sometimes this can be bad for the batteries and I am concerned that I will basically ruin the devices ability to draw power with this approach.

[MplsCustomer]

@acemory 

We've had a Google Nest Camera (Battery) plugged in all the time with the optional 10-meter power cable for 13 month, and its performance is comparable to our older wired cameras.

When the camera is plugged in, it is NOT charging the battery all the time; it's powering the camera directly:

"Nest Cam (battery) works differently than Nest Doorbell (battery). For wired installation setups with a Nest Cam (battery), the wires power the camera directly. At temperatures below freezing, the battery won’t charge, but as long as the wired power source is available, the camera can operate in temperatures down to -4°F (-20°C)." (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/11830989?hl=en)

Our camera's battery is always between 77% and 100%, but we have to unplug it to check the battery level.

In this forum, a Google Nest Community Specialist said the enclosed 3-meter charging cord can be used to power the camera as well, but it's not rated for outdoor use, and some customers in this forum report problems with that enclosed charging cord.  I don't know what the truth is.

[Zmiles]

The Nest doorbell wired only charges to 70% in order to extend the lifecycle of the battery. This feature is automatic, built into the software. Does this also apply to the Nest cam outdoor (battery) when it is permanently connected to power with the waterproof power cable? As with my android Pixel phone, it is advised to only charge to 80% to preserve the battery lifecycle. Charging to 100% shortens the life cycle of the battery.

[MplsCustomer]

@Zmiles 

I'm not an expert on battery charging levels. My understanding is that it's good to reduce the amount of time the battery is at 100%, not that we avoid charging to 100%. That's the given reason for why Apple uses optimized battery charging when we charge our iPhones overnight, delaying charging all the way to 100% until early morning hours so the phone is not at 100% for too long.

I have no way of knowing how Google Nest charges our plugged-in Google Nest Camera (Battery). I just know that when we've checked intermittently, the charge percentage varies, from 77% to 100%. We don't check very often because we have to turn off the circuit or unplug the camera to check, so I do not know how much of the time the battery is at 100%.

[Brad]

Hi there, 

Just checking in to see how the conversation is going. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. We'll leave this thread open for a little longer for follow-up questions and concerns. 

Best regards, 

Brad

[Jeff]

Hi acemory,

I just wanted to jump in real fast to see if you saw the replies here and to see if you still needed some help on this or if you were able to get it sorted out. If you are still needing some help, just let us know and we'll be happy to continue helping.

Thanks,
Jeff

[acemory]

Hi Jeff, I did see the replies and think that it is worth moving forward with my plan.

-Andrew

[Brad]

Hi there,

Just checking in on this thread and the activity on it. We'll leave this topic open for another 24 hours in case there are any follow-up questions or comments.

Best regards,
Brad

[Zmiles]

I would hope that if Google has put a 70% charging limit on the battery in the wired doorbell, that they would also have done this for their cameras. I guess i will find out in a few years if/when I have to replace the battery in the camera. I will keep an eye on the "community" for this topic and others. Thanks for taking the the time to reply. Appreciated.