HELP had to reinstall nest outdoor cam and now QR code wont scan or recognize device.

[alyib]

We recently had some problems with our wifi and had to get a new modem. When I went to reconnect the outdoor nest cam, I couldn't get it to recognize the device so I removed it and tried to reinstall.

Now it won't install at all on either the nest or google home app, and whenever I scan the QR code on the camera it comes back with a message that says "unable to start device. Configuration not available". Restarting the wifi, and the camera hasn't worked and neither has reinstalling the nest app or removing it and trying to add the camera through Google home. Skipping the QR code and putting in the 6 digit code at the bottom isn't working either. 

We've had this camera for about 4 years and its worked great until recently, can anyone help??

[MplsCustomer]

@alyib 

If you have a 4-year-old Google Nest Outdoor Camera, it can only be installed in the Google Nest app.  (We have several of them)

It is difficult to update Wi-Fi settings on many Google Nest devices, which is why Google Nest's first recommendation when getting a new router/modem is to set the network name (SSID) and password to the same values used on your old router/modem. That's what we did when we got a new router/modem a year ago, and we did not have to update any of our Google Nest devices:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9223711#zippy=%2Ctry-the-same-network-name-and-password

When I search this forum for the error message you're getting, it seems to occur when installing or reinstalling a thermostat in the Google Home app, but since your older camera can only be installed in the Google Nest app, that error message may be irrelevant.

If you removed your camera from the Google Nest app, you need to do a "factory reset" by using a paper clip to press the reset button for at least 12 seconds (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9252162?hl=en#zippy=%2Cnest-cam-wired) before you can re-install it.

[MplsCustomer]

@alyib 

A footnote: The Google Nest Outdoor Camera may not have a reset button; we've never had to do a factory reset on one of ours. If that's the case, removing the camera from the Google Nest app is supposed to factory reset the camera.

Some posts suggest going to Settings | Home info | Home Wi-Fi help in the Google Nest app, selecting your camera (if it's there), selecting Start, and then Update settings.

[Juni]

Hi folks,

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

Thanks for sharing those helpful links and instructions, MplsCustomer.

Regards,

Juni

[Juni]

Hello there,

We haven’t heard back from you, so I'll be locking this thread in 24 hours. Feel free to create a new one if you have other concerns in the future.
 

Best,

Juni

[Juni]

Hi there,

It's me again. I want to make sure you're all good — how did the steps go?
 

Thanks,

Juni