How to enable nest aware subscription on new camera

[anilmurty]

I have a doorbell with nest aware subscription and I'm trying to add 2 more cameras to the same subscription and I just cannot figure out how to do this! - I've tried the Nest mobile app, the google home app, the browser, searched online (https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Aware/Adding-a-device-to-nest-aware/m-p/56904) and seems like no one knows how to do this?! How does google even make money on this if they make it so hard for people to subscribe? I'm on the verge of just discarding my nest cameras and buying some other vendor but thought I'd try this post as a last resort

[MplsCustomer]

@anilmurty 

It depends on exactly what Nest Aware subscription you have.

The older 1st gen Nest Aware subscription applied to individual cameras and doorbells and was only available for cameras and doorbells installed in the Google Nest app. 1st gen subscriptions can no longer be purchased:

"As of July 13, 2023, Google will no longer sell new subscriptions of 1st gen Nest Aware. Any 1st gen subscriptions that you currently have will continue to renew." - https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9233159

1st gen Nest Aware subscriptions also cannot be used for 2nd gen Google Nest cameras and doorbells--those installed in the Google Home app.

However, if you have a Nest Aware subscription (30 days of event video history) or a Nest Aware Plus subscription (10 days of 24/7 video history and 60 days of event video history)--each of these have been available since 2020 for those who migrated from a Nest Account to a Google Account--those subscriptions automatically apply to ALL cameras and doorbells in the same Google Nest "home/structure".  (We've had a Nest Aware Plus subscription since 2021.)

This is what you get with each subscription:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9681538

You can check your subscription here:

https://store.google.com/subscriptions

You can also check your subscription under Settings | Nest Aware in the Google Nest app or under Settings | Subscriptions | Nest Aware in the Google Home app.

[anilmurty]

It says I have a "nest aware" subscription. how do I know if this is "1st gen" or a "2nd gen"?

[MplsCustomer]

@anilmurty 

If I go to the link I provided (https://store.google.com/subscriptions) and click on my subscription, it provides specifics:

Nest Aware Plus
With 60 days of event video history and 10 days of 24/7 video history

If I go to Settings | Nest Aware in the Google Nest app, it also provides specifics:

Active Nest Aware Plus
60 days of event video history and 10 days of 24/7 video history

Until the price increases just announced, "Nest Aware" has been $6/mo. or $60/yr., and "Nest Aware Plus" has been $12/mo. or $120/yr. We haven't been on a 1st gen subscription since 2021, so I don't know what the prices are or have been recently.  1st gen Nest Aware subscriptions provide 5, 10, or 15 days of 24/7 video history.

[Lance_L]

Hello everyone,

@anilmurty, thanks for reaching out to the Community. I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with this. Have you had any chance to see MplsCustomer’s response above? If yes, how was it?

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks for the help, MplsCustomer.

Best,

Lance

[anilmurty]

I guess this answers my question for the most part - even though it isn't the best experience. Is there no support for viewing these in the mobile app then?

[MplsCustomer]

@anilmurty 

As I mentioned earlier, you can also check your subscription under Settings | Nest Aware in the Google Nest app or under Settings | Subscriptions | Nest Aware in the Google Home app.  I don't know what it says for 1st gen subscriptions, but for 2nd gen subscriptions, it tells us the specifics of our subscription (though not the dates of the subscription).

[anilmurty]

No, I meant being able to review historical recorded video for all cameras that are in the same account (that has a nest aware subscription). I currently seem to only be able to get this for 1 (of 3) cameras

[MplsCustomer]

@anilmurty 

Okay, I'll try explaining again.

The older 1st gen Nest Aware subscription applied to individual cameras and doorbells and is only available for cameras and doorbells installed in the Google Nest app.

If you can see a "Nest Aware" or "Nest Aware Plus" subscription under Settings | Nest Aware in the Google Nest app AND under Settings | Subscriptions | Nest Aware in the Google Home app, then you have one of the newer (since 2020) subscriptions that apply to ALL cameras in the same Google Nest "home/structure".

We have a "Nest Aware Plus" subscription, for $120/year, that covers ALL of our cameras and doorbells. It goes up to $150/year in November, but ours does not renew until June 2024. We view history for our older cameras and doorbells in the Google Nest app and on the home.nest.com website, and history for our two newer cameras in the Google Home app. All of our cameras and doorbells are in the same Google Nest "home/structure".

I'm guessing that one of two things is going on in your situation.

One possibility is that you have a 1st gen Nest Aware subscription that applies to the one camera you already had, and you get either 5, 10, or 15 days of 24/7 video history. If this is what you have, you will need to get a "Nest Aware" or "Nest Aware Plus" plus subscription that applies to ALL cameras.

The other possibility is that the one camera you already had is in one Google Nest "home/structure" and your two newer cameras were installed in a different Google Nest "home/structure".  If that is the case, you will need to get all of your cameras  in the same Google Nest "home/structure".

The name of your Google Nest "home/structure" displays on the initial page in both the Google Nest app and the Google Home app.

I included a link earlier to a page that explains what you get with each subscription.

[Lance_L]

Hi folks,

@anilmurty, I wanted to follow up to check if you managed to see MplsCustomer’s response above. Do you still need help?

Keep in mind that if you have the new Nest Aware, you need to set up and connect your Nest cameras to the same home structure that is linked to your subscription. If you have the legacy Nest Aware for the Nest doorbell, you will need to add additional cameras to a new subscription.

Here’s a handy guide to learn more about what you get with a Nest Aware subscription.

Keep me posted.

I appreciate your assistance, MplsCustomer.

Best,

Lance