Nest Hub Max Camera Keeps Freezing

[garden]

 In February I did a Google Home update and shortly after that my Nest Hub Max camera stopped working.  I have rebooted my router, have done a factory reset, removed it from my account in security, waited 24 hours, 48 hours to restart it, chose another room in the app and NOTHING was working!  Then suddenly I kept getting “your google nest hub is already connected to another account” and I couldn’t move ahead to reconnect my hub.

I started a case number [8-4618000033863] in early February and have been fighting with Google Support ever since.  I even told them that community members have been complaining about this same issue on forums.  After endless chats, I was informed that my warranty is up and I should purchase a new Nest Hub Max.  After completely being ignored, I DID purchase a new one and set it up 10 March 2023.  Everything set up smoothly and I woke up this morning (11 March 2023),  and the camera is completely frozen again.

 Don’t tell me that there is not a serious issue here!  Now Google Support, what are you going to do about it?  And don’t send me to the “higher tier”.  I’ve done enough of that. This Hub cost a lot of money plus I purchased extra warranty.  It looks like I didn’t need to purchase a new one at all.  The problem is on your end!

[Dan_A]

Hi garden,

I’m sorry to hear that you’re going through this — let’s isolate further why this is still happening on your new Nest Hub Max. For confirmation, the frozen part is about the built-in Nest Hub Max camera, right? What were you trying to do before it froze? Is there an error message on the screen or your Google Home app?

I know it’s a lot at this stage however, could you please try these steps if you haven’t yet? Take a look below:

Remove all devices from the old home structure.

1. In the Google Home app home screen, touch and hold the device's tile.
2. Tap Settings > Remove device > Remove.
3. Repeat this step for all devices.

Create a new home structure.

1. In the Google Home app home screen, tap Add +.
2. Select Create new home.

Delete the old home structure. 

1. In the Google Home app home screen, tap the arrow icon to switch between home structures > choose the old home structure.
2. Select Settings > Delete this home > Delete.
3. Add the Nest Hub Max to the new home structure.

Factory reset the Nest Hub Max.

Set up the Nest Hub Max device > set up the built-in camera.

1. Add your remaining devices to the new home structure.

Let me know how it goes.

Best,

Dan

[garden]

Yes - it is the Nest Hub Max camera that’s not working.  I was trying to stream the activity in the room that the camera portion is monitoring 24/7,  It keeps saying “the camera is offline”.

All my outdoor cameras are fine and the Hub Max camera on my old Hub Max worked perfectly for years.  Internet connection is great as well.

Quick question Dan.  I have three Nest outdoor cameras in the Google Home App.  
Will I have to remove them from my Nest App first?  
I also have to remove my Nest thermostat.  Where do I find the QR code for that?

How do I put everything back in the Google Home App?  Some of these cameras are out of reach to access the QR code.  I have written down all serial numbers however.

Thank you

[Dan_A]

Hi garden,

Apologies for the delayed response. I think we don’t need to do any changes on your other Nest devices since the concern is with the built-in camera on your Nest Hub Max and the Google Home app. But to answer your questions — the Nest Thermostat's QR code is behind the display. Also, QR code or setup key for your Nest Cameras are unique to each device. Scanning it during set up is really necessary. 

For your future reference, you might want to take a photo of the setup code so that you don’t have to scan during setup.

Now, let’s take this home. Follow the steps below:

1. Ensure Nest Hub Max is not in Privacy mode. For more information, go to [About] Google Nest Hub Max Camera Modes.
2. Reboot the Nest Hub Max.
3. Force close the Google Home app > wait 5 seconds.
4. Reopen the Google Home app.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Dan

[garden]

Hi Dan

I had to do a factory reset on my new Hub Max because I wanted to move it to another room and that’s the only step that would work - also still no camera.

It connected nicely to the internet but then a message came up “this Hub Max is linked to another account” and I couldn’t go any further.  This is exactly the same message I received  with my older Hub Max (2020) when my camera  froze and I had to do a factory reset.   I finally bought a new one.  Now I’m in the exact same boat.  I have signed out in the security section of Google, I am now unplugging it for 24 hours. 
Is there somewhere else I have to clear out of to set this Hub Max up again?

[Dan_A]

Hi garden,

I really appreciate you doing those steps and having the patience to do so. For a successful set up, you need to follow the steps on the first response above before doing the factory reset. But for confirmation, you are now setting up a brand new Nest Hub Max, right? What is the error message?

To eliminate network issues, please try setting up your device using a mobile hotspot. Please note that you will need two mobile devices for this setup (one will serve as a router and the other to be used to set up your Google Home/Nest devices). Once done, check if your device will have the same behavior.

Keep me posted.

Thanks,

Dan

[Juni]

Hi there,

Buzzing in — I just wanted to follow up if you were able to try the steps provided. Please let us know as we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
 

Regards,

Juni

[Dan_A]

Hey there

We haven't heard from you in a while so we'll be locking this thread if there is no update within 24 hours. If you need assistance or want to discuss topics, feel free to start a new thread.
 

Cheers,

Dan

[garden]

Sorry for the delay Dan

I did remove my devices from Google Home and decided to put everything back into one home only.  This then disconnected my account from Nest Aware and THAT is when everything started working again and I stopped getting the message “this hub is linked to another account” and was finally able to move forward with reconnecting.

I also reconnected my Nest Aware account and so far everything is fine on my Nest Hub Max BUT I cannot reconnect my Nest outdoor camera (in my driveway).  It will not connect to the network.

[Muddi]

Hey garden,

Thanks for coming back to us. I'm glad to know that your Nest Hub Max camera is back on track. For the Nest outdoor camera, have you tried resetting the device to refresh all the settings?

Cheers,

Muddi

[garden]

I did reset the device.  I’ve even waited 48 hours.  I reset the modem as well.  It  finds the network but will not connect.

[Muddi]

Hi garden,

What message are you getting when trying to connect the camera to your network? Also, could tell me the specific model of your camera?

Cheers,

Muddi

[garden]

I have a Nest Cam Outdoor.  I have two others outside that work perfectly but my driveway camera says “having trouble connecting to the network”.

It will always find the network (through my Google Mesh), but it can’t connect.

[Muddi]

Hey garden,

What type of Nest Camera do you have (battery or wired)? Have you tried using a different phone to set it up? Also, could you tell us how you reset your camera?

Cheers,

Muddi

[garden]

I have a wired camera.  I have not tried a different phone.  I could try my iPad.

I just removed the product from the app and began again.  I guess I should have used the reset hole on the bottom of the camera top, correct?

[Muddi]

Hi garden,

Please try to set up your Nest camera using your iPad. If you still have the same issue, reset your camera. The reset button on the Nest Cam (battery) is located on the back of the camera head. Visit this link for more steps.

Keep us posted.

Cheers,

Muddi

[Muddi]

Hi garden,

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

Cheers,

Muddi

[garden]

Hello Muddi

There was a big update for iPhone and iPad.  I just did that today and then rebooted EVERYTHING- and the driveway camera connected.  So I’m pleased.

[Muddi]

Hi there,

Excellent! I'm glad that you are able to set up your Nest doorbell now. It looks like we can consider this one complete, so I will lock the thread shortly unless I can help out with anything else. 
 

Cheers,

Muddi