Nest Hub Max Camera Not Streaming to Apps

[Kira]

I have 4 Hub Maxes in my home and for 3 of them the camera is not working so I can see what is being viewed in the Google Home or Nest apps. The green camera light is on, showing that they are currently active/filming, but nothing is streaming through to the apps. The other Hub Max is working properly, as well as my Nest Doorbell and exterior Google camera. In the apps, the view of what they are seeing is just black and they can't connect. All 4 Hub Maxes are running Fuchsia Version 9.20221010.3.176

For troubleshooting, I have already done the following:

1. Unplugged the Hubs and left them for a few minutes before plugging them back in and letting them reboot. The camera then works in the apps, but after a bit they go back off.
2. Unplugged the Google Fiber Wifi router from everything, let it reboot and reconnect. Once the Hubs are active again, the camera then works in the apps, but after a bit they go back off.
3. Deleted the Google Home app from my iPhone and re-downloaded the app. Deleted the Hubs from the Google Home app, reset each Hub to factory settings, and set them up as New Devices in the Google Home app. Again, the camera then works in the apps, but after a bit they go back off.
4. Updated the DNS of my Google Fiber Wifi router to Primary Server 8.8.8.8 and Secondary Server to 8.8.4.4

I have now spent about 5 hours troubleshooting and communicating directly with Google Help. They have not been able to provide me with any ideas of what to try besides what I have already done on my own, so I have just been doing the same things with them and nothing is working to get these cameras back working.

Has anyone else had this issue and gotten your cameras working again???

[Earlynestuser]

wife just bought a hub max at a discounted price.. i'm seeing the same problems.. i have 6 other camera's in the home (including door bell) and they have no issues.. now i know why it was discounted. one saving grace is, unlike the 2nd gen cameras, at least i can see the hub max in the native Nest app.. when it works for about 5 minutes.. sigh..

[Web-Wench]

Do you have more than one "home" set up in Google Home?

[tech135797531]

Has anyone had this resolved? I don't know if anyone mentioned it but when I go on the Nest Hub Max itself to Home Control > Live Video, it tells me that it's offline. It can't tell itself that it's up and running.

Everything works for a couple of minutes after I unplug the **bleep** thing and then it stops working. I've tried restoring it to factory defaults (+/- 10 sec), uninstalling the Home app from my phone, taking it to 2 neighbors' homes to try their wifi networks, it's all the same. How is a company allowed to continue to sell defective products, even if it's software related?

Oh, and I did send feedback to Google with " GHT3 Nest Hub Max camera offline" in it. I doubt it will help.

Edit: Typically I am running a Unifi Network using multiple APs. The APs tie into switches which tie into a Unifi Gateway. But:
1. I have an entire smart home, with dozens of devices, including a Nest Doorbell which is flawless, and no other devices have any issues
2. I've tried to run them directly off the AT&T router and at 2 neighbors' homes (one uses a comcast router, one uses a Google Nest Wifi network.

3. I have 2 of these and I put them next to each other and made sure that they are connected to the same AP. They take turns working.

[bananamedic]

I managed to solve it but disconnecting it from my home, resetting it by pressing the volume buttons together for 10 seconds, then after it was reset unplugging it for 48 hours. Set it up again and both of mine have been working for weeks now. Xx

[Web-Wench]

I was able to resolve it, yeah. I had to delete a second "home" I had set up in the app (my parents house) and then I did a factory reset. Has been working since 

[tech135797531]

Was this second home associated with the same Google Account? I do have another "Home", also for my parents, but it's tied to a separate account.

[Web-Wench]

It was visible in my app along with my main home

[essco]

So, do you want to say what routers you have?

[tech135797531]

I edited my post above but also responding here, to you:

Typically I am running a Unifi Network using multiple APs. The APs tie into switches which tie into a Unifi Gateway. But:
1. I have an entire smart home, with dozens of devices, including a Nest Doorbell which is flawless, and no other devices have any issues
2. I've tried to run them directly off the AT&T router and at 2 neighbors' homes (one uses a Comcast router, one uses a Google Nest Wifi network.

3. I have 2 of these and I put them next to each other and made sure that they are connected to the same AP. They take turns working.

[essco]

So, as KeithOwen, you have a complex situation. 

Until now, users using multiples AP,s are in troubles. 

Let's hear, please, other users.

[KeithOwen]

So let me just clarify that...

Firstly, it's not a complex situation. It's a router with multiple APs all broadcasting the same SSID, much like a mesh network, which Google sells

Secondly, my Nest Hub Max devices worked absolutely perfectly under this exact setup until about six months ago. Furthermore, all the functions of the Nest Hub Max devices work fine, except for the security camera function. Even the camera itself seems to work, as it recognises me as I approach the devices and provides personalised results (calenders etc)

Thirdly, clearly many, many people have this issue, and probably there are thousands of combinations of manufacturers, devices, house layouts,  network setups out there and the Nest Hub Max doesn't appear to work with any of them

Please stop trying to suggest that because you find a network to be complex, that must be an issue. It's abundantly clear that the Nest Hub Max is the common factor here

[tech135797531]

@esscowhy waste time posting this response if you can't be bothered to read? I told you I tested the same hubs on a Google Nest Wifi network, directly on my AT&T router, and on a Comcast Router. Using their own Google devices (Nest Wifi) or ISP provided routers is as simple as it could possible get for these hubs. This is not a networking issue!!! If it worked on the ISP's router but not on a Unifi set-up, I'd be fine with it. But there are thousands of people with the same issue. Come on, man!!!

[essco]

I reed what you say. But is not relevant. The second router you tried, also: is cheap? Too many devices conected? Please check this.

[KeithOwen]

It's extremely relevant. He's tried connecting the hub to multiple network types in a scientific attempt to exclude the network setup from the problem. The hub didn't work with any of the networks he tried.

Occam's Razor would therefore indicate the hub is the issue, and this conclusion is supported by the hundreds (thousands?) of people experiencing the same issue on completely different network setups.

[essco]

Yet no reply: cheap router? Distances? How many devices on router?

[KeithOwen]

I've already told you my router setup. I have a total of 75 devices on my network including switches, cameras and client devices. None of them is further than 10m from an access point. All access points are hard-wired to the Gateway or a switch.

Look, I appreciate your efforts, but what are you hoping to achieve? You can read the hundreds of posts in this thread and see that there are many, many different network setups? None of them work properly with the Hub Max. There's no smoking gun here other than the Hub Max.

Your questions make no sense at all. What's cheap in your eyes? What distances will cause the Hub to fail?  What is too many devices? You have no idea what you're talking about and you're just distracting from the issue..

For hundreds, probably thousands of customers, the Google Nest Hub Max does not work the way it was supposed to and Google seems unable to fix it

Please stop

[ponyfool]

I am on a single router, no complexity. I have 4 hub max units, and a nest doorbell all on same house/account. 

One of my regular hubs (not a max) gave an alert that it detected a smoke alarm. I went to nest app to see what was going on in the house. Nest app showed doorbell but all hub max units were "offline" even though they weren't.

Unplug and plug back in, they work for anywhere from an hour to 21 days before same thing happens. 

There's no discernible pattern of when they will randomly decide to go offline. Sometimes it's just one unit, sometimes it's more than one, other times it's all of them EXCEPT the doorbell.

What pisses me off most about it is, when I needed it most, it was dead. My kid burned bacon seeing off alarm, but I was unable to see that because this once reliable system now sucks.

[essco]

Router exact model? Distances between router and problematic hub(s)? How many devices share the same router?

Don't think me wrong, let's just try to help ourselves, because Google not doing nothing.

[MMMinteresting]

Lesson learnt: never buy direct from a company. As a consumer you are at their mercy. Same thing happend with my HP laptop. 2 months to replace even though I paid for next business day repair!!!

[KeithOwen]

"never buy direct from a company"

Then who would you suggest we buy from?

[essco]

Meny people have cheap router, long distances, too many devices or combination of those. I just try to help.

the alternative is to keep complain here.

[KeithOwen]

I understand that. But all you are doing is deflecting from the main issue - that hundreds of people, with all kinds of combinations of router, devices, whatever, can't get the Hub Max to work the way it was advertised to work. The common denominator is the Hub Max - concentrate on that

[essco]

Another important question: you try 2.4GHz or 5GHz network? I ask you this because I also had the same problem on 2.4GHz with Max (and also with a network streamer and a NAS), but no problems after I started to use 5GHz. And I have a lot of devices (17 and 22) on my routers, in a crowded wifi environement.

[KeithOwen]

All my non-functioning Hubs are currently on a 5GHz network, but they didn't work on 2.4GHz either

[tech135797531]

I tried 2.4 and 5. It doesn't make a difference. I now have both hubs sitting 3in from each other, connected to the same SSID, same AP, same everything. And it just happens to be the same SSID and AP that the Nest Doorbell is connected to which works perfectly fine without skipping a beat. This is not a network issue. And if it were, you can't expect you consumers to all be network engineers to figure this out. But it's not, as acknowledge here over the last 9 months by Google staff. Can we move on from blaming the networking aspect of it?

[MMMinteresting]

Can everyone just stop. They used to work and now they don't. It really is that simple. We are not product testers, we are consumers. It is not our responsibility to test and fix their products. I appreciate thoses of us who have vested interests in our goole homes but enough is enough. Stop taking it on the chin and walk away, as that is the only way to get it though to the TNC / MNCs .

[Web-Wench]

It is worth trying to get it to work if you have a Google home and associated devices. And it is possible to get it working. I got mine working when I had the same "offline" issue.

[tech135797531]

I agree it's worth trying to get it to work, not everyone can afford to throw out their devices and replace them with something new each time a manufacturer releases some garbage update that takes out working functionality.

I'm glad you found something that worked for you. But it can't be just the fact that you have a second home and that's why the Hub Max specifically stopped sending out the video feed. As I mentioned, I do have a second Home associated with a separate Google account, for my elderly mom who has a Max and a regular. I control the devices as needed. If I select in the Home app my Google account, I see my home and dozens of devices. If I select her account, I see her home. This is a normal use case, nothing fancy about it. It this was the issue, the equivalent would be to delete a second gmail account on your phone because the first one can't show your emails.

[tech135797531]

For what it's worth, I suspect that we're stuck with these garbage hubs with their video feed broken. After 9 months, it's clear that they won't fix this bug, especially with these devices now selling for $130 on discount, years after they were released. And there's not a dang thing we can do about it. Sure, we can try to get out of the ecosystem, but the cost is significant, and that's what this company banks on, just like all the other ones.

I also ran one more test, something I have not tried in the past: from Home App > Cameras, I turned on the Hubs and left the phone on. They were showing the feed after unplugging them. I let the phone's screen time out and when I turned it back on within 2 seconds, one camera showed up as "Unavailable" while the other feed quickly refreshed and worked. The app didn't close, didn't even go to the background. The moment I unlocked the phone with my face right away, the app came back and I saw the streams refresh (one successfully, one not). This tells me that it's not a Hub firmware issue or a connectivity issue but a Home app issue or something related to the app's ability to pick up the stream. Until proven wrong I will continue to state that the Home app is just another garbage app.

[essco]

@KeithOwen: Ok, you have a complexe instalation, we have already established this. In my opinion, you have too many devices. You are free to not reply at this thread, as you have nothing new to say. I will stop when I want. By the way, I am courious what theoretical and practical training do you have in networking.

A cheap router is one that costs less then, let's say 100 $. Of course, you can use a cheap router, but you have to balance many variables: number of devices, distances, walls, etc.

I propose a test, not for you, because you seems to me to be a conflictual guy, but for others: try to use your MAX alone, without any other device connected to router, excepting a PC or laptop for monitoring. If the Max fail, you are right and I will stop. But if the Max have no problem, then the issue is with your network. (It's the basic test that internet providers recomand when a customer is calling saying "internet is down").

[ponyfool]

What you're suggesting could be the problem didn't apply to my situation, so what do suggest now?

[essco]

If I were you, I would try that test, with all your 4 hubs in the same room with the router. If fails, then is probably a Google issue, as majority of you believes, and I will stop to investigate further.

[KeithOwen]

As I've already explained,  I don't have a complex installation. I have a single wireless network and several WiFi clients that connect to that network. 

You might think I have too many clients. Ubiquiti, the manufacturer of my network devices, would disagree with you.

Not that it's any of your business, but I've worked in enterprise airline IT since 1985, in mainframe, Unix, Linus and cloud environments. For around 12 years of that I was Associate Director of Infrastructure (network, servers, storage) for Amadeus Data Processing, in charge of one of the largest private data centres in Europe.

I don't intend to tear down my network just to prove to you that this isn't the root cause of the problem However, I have tried my hub on a Vodafone FTTP router where it was the only client. It didn't work any better there either.

[essco]

75 devices with several access points... you name it "simple"?

[KeithOwen]

Yes, it's a simple flat network. No VLANs or subnets, no special firewall rules, no routing rules, no open ports other than the standard, no specific port rules.

I know that you can't understand that a gateway with access points and switches is functionally no different than an all-in-one box with the router, access points and switches inside a single box, but it isn't. Topology-wise it's exactly the same.

As for 75 devices being a lot, again, it isn't. If you have one or two smart TVs. some Google or Apple devices, a few people in the household with smartphones and tablets, maybe a few Hue lights, you'd be surprised how quickly it adds up. 

[essco]

Please try this.

Check your router's UI, list of devices. What numbers has your Max? This moment I have as below;

1.  -55dBm / Tx 433.3 Mbps / Rx 433.3 Mbps

2  -69dBm / Tx 325 Mbps / Rx 325 Mbps

[KeithOwen]

And does your hub work?

[essco]

Yes, both of them. Different houses, same Google account.

In the past I had same problem with one of them. After I changed the router, everything is ok for me.

[KeithOwen]

So what router do you use now?

[DaltonSenft]

Obviously something that isn't complex. We all know essco is the bastion of simplicity. A simpleton if you will.