2nd gen cameras not available

[joelrutledge1]

Nearly 100% of the time, my 2nd gen cameras show nothing & state not available.  Even looking in history, there are infrequent entries saying "not available yet" (they never become available), & nearly zero blips of a recording. 

However, the camera shows steady green, indicating it is on, communicating, & recording.  This tells me that it is Google Home's lousy app!   Can someone help me fix this? 

Or better yet, can Google PLEASE restore all functions (and allow 2nd gen cameras) to the NEST app, which worked nearly flawlessly?

[Info: gen 2 cameras, not using the google mesh router, good signal at router &/or extender, & devices work great on the same system, using Nest app instead of Google Home]

[MplsCustomer]

@joelrutledge1 

I'm just another Google Nest customer who keeps seeing reports like this. We've had a battery camera plugged in with the optional power cable for over 18 months now and it is always "Live" and online, and we encounter the "Not available yet" error only rarely, and it quickly goes away. Apparently Google Nest does not know the cause or hasn't disclosed the cause; either way, that seems poor customer service.

[joelrutledge1]

I have the opposite situation of the same problem: it is NEVER online, even though these two cameras shpw steady green.  Same issue, though: you're just luckier than me at how much time it works.   

We have over 20 nest cams at 4 different properties, plus a handful more I would like to put back up.  This new Home app is HORRIBLE, so much so that we have the Home app with 4 cameras on it,  & the others are all on the old Nest app, which actually works.  

Really not sure how much of the problem to attribute to the app, or how much to the higher resolution but clunky, inflexible, undependable 2nd gen cameras....

I've spent HOURS on the phone with tech support, usually culminating in the asinine advice to remove that Home, then reinstall ALL thw cameras on it, only to find that they still don't work!  

And, google prevents you installing the 2nd gens on the Nest app, necessitating MULTIPLE app platforms & Homes, in order to get any semblance of use out of cameras that USED to set up so easy & work very stable!  

Okay, calming down...

Any ideas of things I can try?  

[MplsCustomer]

@joelrutledge1 

With so many customers reporting various video "not available yet" errors, I think Google Nest Support needs to address the issue, identify the possible cause(s), and share them. I don't know whether the causes include defective Google Nest devices, problems on Google Nest servers under certain circumstances or in certain regions, unusual Wi-Fi settings that have not been identified, weak Wi-Fi signals, issues with certain Wi-Fi routers/modems (like perhaps Google Nest Wi-Fi equipment), or something else. It just doesn't seem right that so many customers have these issues with accessing video.

Except for the fact that we have to use the separate Google Home app (that's a big "except" because the camera therefore lacks several important capabilities present in the Google Nest app) and there is still no equivalent yet for the home.nest.com website, our battery camera works fine, as do our Nest Hubs, older cameras and doorbells, and one 2nd gen indoor camera. I don't know why it all works for us and not for many others. We have an Xfinity router/modem with two Linksys routers connected via Ethernet cabling that are configured to serve as access points, and all of our Google Nest devices are less than 15 feet from an access point except for a couple where the Wi-Fi signal strength is supplemented by an inexpensive high-gain directional Wi-Fi antenna on the Linksys router. Our Wi-Fi settings are pretty much out-of-the-box defaults. So I have no idea what makes the difference.

[joelrutledge1]

Agreed. My suspicion, based on having Dropcam, Nest, & Google Nest cams, and on both Nest & Home apps, is that the problem is a combination of certain Google cams being defective AND a HUGE part laid at the feet of the Google Home app itself... 

Another bit of evidence is that I have NEVER received notifications from 2 of my 2nd gen cams, until today.  As of today, after jacking with the settings on the OTHER two 2nd gens on the same Home, to try & get them working, I suddenly am getting periodic alerts from the first 2!

That is not necessarily good, because a) no settings were changed on those first two,  b) the second pair STILL don't work,  c) the second pair doesnt send notifications, & d) I don't WANT notifications.  Going to turn them off again, since that "tip" I read didn't help. 

Nest improved on the dropcam product & app, then Google messed them both up majorly...

My wife wants me to use all the Google suite of office software, but with how badly they've messed the cameras up, I want very little to do with the alphabet squad...

[MplsCustomer]

@joelrutledge1 

We have a Nest Aware Plus subscription. Under Settings | Events | Seen events for our battery camera, plugged in with the optional power cable, we have "People" events turned on for two zones (and off for "Out of zone"). When needed, we turn on "Notifications" for those "People" events. It took awhile for me to realize there were separate settings for events versus notifications.

If I go to History | Full history for the battery camera, all of those "People" events are accessible, and only occasionally do we get a short-lasting and temporary "not available" message when trying to view an event.

Of course, trying to use the Google Home app timeline to browse video between detected events is slow and unwieldy, and trying to browse through a whole day's 24/7 video history can take a long time.

[janthadeus]

Hi folks,
 

Checking in — I just wanted to make sure if you’ve seen MplsCustomer’s reply. Let me know if you need more help.

I appreciate your help, MplsCustomer.

Thanks,

JT

[joelrutledge1]

Yep, they've been great!  And yes, if you have any suggestions, especially if they don't involve talking to the useless folks on Google's support line, I would love to get some resolution on this.   Thanks-!

[janthadeus]

Hey joelrutledge1,

Understood. I’m sorry to hear about your experience.  Let’s see what’s going on — a few questions: how far is the camera from the router? Does your phone have a pending software update? Were there any changes to your Wi-Fi network? Also, are there devices or appliances (such as baby monitors, microwaves, cordless phones, etc.) near the camera?
 

Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

1. Close all the apps running in the background of your phone, reopen the Google Home app. Then, check your camera live feed again. 
2. At the highest video quality setting, your camera can use a large chunk of the internet connection to stream video. Slower internet service might not be able to keep up. Check your internet speed here: https://goo.gle/2JaUmYI. The page would show your download speed then click “Show more info” to check your upload speed. Have a look at this article for your guide: Internet bandwidth and speed requirements for Nest cameras.
3. Open the Home app .
4. Touch and hold your device's tile.
5. At the top right, tap Settings .
6. Choose Video.
7. Under “Video quality,” choose Max or High.
   • High settings uses less bandwidth.
   • Max settings uses more bandwidth.
8. Restart your phone, turn it off for 60 seconds then turn it on.
9. If you have a dual band Wi-Fi frequency switch your connection to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi to improve your connection.

Let me know how it goes.

Best,

JT

[joelrutledge1]

Hi, Janthadeus! Thanks for the ideas, but they've been done. 

The cams are 4' from a cabled wireless extender. No updates or changes, & the problem is 24/7n so other devices is not the issue. 

Several different phones have been tried, with apps killed, & any app that can't play nice with other apps doesn't deserve to exist, anyway.  It is set for 2.4G. 

The max/high setting does not change anything, same results.

I will revisit the speeds possibility, even though I ruled that out before.  

There are two other cams on the same Home, that work fine.  I think we got two bad ones & two ok ones. And the app clearly is substandard & not as user friendly. It is a shame Google has messed up the Nest platform of cams & app so badly...

THANK YOU for the helps, though!  Let me know if you have other ideas...  -Joel

[Brad]

@joelrutledge1 

I am just checking in to see if you're still experiencing this. Please let me know!

Thanks for your help here, JT!

Best regards,

Brad

[Brad]

Hi there,

I wanted to pop in and see how things are going. Please let me know if you still need help. We'll leave this topic open for another 24 hours in case there are any follow-up questions or comments.

Best regards,
Brad

[joelrutledge1]

Well, still no resolution.  Still the same issues, but I have kinda lost hope for a solution, especially not one from Google,  so....

[janthadeus]

Hello there,

I’m sorry for the delay. We’re sorry if you feel that way. Let’s dig deeper into this. Can you move your cameras closer to the router? Also, restart your router by unplugging it from the power outlet. Wait for 1 to 2 minutes then plug it back in.
 

Let me know if that helps.

Thanks,

JT

[janthadeus]

Hey there,

It's me again. I want to check if you still need help. Don't hesitate to reach back if you do. 
 

Regards,

JT

[joelrutledge1]

Yes Id love help.  Its not a simple reset issue, & the cams are 3 feet from the router, so...

[janthadeus]

Hi there,
 

Understood — I suggest contacting a Nest Pro near your area.

Thanks,

JT

[joelrutledge1]

Probably necessary, but why? The Nest & even Dropcams functioned so wonderfully by them selves, with no 'professional' intervention necessary, until Google took over.  It is sad to see the democratization of tech superceded by tech giants destroying what was an elegant & simple product.....

[joelrutledge1]

I visited the nest pro link you gave.  It's all about installation, which I don't need help with.  The cams are already correctly installed, they just. Don't. Function. Correctly.  

I have nearly 20 nest & dropcams I've installed at 3 different locations.  I don't need installation help.  Thank you for trying to help, though.