Nest Doorbell Wired 2nd Gen - Fails to Reconnect Following Power Outage

[Ontario1]

Purchased a Google Nest Doorbell Wired 2nd Gen in January 2023 (replacing the original Nest Hello). Works well except:

Following a power outage (short or long), there is often a problem with my Google Nest devices (cameras/doorbell) (first/second gen) re-connecting. The most problematic for me is the Google Nest Doorbell Wired 2nd Gen. It seems to never reconnect after a power outage without manual intervention. This is not acceptable. It is also a problem for many users as evidenced through a number of similar community posts.

The doorbell works fine between outages. But after power is restored from an outage (be it a short blip or a few minutes or hours) the doorbell always seems to be offline. I have to reset power to the doorbell (it has a new transformer and doorbell box associated with it, and I open/close the associated house breaker to restart it). Or I have to reboot the modem/router. Or both. And even then, sometimes I have to do this multiple times and eventually it will reconnect.

This is very problematic if I happen to be away when this happens. 

My other devices from other manufacturers do not seem to have this problem - certainly not to the degree of my new Google Nest Doorbell (wired) Gen 2. 

I am requesting any guidance from the Community for how they may have been successful in finding a "fix" that works for this issue. Any advice for me on how to move forward would be appreciated. I am also requesting the Google Nest Team to look at an update to the firmware/software for these devices so that they reconnect more smoothly and consistently after a power outage (must allow for difference in reboot times for modems/devices following an outage, and must "try" on its own to reconnect). I am considering adding an Amazon Alexa power cube in line and powering my doorbell through that, so I can remotely reset power to the doorbell if required. Now that should be a real embarrassment for Google developers, hopefully enough to have a fix implemented for this issue that is affecting many loyal Google Nest customers. 

Thanks for your support.

[Lance_L · Accepted solution]

Hello Ontario1,

Thank you for posting in our Community and for sharing all the steps you’ve tried so far to fix the issue. I apologize to hear that you are having trouble with your Nest doorbell. Let’s check it out.
 

To completely isolate the hardware issue, let’s factory reset the device. Follow the steps below:
 

1. Save any video history on the device, if any. Follow this guide.
2. Unmount the device and then locate the reset pinhole on the back of the device.
3. Insert and hold the pin (you can use an unfolded paper clip or a thumbtack).
   1. At 10 seconds, the status light will blink yellow four times, and you’ll hear a countdown tone.
   2. At 12 seconds, the status light will be steady, solid yellow while the doorbell starts the factory reset, and you’ll hear a confirmation tone.
4. Release the button. Your device will restore to its factory settings.
5. After the factory reset, your device will appear as "offline" in the app until you remove it.
6. To remove it from the app, open the app, then tap Settings > Remove device>  Confirm.
7. Make sure the phone is connected to the same Wi-Fi network (or mobile hotspot, if available) as the selected network for the Nest device.
8. Bluetooth should be enabled, but it should not be connected to any Bluetooth devices. Disconnect any Bluetooth devices paired to your phone, such as earbuds, smartwatches, etc.
9. Cellular data should be turned off.
10. If you have an iOS device, tap Settings > Privacy > Local Network and turn on Local Network Access for the Google Home app.
11. Start adding the device back to the Google Home app.

If the issue recurs please send feedback using the Google Home app and contact our support team for further assistance.

Best regards,

Lance

[Ontario1]

Thanks for the guidance and the detailed instructions Lance_L.

I completed the reset and re-established the doorbell once again, as you suggested.

We will see how things go during the next power outage....

I will update this thread again after that to share with the community (if it remains open to do so).

[Lance_L]

Hey Ontario1,

Thank you for your updates. You know where to find us if you have any other questions.

Cheers,

Lance

[Ontario1]

Since performing a factory reset on my Google Nest Doorbell (wired) Gen 2, we have actually had two power outages at our home (not a very reliable electricity provider of late). Both times all of my Google Nest cameras -- even the doorbell -- restored their internet connections automatically on their own after the outage ended and power was restored.
Thanks again to Lance (Community Specialist) for the advice and for the detailed guidance on the factory reset process. It seems to have done the trick. Much appreciated.  Hope that others encountering similar issues have similar good results after doing a factory reset on their devices.

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi there Ontario1,

Thanks for keeping us in the loop. We're glad to hear that performing a factory reset on your Nest Doorbell helped so much to fix the issue. Please feel free to create a new thread if you have any questions or concerns, as we'll be willing to help you.

I appreciate you assisting this thread, Lance.

Cheers,

Jenelyn