While these cameras are without a doubt a good investment for anyone looking to improve their home security, they can have issues like any other equipment or appliances. To help users with Nest cameras make the most out of their security cameras, here is a how-to and troubleshooting guide for some of their commonly reported issues.
How to Install Nest Cam
If you have a new Nest camera, you need to start by connecting the camera to the Nest app before proceeding to the other installation steps. Connect your camera to the Nest app and test video streaming in your chosen location before you install or mount it. A poor Wi-Fi signal can affect the video. Each Nest camera has different mounting and installation instructions. The following instructions are for installing a Nest Cam Indoor. There are three ways you can install your Nest Cam Indoor:
Simply place it on a horizontal surface like a shelf.Use a magnetic base to attach it to a metal surface.Install the metal plate to mount your camera on a wall, ceiling or any non-magnetic surface.
Installing the Nest Camera on a Wall or Ceiling
To install your camera on a wall or ceiling with a mounting plate, follow these instructions: If you ever want to move your Nest Cam to a new location, be sure to also change its location with the Nest app.
How to Set Up Nest Cam
Follow the instructions below to set up your Nest camera:
How to set up the Nest camera on a computer
You should use the Nest app on your phone to set up your camera and connect it to Wi-Fi. But if you have difficulty or get an error in the mobile app, you can set up some Nest camera models on a computer instead. Note that for setup on a Windows computer, you will need to be signed in as an Administrator.
How to Set Up Camera Alerts on Nest Cam
Camera alerts are notifications you receive on your phone or tablet when your Nest camera detects important activity. To set up camera alerts: Notification type Select push notification, email, or both to send alerts to the Nest app or email.
Push notification-Alerts pop up on your phone, just like alerts from other apps. You can receive notifications as long as you are signed into the Nest app.Email-Alerts are sent from notifications@nest.com to the email address you use to sign into your account in the Nest app. You can get emails whether or not you are signed into the Nest app.
When to send
No one’s home- This option sets your camera to send notifications only after your home has switched to Away mode.Always- When you select this option, your camera sends notifications whether you are home or away.
How to Set Up Activity Zones on Nest Cam
Activity Zones can have your camera send alerts and mark your video history timeline when there is important motion in the zone. You can create your own custom zones to cover the areas you want to be notified about. You need a trial or paid Nest Aware subscription to create Activity Zones.
To create and use Activity Zones on a phone:
To edit an Activity Zone:
To remove an Activity Zone:
How to Watch Nest Cam on TV
You can stream your camera on your TV using Google Nest or Home speaker or display, and Chromecast or a TV with Chromecase built-in.
How to Install Nest Cam Outdoor
Installing a Nest Cam Outdoor is different from installing a Nest Cam Indoor. The installation and mounting instructions are not the same. To install your Nest Cam Outdoor, you will need the following:
Wi-Fi and a working broadband internet connection with at least 2 Mbps upload speed. DSL may not qualify.A phone or tablet with iOS 8 or later, or Android 4 or laterA Nest AccountA power outletA Philips screwdriver or power drill with Philips driver bit
You may also need:
Drill bit (3/32” for pilot, or 7/32” if you are using wall anchors.)Ladder
Then, before you take your camera outside, start by turning it on inside the house to get everything setup. Connect your Nest Cam’s cable to the power adapter, push and twist the USB connector into place, then plug the adapter into a power outlet. Your Nest Cam will turn on and you will see a blue light. After turning your Nest Cam on, the next thing to do is to add it to your Nest Account. Download the Nest app from the App Store or Google Play. Open the app and tap “Sign up” to create and account. Then tap Add, choose Nest Cam and follow the instructions. If you already have a Nest Account, tap the settings icon in the top-right corner of the app home screen. Then tap “Add product,” choose Nest Cam and follow the steps. After adding Nest Cam to your account, you can now take it outside for the installation. Follow the steps below to complete the installation process:
How to Reset Nest Cam
Factory resetting your Nest camera removes all settings. You may need to reset if you want to give the camera to someone else, if the Nest app freezes during setup, or if it becomes unresponsive after you have finished installing it. There is no factory reset button on Nest Cam Indoor, Nest Cam Outdoor, or Dropcam, Tor reset one of these cameras, simply remove it from your account. Follow these steps to reset Nest Cam:
Nest Cam IQ Reset
Nest Cam IQ Outdoor factory reset button is on the front side of the camera, below the Nest logo. The factory reset button on Nest Cam IQ Indoor is located on the bottom side of the camera stand. To reset Nest Cam IQ:
How Much Data Does a Nest Cam Use?
Nest cameras upload video to the Nest service in the cloud using your internet bandwidth. You can watch the footage on your phone, tablet, or computer. When you pick your quality and bandwidth setting, you are setting the maximum video quality for your camera. Your camera will automatically adjust its resolution and compression according to how much bandwidth is available. On the low setting, maximum upload bandwidth is 0.8 Mbps with a resolution of up to 720p. At medium low, maximum upload bandwidth is 1.3 Mbps with a resolution of up to 1080p. For medium high and high setting, the maximum upload bandwidth is 2 Mbps and 4 Mbps respectively, with resolutions of up to 1080p on both settings. As for the download bandwidth used, generally, you will use download bandwidth when you watch video in the Nest app. Your camera also uses a small amount of bandwidth to download software updates and other information from the Nest service. The total amount of data used by your camera over a month depends on a few things:
How much activity your camera sees.If you subscribe to Nest Aware. Nest Aware subscriptions with either CVR or EBR stream video and use bandwidth whenever your camera is turned on.The quality and bandwidth setting you choose will affect how much data your camera uses.
Since these three factors can vary, below are some possible data usage numbers on the high side so that you can estimate the amount of monthly data you will need for each Nest camera in your home. To reduce the amount of data your camera uses over the course of a month, you can try the following:
Lower the quality and bandwidth setting so that your camera won’t use as much data to upload video to the cloud.Schedule your camera to turn off at certain times, particularly if you have a Nest Aware subscription, so your camera won’t constantly upload video to the Nest service.
How to Update Nest Cam
Nest cameras will update themselves automatically in the background if they have a reliable internet connection. They can’t be updated manually. As long as your camera is connected to Wi-Fi and the internet, it will update itself automatically when new software is released. You don’t need to do anything. Nest pushes updates to Nest cameras in batches. Because they don’t push the update to all Nest cameras at the same time, you might not get it immediately. You can also set your phone or tablet to automatically install the latest version of the Nest app. To automatically update apps on Android: To update individual Android apps automatically: To update Android apps manually: If you are using an Apple device, you can turn off automatic updates and update apps manually. Or you can turn on automatic updates so that you don’t need to manually update each app. To manually update apps on iOS devices (iPhone or iPad):
Open the App Store.Tap your profile icon at the top of the screen.Scroll to see pending updates and release notes. Tap Update next to an app to update only that app, tap Update All.
How to Connect Nest Cam to WIFI
To connect your Nest camera to Wi-Fi:
How to Record Nest Cam Locally
Video history is Nest’s cloud-based video recording and storage service. You need a Nest Aware subscription for your camera to automatically store video in the Nest cloud so you can access it anytime, anywhere. But there is a way to record your Nest Cam locally without incurring extra fees through Nest subscription service you can try. For this method, you will need the following:
Web browser to see source codeVLC
Then follow these instructions: The issue with this method is the video will write to the save location and will not be playable until you stop and start a new recording.
How to Go Back to History on Nest Cam
If you have a Nest Aware subscription, your camera’s video history will be stored automatically in the cloud. You can watch your camera’s video history on your phone or tablet with the Nest app, or you can use a computer. To watch the video history on a computer, sign in to your account at home.nest.com. Then select a camera that has a Nest Aware subscription. While watching your video history on a computer, you will see a timeline at the bottom of the screen. The timeline helps you quickly scan through all your recorded video so you can find and watch all the important things that have happened. On the timeline, you can click on the Calendar icon to watch video from a specific day. Depending on your Nest Aware subscription, you can go back a certain number of days in your video history. Use the Clips icon to create a clip or timelapse or view clips you have saved. Hover your mouse over an event without clicking. A small preview window will appear, showing you what was happening during the event. Click on an event to jump straight to it and see what happened or click the New Clip icon to create a clip of the event.
How to Watch Nest Cam Playback History on Phone
You can watch recorded video on your phone with Sightline or event history. Sightline and event history are views of your Nest camera’s video history that are optimized for mobile, so they are only available when you use the Nest app on your phone or tablet. To use Sightline to see recorded video:
How to use event history to see recorded video:
Event history shows an overview of what your camera has detected so that you can easily view what has happened at a glance. You will see a video snapshot, activity name, and time the event occurred. If you only want to see certain events, you can set a filter:
Why is My Nest Camera Not Working?
There could be several reasons why your Nest camera isn’t working. Make sure that you have the latest version of the Nest app on your phone or tablet. You can download it for free from Google Play Store or Apple App Store. To make sure you have the latest version, you can uninstall and reinstall the app. Restarting your camera will refresh your connection. After restarting, you should see a solid green light on the front of your camera if it is connected to your home Wi-Fi network. If you see a yellow status light (Nest Cam Indoor and Outdoor) or yellow blinking light ring (Nest Cam IQ), your camera may have trouble connecting or there is insufficient power. Try plugging the camera into other outlet.
What Do the Lights Mean on My Nest Cam?
Nest camera lights let you know whether your camera is working normally or if there is a problem.
Why is My Nest Cam Not Recording Video?
You will see gaps in your video history if your camera was turned off or was offline. If you have an Event-based recording (EBR) subscription, you will also see dark gray areas in your timeline with “No activity detected” when your camera didn’t detect motion or sound events. If some of your video history is missing:
Your camera may have turned itself off according to your Home or Away settings.Your camera could have turned off if you created a manual schedule.Your camera may have lost power. Double check the power adapter and wall outlet, and make sure your neighborhood wasn’t experiencing a power outage at the time.There could have been a service outage.There could be an issue with your Wi-Fi. You need to troubleshoot your Wi-Fi connection.You may not have enough internet bandwidth. You can change your camera’s video quality.
If all your video history is missing, you need to have an active Nest Aware subscription (paid or trial) for your camera to record video.
Nest Goes Offline Frequently Troubleshooting
If your Nest camera is offline, it may be due to several issues. Check for any alerts in the Nest app or in your email. If your camera was unplugged or without power for more than 10 minutes, you will get an alert and an email that includes a snapshot of the last thing your camera saw. Possible issues you might encounter are:
Your camera randomly goes offline and there are gaps in your video history. If your subscription only has event-based recording (EBR), gaps between events are normal.Your camera’s status light is off (Nest Cam Indoor and Outdoor) or the ring light is blinking yellow (Nest Cam IQ).You get a message in the Nest app:“Wi-Fi interference is affecting your camera’s video quality.”“A weak Wi-Fi connection is affecting your camera’s video quality. Try moving the router and camera closer together.”“Your Wi-Fi may not have enough upload speed, affecting your camera’s video. Try lowering the image quality in settings.”
Before you start troubleshooting, you should have physical access to your camera. You won’t be able to perform many of the troubleshooting steps remotely and Nest does not provide remote restart or reset options as it could compromise the security of your camera. Below are some basic troubleshooting steps you can do when you are not at home. Most other troubleshooting steps require you to be at home. If you are getting a lot of camera offline notifications, this usually means your camera does not have a consistent Wi-Fi connection. It is likely disconnecting, and then reconnecting again. To troubleshoot this problem, follow these steps:
Check your Wi-Fi connection.
Since all Nest cameras use your home Wi-Fi network, check that you can get online with another device in your home. You can visit nest.com to check if you have a working connection. If you are using a cell phone, make sure you turn off cellular data and turn on Wi-Fi to test your connection. If you can’t connect, try using a different device to double check. If you can’t connect with any device contact your internet service provider to check the service status in your location.
Move your camera
Move your offline camera a little bit if it is not permanently mounted. Your camera may be slightly out of range and can become disconnected due to wireless interference from large furniture and appliances, floors, walls, and other electronics.
Move your camera a foot or two away from its original spot, wait a few minutes, and check your camera’s live stream in the app.Move your camera closer to your Wi-Fi router, and then check if the connection becomes more reliable.For mounted cameras, move your router closer to your camera instead.
If this resolves the problem but you want to move your camera or router back to where it was, you may need to extend your Wi-Fi networks range.
Restart your camera
Restarting your camera will refresh connection. To restart the camera:
Unplug the camera’s power adapter from the wall outlet.Wait 10 seconds, and then plug the camera’s power adapter back in.Your camera will restart automatically.
After restarting, you should see a solid green light on the front of your camera if it is connected to your home Wi-Fi network. If you see a yellow status light (Nest Cam Indoor and Outdoor) or yellow blinking light ring(Nest Cam IQ), your camera may have trouble connecting or there is insufficient power. Try plugging the camera into other outlet.
Restart your router. Restarting your router will reset your internet connection. You should also restart any Wi-Fi range extenders or repeaters that you have. Then open the offline camera’s video stream and wait a few minutes. If you see live video stream appear, the camera has reconnected.Disable any network extenders. Your camera may be trying to connect to an incompatible network extender, which can cause disconnection issues. Then open the offline camera’s video stream and wait a few minutes. If you see live video stream appear, the camera has reconnected.If the problem persists, check your Wi-Fi network or router settings. Incompatible settings on your router can cause your camera to disconnect or show as offline in the Nest app.If after checking the router’s settings your camera still won’t connect to your home Wi-Fi network, check that your router or modem is not on the incompatible list. There are some routers that are incompatible with Nest products.Turn off other devices connected to Wi-Fi. Your internet service provider may limit the amount of bandwidth after it reaches a certain threshold.If all the above steps don’t resolve the problem, factory reset your camera.
How to Reboot Nest Cam Remotely
If there is an issue with your Nest camera or it is unresponsive, rebooting it can help resolve the problem. But, what if you are many miles way? While Nest does not provide remote restart or reset options as it could compromise the security of your camera, there is a way to reboot your camera remotely that you can try. This method is by using internet-controlled switches. These are remotely controlled smart plugs that plugs into any A/C outlet. Your Nest Cam plugs directly into the internet-controlled switch. An example of such a switch is the WeMo Switch Smart Plug. It is an internet-controlled switch that can be controlled by a smart phone app. By using the WeMo smart phone app, you can turn anything plugged into it on or off. There are other internet-controlled switches, such as TP-Link Smart Plug, which work similarly to the WeMo switch smart plug.
How to Reconnect Nest Outdoor Camera
To reconnect your Nest outdoor camera if it fails to reconnect on its own, try restarting your camera. Restarting your camera will refresh your connection. Follow the steps below: After restarting, you should see a solid green light on the front of your camera if it is connected to your home Wi-Fi network. If you see a yellow status light, your camera may have trouble connecting or there is insufficient power. Try plugging your camera into another outlet and try again. Check this too: Nest Thermostat How to & Troubleshooting Guide
Nest Camera Won’t Turn On Troubleshooting
If the Nest app freezes or it becomes unresponsive, your Nest camera may refuse to turn on. To troubleshoot this problem, you may need to restart or reset your camera. Restarting your camera retains all your settings, so it is a useful first step if your camera is not working normally. To restart a Nest camera: Your camera will restart. If this doesn’t fix the issue, then try performing a factory reset. There is no factory reset button on Nest Cam Indoor or Outdoor. To reset one of these, simply remove it from your account. Follow the instructions on how to reset a Nest Cam to factory reset the camera, and then go through the set up again to reconnect your camera to the app.
