Troubleshoot Nest camera and doorbell setup messages

If you try to add your Nest camera to the app, an error message might appear, without a code to help identify some troubleshooting steps.

If the app shows you a message instead of an error code, such as “A weak Wi-Fi connection is affecting your camera's video quality” or “Your cellular connection may cause lower quality video,” refer to:

• Wireless interference and how to troubleshoot it
• Troubleshoot Nest camera video issues

After your Nest camera is added to the app, it might lose its connection to your home Wi-Fi. If this happens, your camera will show as off or offline in the app. Learn to Troubleshoot when your camera or doorbell is offline.

Your Nest camera comes with an LED status light on the front. Learn more about Nest camera lights and sounds.

1. Close the app.
2. Restart your camera .
3. Make sure your phone’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on, and that it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network you want to use for your camera.
4. Try to set up your camera again in the app.
5. If the help code still appears, and you’re using the app on a phone, reboot your device and check if that fixes the issue.
6. If you still can’t set up your camera, contact support .

1. Quit the Nest app, then restart your camera .

2. On your phone, switch Bluetooth off and then on again to reset the connection. Make sure that Bluetooth is on when you’re done.
3. On rare occasions, your phone might not let you turn on Bluetooth. If you run into this issue, try to reboot your device. Otherwise, skip to the next step.
4. After turning on Bluetooth, bring your phone within 12 inches (0.3 m) of your camera. Keep it there until setup is complete to help reduce wireless interference that may disrupt the Bluetooth connection.
5. Set up your camera again .
6. If you still can’t set up your camera, try a different phone if you have one. You’ll need to install the Nest app on the other device and then follow the setup steps in the app .
7. If the Nest app displays a Bluetooth error again, reboot your phone if you haven’t already. Then try to set up your camera again.

If these steps didn't work, you can try to set up your camera without Bluetooth if you have one of these cameras:

• Nest Cam Outdoor
• Nest Cam Indoor

1. Restart your camera and doorbell .
2. Connect to the same Wi-Fi network

   1. Connect your phone to the same Wi-Fi network as your existing Nest product(s).

   2. Try to set up your camera or doorbell again while your phone is on the same network.

      • After you complete camera or doorbell setup, you can connect your phone to a different Wi-Fi network if you like.

   3. If you’re still getting the same error after trying the steps above, restart your camera or doorbell again and continue troubleshooting below.

3. Move your products closer together

During setup, your new camera or doorbell will try to connect to one of the following existing Nest products in your home:

• A Google Nest camera or doorbell
• Google Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm

Here’s how to help them connect:

1. Temporarily bring your camera or doorbell and your other Nest product within about 30 feet (10 m) of each other.

   • For a Nest camera, try to bring your camera closer to your other Nest product. You might need to plug your camera into an outlet that’s closer to the other product.
   • For a Nest Doorbell wired, try to bring your other Nest product closer to your doorbell.

2. When your products are closer together, go through setup again.

3. If that doesn’t work, restart your camera or doorbell. Then bring your camera or doorbell and your other Nest product within a few feet (1 m) of each other and go through setup again.

4. Once you’ve added your camera or doorbell to the app and have completed setup, you can install your products farther away from each other. They only need to be close together during setup.

1. Quit the app.
2. Restart your camera .
3. Check that the Wi-Fi network is connected to the internet and the connection is working as expected. If other devices can’t connect to the internet, you’ll need to contact your internet service provider to restore service.

On a computer

Use a browser to go to a web page like google.com and make sure it loads properly.

On a phone

Turn on Airplane Mode on your phone, then turn on Wi-Fi on your device while Airplane Mode is on.

Allow your device to connect to the Wi-Fi network, then try to go to a web page like google.com to check if it loads properly. When you’re done testing, turn off Airplane Mode.

1. Make sure your phone’s Wi-Fi is turned on, and that it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network you want to use for your camera.
2. If you’re using a firewall, try temporarily lowering its security level to allow the app to add your product to your network. You should also temporarily disable MAC address and IP filtering. If you don’t know how to do this, contact the person or service provider who set up your firewall.
3. Open the app again and set up your Nest Cam on your phone (or on your computer ).
4. When complete, restore your firewall to its previous security settings.

1. Quit the Nest app.
2. Unplug your modem and router. You may have one device that’s a combination modem/router, or they may be separate devices. If they’re separate devices, unplug both.
3. Wait for 30 seconds, then plug your modem and router back in.
4. Your modem and router will start. Wait a couple of minutes or until a steady power and connection lights appear. It may also have a quickly flashing data light on the device(s).
5. Check that your home Wi-Fi network is connected to the internet and the connection is working as expected. If other devices can’t connect to the internet, you’ll need to contact your internet service provider to restore service.

   On a computer

   Use a computer to go to a web page like google.com and make sure it loads properly.

   On a phone

   1. Turn on Airplane Mode on your phone, then turn on Wi-Fi on your device while Airplane Mode is on.
   2. Allow your device to connect to the home Wi-Fi network, then try to go to a web page like google.com to check if it loads properly.
   3. When you’re done testing, turn Airplane Mode off.
6. Unplug your camera. Wait 10 seconds, then plug it back in.
7. Make sure your phone’s Wi-Fi is turned on, and that it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
8. Open the app again and set up your Nest Cam on your phone (or on your computer).

1. Double check the password for your home’s Wi-Fi network. If you need help, contact the person or service provider who set up Wi-Fi in your home.
2. Tap Try again, then re-enter your Wi-Fi information. When prompted, carefully enter the password for your Wi-Fi network.

1. Quit the Nest app.

2. Check that your home Wi-Fi network is connected to the internet and the connection is working as expected. If other devices can’t connect to the internet, you’ll need to contact your internet service provider to restore service.

   On a computer

   You can use a computer to go to a web page like google.com and make sure it loads properly.

   On a phone

   1. Turn on Airplane Mode on your phone. Then, turn on Wi-Fi on your phone while also keeping Airplane Mode on.
   2. Allow your device to connect to your home Wi-Fi network, and try to go to a web page like google.com . Make sure it loads properly. When you’re done testing, turn off Airplane Mode.
3. Make sure your phone’s Wi-Fi is turned on, and that it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
4. Make sure you’re not trying to connect a 2.4 GHz-only camera to a 5 GHz network .
5. Restart your camera .
6. Open the app again and set up your Nest camera on your phone .

If you’re not comfortable checking your network settings, contact the person or service provider who set up Wi-Fi in your home to do it for you.

1. Double check your Wi-Fi network’s security type. For example, this error may appear if your Wi-Fi network’s security type is WPA but you selected WEP during setup.
2. In the app, tap Try again. Re-enter your Wi-Fi information. When prompted, select the correct security type for your Wi-Fi network.
3. If you’re still having trouble, you can try temporarily un-hiding your Wi-Fi network so that your camera can find and connect to it automatically. Then, when you’re ready, you can hide your network again.

If you’re not comfortable adjusting your router’s settings, contact the person or service provider who set up Wi-Fi in your home.

1. Quit the app.
2. Make sure your phone’s Wi-Fi is turned on, and that it’s connected to the same Wi-Fi network you want to use for your camera.
3. Your router may not be configured properly to work with Nest Cam. Nest Cam uses DHCP to connect to your Wi-Fi network. Check that your router has DHCP enabled.
4. If your router is using MAC address filtering, refer to our information about adding your Nest Cam’s MAC address to the allowlist .
5. Make sure your Wi-Fi equipment is using our other recommended router and access point settings .
6. Restart your camera .
7. Open the app again and set up your Nest Cam on your phone .

If other devices can’t connect to the internet, you’ll need to contact your internet service provider to restore service.

1. If your internet connection is slow, you may not have enough bandwidth to complete setup. Run an internet speed test and make sure your connection isn’t experiencing unexpected bandwidth issues.

2. Unplug your modem and router. You may have one device that’s a combination modem/router, or they may be separate devices. If they’re separate devices, unplug both.

3. Wait for 30 seconds, then plug your modem and router back in.
4. Your modem and router will start. Wait a couple of minutes or until a steady power and connection lights appear. It may also have a quickly flashing data light on the device(s).
5. Check that your Wi-Fi network is connected to the internet and the connection is working as expected:

   On a computer

   You can use a computer to go to a web page like google.com and make sure it loads properly.

   On a phone

   1. Turn on Airplane Mode on your phone, then, turn on Wi-Fi on your phone while Airplane Mode is on.
   2. Allow your device to connect to the Wi-Fi network, then try to go to a web page like google.com to make sure it loads properly.
   3. When you’re done testing, turn off Airplane Mode.
6. Quit the Nest app.
7. Restart your camera .
8. Open the Nest app again and set up your Nest Cam on your phone .

1. Clear your browser’s cache and cookies. Check your browser’s Help menu for information about how to do this.
2. Quit your web browser.
3. Unplug your camera from the USB port on your computer. Plug it back in, using a different USB port on your computer if you have one.
4. Try to set up your Nest camera with your computer again.

1. Quit the Nest app.
2. If your Nest camera has already been set up in an account in the app, remove your camera from its previous account .
   • Keep in mind, if you have Google Home Premium and you remove the camera from the account, it will permanently delete all of that camera’s recorded video history. So, be sure to create and download clips of any footage you want to keep before you delete the camera from your account.
3. Restart your camera .
4. Open the app again and set up your Nest camera on your phone .
5. If you still can’t set up your camera, or if you can't remove the camera from its previous account in the app, contact support .

1. Close the app.
2. Factory reset your camera .

Reset your doorbell to factory defaults:

Nest Doorbell wired

1. If your doorbell is already attached to the wall, you’ll need to take it off. Use the release tool that was included with the doorbell, a paperclip, or a thumbtack.
2. Insert it into the hole at the bottom of the doorbell and pull it off the base.
   Tip:Do not unscrew the wires attached to the back of your doorbell if it's hardwired to your home's power.
3. Hold down 2 buttons on your doorbell for about 10 seconds:
   • Hold down the reset button on the back (use the the release tool or a thumbtack)
   • At the same time, hold down the big doorbell button on the front
4. While holding the buttons, your camera will chime and its light ring will start spinning blue, then flash yellow, and then all the lights will turn off.
5. Release the 2 buttons.
6. The factory reset is complete when your camera chimesand the light ring starts slowly pulsing blue.

Once your doorbell has been reset to factory defaults, you can add the camera back to the app. Learn how to connect your camera to the app.