Nest Cam Not Recording Events: How To Fix [2023]

Nest Cam's seamless integration with the Google Home app and its effortless installation process have captured the hearts of the masses. But what if they stop recording events?

We have had our own set of Nest cameras for quite a while now, and recently, one of our cams stopped recording.

So we thought of writing this article to help you resolve this issue if you face this problem. 

If your nest cam stops recording events, first, check your power cables for damage. Next, power cycle the Nest Cam. Make sure the network is working fine. The status LED on your Nest cam shows the current status. You could also try reconfiguring notification access. If none of these work, factory reset your Nest Cam.

nest camera
nest camera

Check the Cables

Nest Camera with power cables

The first thing to check if your nest cam is not recording is the power cables.

This also happens to be one of the more recommended troubleshooting steps on Nest Cams for various other issues.

If your nest cam is powered through a wired connection, ensure the power cable is in good condition.

Check whether the cable has any wear and tear, crooks, kinks, and signs of corrosion on the leads.

If so, we suggest you try using a different cable.

Make sure you are using genuine cables to connect your nest cam.

If your nest cam is outdoors, keeping it in direct sunlight or rain will cause wear and tear to the cable faster.

Conversely, if your cam is indoors, directly above a vent or a chimney, the same issue may occur.

Nest cams require adequate power to work properly. Your camera needs a 7.5 W USB-A power cable to stay powered and work properly.

If your nest cam is battery-powered, check if it is charged properly. Drained batteries could also hinder motion detection, and subsequently recording clips.

Run-out batteries are also one of the leading causes of power-related issues on Nest devices, such as the Black screen on Nest Thermostats.

Check the Internet Connection

Check the Internet Connection

A stable internet connection is required for your next camera to work properly.

The moment your Nest cam detects motion, it requires an internet connection to send you the triggered event or store it in Nest Aware (cloud service) if you are subscribed to it. 

In the absence of a stable network, Nest cams fail to record events.

The same can be pointed out as the culprit behind issues on several other Nest devices like Nest Hub Max Camera not working or Nest Cam not showing in Nest app.

Make sure that your nest cam is close and in direct line of sight to the router as much as possible.

Solid objects such as walls, partitions, etc., can hinder the proper propagation of network signals.

Also, overloading the network with too many devices can also impede the network performance. And so, it would be ideal to decrease the traffic on the network for better communication.

Your wifi router might not have enough CPU power to relay all the video feeds if you have a number of cameras or devices connected.

Nest Cams support both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands. So try switching the network when you experience network issues.

Check the Status Indicator on Nest Cam

nest camera

The status light on the Nest Cam indicates the various status of the device. It also happens to indicate recording issues.

And so, without any further ado, let's take a look at the various LED indications:

LED StatusIndication
Solid GreenThe camera is connected and working normally
Pulsing GreenSomeone is viewing the Live view tab of the camera
LED OFFCan be either of these indications:
1. Camera not recording events
2. Camera turned OFF manually
3. Camera Battery is dead
4. Update failed
5. Not connected to a network
Blinking Yellow (slowly)Incorrect power supply. Camera is underpowered
Blinking Yellow (fast)Failed to connect to a network/Factory Reset Countdown
Solid YellowBattery issue/factory reset undergoing
Pulsing BlueThe camera is trying to connect to a network or the app
Nest Cam LED indications

And there you have it, the various indications pertaining to the issue at hand.

Ideally, you would like to see the solid Green indication. But if you come across any other light other than Green, there might be a problem with your device.

Most notably, a blinking Yellow LED and the LED being turned OFF demands tending to.

As discussed earlier, ignoring the network requirements will lead to the camera being offline, which in turn results in no recording.

Likewise, make sure the Camera is amply powered, and the batteries have enough juice in them.

Check Notification Access

Check Notification Access

The advanced sound and motion detection of Nest cams notifies you when there has been an activity without having you check it manually.

Your Nest camera will start recording when it detects motion and sends you notifications automatically. and you can customize the alerts for which notifications will be sent.

Nest cams are designed in such a way that it doesn’t bombard you with notifications. So if an activity happens multiple times within a short time frame, it will only send you a notification once.

On the off chance, you don't receive any notifications at all, check and reconfigure the selfsame setting on the Home/Nest app.

Here's how to do so:

On the HOME app:

  1. Navigate to the HOME app.
  2. Your device will be shown here, press and hold its tile.
  3. Tap on settings
  4. Click on notifications.

Here you can customize the alerts for certain activities or turn off notifications altogether. Make sure it isn't turned OFF.

Turning off notifications will prevent nest cam from sending you notifications and events won't be marked in the camera video history.

On the NEST app:

  1. Navigate to the NEST app
  2. Choose your device from the home screen
  3. Click on Notifications 
  4. From here, select the events that you want to be notified of.

Check whether notification is enabled for events so that the camera will start recording. Ensure that the event you want to be recorded is in the field of view of the camera. 

Power Cycle the Nest Cam

nest camera

Errors can also arise on Nest Cams as a result of bugs and other temporal issues. And the easiest and perhaps the most doable fix is to power cycle the Cam.

Power cycling your Nest camera will refresh the system internals, reboot the connections, and get rid of any bugs or errors. 

You could also perform the power cycle on other Nest devices to resolve issues like when the Nest thermostat won't connect to the app.

For power cycling your Nest camera, follow the steps below:

NEST CAM INDOOR (WIRED)

  1. Plug the camera into the power source.
  2. Locate the reset pin. The reset pin is located between the power cord and the support arm.
  3. Press and hold the reset pin. ( you can use a paperclip or pin to do so )
  4. Keep holding until the status light turns solid white.

NEST CAM (BATTERY) OR NEST CAM WITH FLOODLIGHT

  1. Plug the camera into the power source
  2. Locate the reset pin. (The reset pin is located at the back of the camera )
  3. Press and hold for 5 seconds.
  4. The camera will restart and the status light will turn solid white.

NEST CAM OR NEST CAM IQ OR DROPCAM

  1. Disconnect the camera from the power source.
  2. Leave it alone for 10 seconds.
  3. Plug it back into the power and your camera will restart

Power cycling provides an easy way to help fix any bugs or glitches. And doing so won’t erase any of your saved settings and your cam will automatically connect to your previous wifi.

Factory Reset the Nest cam

If none of the above steps work, you could try factory resetting your nest cam. 

Although, factory resetting your nest cam will delete all your personalized settings, clear the entire video history, and forgo your saved wifi settings.

And so, better back up your saved footage to an external device so that you won't lose them while resetting the device.

Factory resetting the erroneous device happens to also be a potent fix for issues on other Nest devices like if Nest Mini keeps unlinking.

If you are a 1st generation NEST AWARE subscription user, and if you plan to get rid of the camera or add it to a new account, make sure you cancel your subscription before you factory reset your camera.

Here show to reset various Nest Cams:

Nest Cam and Nest Cam With Floodlight

REMOVE YOUR DEVICE FROM THE APP:

  1. Navigate to the HOME or NEST app.
  2. Tap on the device you want to reset.
  3. Click on settings > remove device > confirm

FACTORY RESET:

  1. Locate the reset pin. The reset pin is between the power cord and the support arm on the Wired models. On battery models, the reset pin is on the back.
  2. Press and hold the reset pin. (use a paperclip or pin to do so)
  3. After 10 seconds, the status light will blink yellow four times, and the countdown sequence will start. After 2 more seconds, the status light will turn solid yellow and your cam will start resetting. A confirmation tone can be heard.
  4. Release the button and the camera will restore to its default settings.
  5. Set up your device again

There is no factory reset button for Nest cam Indoor, Nest cam Outdoor, or Dropcam. So, in order to reset, simply remove the device from the app.

Nest Cam IQ Indoor OR Outdoor 

  1. Plug in your camera.
  2. Locate the reset button. The Reset Pin will be on the back for Nest Cam IQ outdoors, and on the front for Nest Cam IQ indoors.
  3. Press and hold the reset button with a paperclip until the light ring starts spinning blue. Your camera light will turn off while it's resetting.
  4. The light ring will start pulsing blue slowly when the factory reset is complete.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we have gone through the ways in which you can resolve your nest cam recording issue.

Nest cam has an active support forum where you can find answers to a number of queries.

If you still face problems, consider contacting Google Nest support. They will be able to provide technical solutions to your Nest camera problems.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Nest Aware Plus?

Nest Aware plus is an upgrade over the existing Nest aware subscription plan. It extends on the features of Nest Aware. It has an event history log of up to 60 days and adds 10 days of continuous video history.

What are Activity zones for nest cameras?

Activity zone is a feature that comes along with a Nest Aware subscription. Different zones can be set up (up to 4 zones per camera). You will be notified when an activity happens in a zone, along with the zone name. It will also be marked in the video history.

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About Doug Stevenson

Hey! I'm Doug, My passion for tech started by fixing phones and computers for my friends and family.

I started Blinqblinq to give reliable tech advice to anyone who needs it, for free! If you have questions on anything tech-related, feel free to contact me.

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Doug Stevenson

Hey! I'm Doug, My passion for tech started by fixing phones and computers for my friends and family.

I started Blinqblinq to give reliable tech advice to anyone who needs it, for free! If you have questions on anything tech-related, feel free to contact me.

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