Canary Not Responding to Google Home?
Integrating your Canary camera with Google Home and Google Assistant allows for convenient, hands-free control of your home security. However, when this link breaks, it can be frustrating. If your Google Home suddenly can't connect to Canary or your voice commands stop working, this troubleshooting guide will help you restore the connection.
How the Canary and Google Home Integration Works
The connection between Canary and Google Home is a cloud-to-cloud integration. When you issue a command like, "Hey Google, show the living room camera," Google's servers communicate with Canary's servers to execute your request. A breakdown in this communication is usually the source of the problem.
How to Fix Canary and Google Home Integration Issues
Follow these steps in order to diagnose and solve the problem.
1. Test a Basic Voice Command
Start with the simplest command to check the connection.
- Say, "Hey Google, ask Canary for the temperature in the [Room Name]."
- This command checks the status of the Canary's HomeHealth sensors and is a good baseline test.
- If you get a response like "Sorry, I can't reach Canary right now," it confirms there is a connection issue.
2. Power Cycle Your Devices
A simple reboot can often resolve temporary glitches.
- Reboot Your Canary Camera: Unplug your Canary device from power, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. Wait for it to fully boot up (the bottom light will turn solid white).
- Reboot Your Google Home/Nest Speaker: Do the same for your Google speaker or display.
- Reboot Your Wi-Fi Router: Unplug your router for 30 seconds. This can clear up any network issues that might be preventing the services from communicating.
3. Unlink and Relink the Canary Service
This is the most common and effective solution. It forces a fresh authentication between your Google and Canary accounts.
- Open the Google Home App on your smartphone.
- Tap the '+' icon in the top-left corner.
- Select "Set up device."
- Under "Works with Google," tap on "Have something already set up?"
- You will see "Canary" listed under your linked services. Tap on it.
- Choose "Unlink account" and confirm.
- Once unlinked, repeat the process by tapping the '+' icon again, but this time, search for Canary in the list of services and follow the prompts to log in to your Canary account and re-authorise the connection.
4. Check Your Device and Room Names
After re-linking, ensure your devices are set up correctly in the Google Home app.
- Make sure your Canary camera has been assigned to a "home" and a "room" (e.g., Living Room).
- When streaming, use precise commands: "Hey Google, show the [Camera Name] on the [Smart Display Name]." For example, "Hey Google, show the Porch Camera on the Kitchen Hub."
5. Check for Service Outages
While rare, it's possible that either Canary or Google Home is experiencing a temporary service outage. You can check the official Canary status page or a site like DownDetector to see if other users are reporting similar issues. If there is a widespread problem, you will likely need to wait for the service provider to resolve it.
By following these troubleshooting steps, you should be able to resolve most issues preventing your Canary camera from working with Google Home.