Troubleshooting Your Nest Aware Cloud Storage
Nest Aware is the subscription service that unlocks the full potential of your Nest cameras, primarily by saving video recordings to the cloud. When it isn't working correctly, you might miss important events. This guide will help you diagnose and solve the most common Nest Aware storage and recording issues.
Understanding How Nest Aware Works
Before troubleshooting, it's important to understand the basics. Your Nest camera captures video and, depending on your subscription, uploads either event clips or continuous footage to Google's cloud servers. This process relies on three key things:
- An Active Subscription: Your Nest Aware subscription must be active and linked to your Google account.
- A Working Camera: The camera must be powered on and functioning correctly.
- A Stable Internet Connection: The camera needs a reliable Wi-Fi connection with sufficient upload speed.
A problem with any of these three elements can lead to issues with your video history.
Common Problems and Solutions
Let's break down the most frequent issues and how to fix them.
1. Video History is Missing or Has Gaps
This is the most common complaint. You go to review footage, and a specific time period is simply not there.
- Check Your Subscription: First, ensure your Nest Aware subscription hasn't expired. You can check your subscription status in the Google Home app or on the Google Store website under 'Subscriptions'.
- Verify Wi-Fi Connection: The number one cause of gaps in recording is a weak or intermittent Wi-Fi signal. Your camera may be online, but if the upload speed is too low, the footage can't be saved to the cloud. Use a Wi-Fi analyser app on your phone to check the signal strength at the camera's location. If it's weak, consider moving your router closer or installing a Wi-Fi extender.
- Review Camera Schedules and Home/Away Routines: Check if you have set up a schedule that turns the camera off during certain hours. Similarly, if you use Home/Away Assist, the camera might be set to turn off when you're at home, which would create gaps in your 24/7 history.
- Check Camera Power: Ensure the camera didn't briefly lose power due to a loose cable or a power cut.
2. Camera is Online But Not Recording Events
If your live stream is working but no new events are being recorded, the issue is likely with your settings.
- Check Event Settings: Dive into your camera's settings in the Google Home or Nest app. Make sure that event recording is turned on and that you have configured Activity Zones correctly.
- Notification vs. Recording: Double-check that you haven't just disabled notifications for certain events while leaving the recording active. The settings for notifications and recording are often separate.
- Subscription Type: Ensure your subscription level covers the type of event you expect to be recorded (e.g., some older plans had limitations).
3. Cannot Playback or Download Clips
If you can see that clips have been recorded but they won't play, the issue could be on your viewing device or with your network.
- Check Your Playback Device's Connection: The problem might be with the phone or computer you're using. Try switching from mobile data to Wi-Fi, or vice-versa. Restart the app and your device.
- Network Congestion: If your home network is very busy (e.g., someone is streaming 4K video or gaming online), it might affect your ability to stream the recorded footage from the cloud. Try again during a quieter period.
By systematically checking your subscription, camera settings, and Wi-Fi connection, you can resolve the vast majority of Nest Aware cloud storage issues and ensure your video history is always there when you need it.