Nest Camera Not Detecting Motion? Here's How to Fix It
Your Nest camera's ability to detect motion and send you timely alerts is its core function. If you find that your camera is failing to pick up movement—whether it is a person walking to your door or a car pulling into the drive—it can create a serious gap in your home security.
This guide will help you diagnose and resolve the common issues that prevent Nest cameras from detecting motion correctly.
## 1. Check Your App's Notification Settings
First, let's ensure the problem isn't simply that the notifications are turned off in your app.
- Open the Nest app and select your camera.
- Go to Settings (the gear icon).
- Tap on Notifications.
- Make sure that notifications are turned on for the types of events you want to be alerted about (e.g., "People", "All other motion"). If these are off, the camera may be recording events, but you just are not being told about them.
## 2. Review Your Activity Zones
Activity Zones are a powerful feature, but if they are not configured correctly, they are a common reason for missed motion events. When you set up Activity Zones, your camera will only send alerts for motion that occurs within those specific zones.
- Check Your Zone Coverage: Go into your camera's settings and review your Activity Zones. Is it possible the motion you are missing is happening just outside the defined area?
- No Zones Set?: If you have not set up any Activity Zones, the camera should be monitoring its entire field of view for motion.
- Test by Removing Zones: As a test, try deleting all your Activity Zones. If the camera starts detecting motion everywhere, you know the problem was with how your zones were drawn. You can then add them back more carefully.
## 3. Adjust Motion Sensitivity
The sensitivity setting determines how much movement is required to trigger an event. If the sensitivity is too low, the camera may ignore subtle but important events.
In your camera's settings, find the Event History or Motion Detection settings and locate the sensitivity slider. Try increasing the sensitivity one level at a time. This can help the camera pick up on movements that it was previously ignoring. Be careful not to set it too high, or you may get too many unwanted alerts.
## 4. Evaluate Camera Placement and Environment
The physical position of your camera is critical for effective motion detection.
- Clear Line of Sight: Ensure there are no obstructions, such as tree branches, garden ornaments, or furniture, blocking the camera's view of the area you want to monitor.
- Optimal Height and Angle: Mount your camera according to the manufacturer's recommendations (typically 7-10 feet high). If it is too high, it may not see things happening directly below it. Angle it downwards to cover the desired area.
- Lighting Conditions: While Nest cameras have night vision, very poor lighting or strong backlighting (e.g., pointing directly at the sun) can sometimes interfere with the camera's ability to detect motion accurately.
## 5. Reboot Your Camera and Router
If the settings all seem correct, a temporary glitch could be the culprit.
- Reboot the Camera: Unplug your Nest camera from its power source for 30 seconds, then plug it back in.
- Reboot Your Router: Unplug your Wi-Fi router for 30 seconds as well. This can clear up any network issues that might be preventing the camera from communicating events to the Nest servers.