Google confirms that its connected doorbell, the Nest Doorbell, does not like the cold. It does not charge, even if it is connected by a cable.
Winter is in full swing and the cold is disrupting the operation of some Nest devices. Many owners of Google doorbells and smart cameras have reported heavy drain and slow charging; when temperatures are low. The comments of users, on Nest or Reddit assistance, prompted the Mountain View firm to react. Google wanted to clarify how its products work when it’s cold.
The Californian firm indicates that its Nest Cam and Doorbell with batteries are designed to operate at a minimum temperature of -20°C. It now adds that the minimum temperature for charging is 0°C.
“At temperatures between -20°C and 0°C, the battery may still power your device, but it will not charge. It may also drain faster than usual. At temperatures near -20°C (-4°F), your battery life may be less than half of what it has in hot weather,” Google explains.
The Nest Doorbell battery doesn’t like the cold
Regarding its connected doorbell, the manufacturer adds that the Doorbell will stop working due to the cold. Indeed, low temperatures will prevent the battery from charging, even if it is electrically connected. Google specifies: “At temperatures between -20°C (-4°F) and 0°C (32°F), the doorbell may continue to operate, but the battery will drain because it cannot be charged. If the battery is completely drained, the doorbell turns off and you have to bring it inside to recharge it”. This specificity does not apply to the Nest camera equipped with a battery. The latter is not limited by the cold and continues to operate via a wired power supply; even if it cannot be recharged.
For these two devices, charging will only begin when the battery has reached a temperature or greater than 0°C. Note that the Google Home app is able to display if the charging speed is affected. She can show “charging interrupted” Where “slow loading”. However, it cannot indicate the temperature. On our side, we did not notice any problems with our two Nest Doorbells (battery) during the winter. This issue may affect more North American users.
Google has already confirmed that a new connected doorbell is on the way. It will work exclusively in wired mode to avoid encountering problems of this type.
