Google confirms Nest doorbells and cameras won’t charge in freezing temperatures

If you have observed that your Nest Doorbell is taking ages to charge or not charging at all during harsh winter months, you’re not alone. It seems the new battery-powered Nest Doorbell and Nest Cam are unable to work properly in freezing temperatures. Google is aware of this shortcoming of Nest products and has provided more details on the issue.

In a new Nest support page (via 9to5Google), Google reveals that at temperatures below freezing, the battery of your Nest Doorbell or camera won’t charge. Both products have the following minimum temperature requirements:

Minimum operating temperature: -4°F (-20°C)
Minimum charging temperature: 32°F (0°C)

As Google explains, when the temperature drops below 32°F (0°C), the battery inside the Nest Doorbell/Cam stops charging:

“At temperatures between -4°F (-20°C) and 32°F (0°C), the battery can still power your device, but it won’t charge. It may also drain more quickly than usual. At temperatures close to -4°F (-20°C), your battery may have less than half the life that it has in warm weather.”

Those who have hooked the Nest Doorbell to their existing doorbell wiring will also face the same issues. This is because the wires don’t directly power the Nest Doorbell; instead, they trickle charge the battery. So once the temperature hits -4°F (-20°C), the battery stops charging, eventually leading to the shut down of the device once the battery is drained.

Luckily, if you have your Nest Cam wired to your home, it will continue to operate in below-freezing temperatures.

At temperatures below freezing, the battery won’t charge, but as long as the wired power source is available, the camera can operate in temperatures down to -4°F (-20°C).

If the battery is low or not charging, Google says you should bring the device inside the home to warm it up. When the battery is cold, Nest owners will see a “Charging is paused” or “Charging slowly” message in the Google Home app.

Google previously confirmed that it was working on a 2nd-gen Nest Doorbell wired model, which would launch sometime in 2022.