So I was thinking about getting the Nest Hello because of the night vision feature when I saw some user posts about the night vision not working. I decided to do a little research about how to fix it before I buy it.
So, what’s going on when the Nest Hello’s night vision isn’t working? The Nest Hello night vision not working could mean one of several things:
- A glare is causing your Nest Hello to auto-adjust
- The setting for night vision is switched off
- There might be an object too close in your camera’s view
- Hardware failure
Many people might think that they got a faulty piece of tech when they encounter a problem with one of the features. Others get upset and think that they got ripped off. In the case of the Nest Hello, malfunctions are largely due to user error or incorrect installation. Simple adjustments can fix the night vision problem for the Nest Hello.
How to Set Night Vision Correctly
For a “smart” piece of equipment, you would think that certain things just came pre-built in without the need for any user
You will be able to tell if your night vision is not turning on automatically. One tell-tale sign is if you notice the color of the camera image displaying as black or colorful, ranging anywhere from blue to pink. This will certainly not look like night vision, so it should be your first sign that something;s not right.
The first thing to troubleshoot will be your Nest Hello settings. Like most smart home devices, the Nest Hello comes with a mobile app for easy and quick adjustment of settings. This app helps with things like turning your camera on and off while you’re away.
If you want to change your settings so the night vision of your Nest Hello turns on automatically, you will need to do the following:
- Open the Nest Hello app
- Select Settings
- Select Night Vision
- Adjust the switch to off, auto, or always on
If your night vision setting was previously switched to “off”, your night vision function should work after this adjustment. If you find that it’s still not working right, it could be that another problem is interfering with your Nest Hello’s night vision.
If your night vision setting was on “auto”, or “always on,” and still doesn’t work right, there are a couple of other factors that could be causing this.
Why a Glare May Cause Failure
If adjusting a setting did not solve your problem, or if you are looking to prevent a future problem with your Nest Hello’s night vision, there are a few other factors that could cause problems with this system.
A popular model of the Nest Hello comes in the form of a doorbell. However, where the doorbell is placed could make a difference in some of the smart functionalities. The dilemma that some users face is that they want their doorbell in a logical easy-to-press location.
However, if the Nest Hello is in a location where glare or other infrared light interferes with the camera, this could mean that the night vision capability is threatened.
Do not despair! There are still some things you can do to remedy a glare post-installation. Users can open the handy Nest app and zoom and enhance the image to crop out objects or surfaces that can be causing or contributing to a glare.
The reason users want to have night vision in their cameras is to see in the dark. You may be thinking, a glare? At night time? Bear with me, the Nest Hello itself could be causing the glare.
The infrared light used to see in the dark can reflect off of surfaces like windowsills, shelves, windows, or any type of nearby reflective object. If the Nest Hello is just the camera, not the doorbell, the camera can be turned or adjusted.
The best thing a Nest Hello doorbell user can do is make sure that the field of vision is clear. One thing that Nest suggests is to install a wedge to angle the camera away from nearby objects.
If the faulty night vision image that keeps coming to your live stream is bright white and everything else is dark, that means the wall is likely the culprit. Your infrared light is bouncing off the wall back into the camera. This will cause the wall to appear bright white and everything else black in comparison.
Again, with a Nest camera, this is an easy adjustment to make, but with the Nest Hello doorbell, you will need to install a wedge.
The neighbors, (or yourself) could also be causing your problem. The Nest Hello on the “auto” setting adjusts to the light outside. If you have bright porch lights, or your neighbor has a significant floodlight, that could be tricking your Nest Hello into thinking that it is daytime. If your surrounding area is pretty brightly lit at night, your Nest Hello’s night vision might not turn on.
Floodlights could still be the culprit if your Hello Nest is on the “always on” setting as well. The lights could be directly shining into the camera, thus interfering with your Nest Hello’s night vision. If it is lit well enough in the area where your Nest Hello is located, you may not need to activate the night vision setting due to significant ambient light.
Other Night Vision Failures
Outdoor Obstruction
Having an open unobstructed field of vision is really important to have a clear video camera image. A common issue is that the installation surroundings are interfering with the camera.
Because the Nest Hello is located outside, it is exposed to the elements. If the night vision failure is occurring after a storm, it could be as simple as an obstruction. If this is the case for you, then both your day and nighttime vision with the Nest Hello is probably compromised.
The easiest thing to do to clear a lens obstruction would be to take stock of the damage. If it is a leaf or mud plastered to the Nest Hello, then you might need to carefully chip away or peel it off. If you can see no physical blockage, it could be that the lens just needs a gentle cleaning with a soft cloth made for cleaning camera lenses or glasses.
In most cases, that gentle cleaning would only remedy Nest Hello camera problems where the camera is functioning, but the quality of the picture is poor.
WiFi
Nest Hello camera feed is supposed to be live. If you are noticing that there is a lag or the quality is still poor after going through all the steps for possibilities above, it could be that your wifi is to blame. As a smart device, it relays a live video feed through your wifi. If your wifi is slow then it could be that it cannot support that high-quality camera relay.
If you notice the same slowness or unclear video feed occurring during daylight hours, then the easiest fix would be to upgrade your router to one that supports a faster transfer of data.
User Error
When users receive their Nest Hello, stickers sometimes cover the camera and the infrared light. If the Nest Hello is installed without removal of these stickers, the image quality and functionality may be poor or non-functioning due to user non-removal.
Related Questions:
Can you schedule night vision for you Nest Hello? You can adjust the schedule of your Hello Nest camera via the Nest app to turn on and off at specific times, or just check it as needed. This schedule also applies to the night vision functionalities.
How far can a Nest Hello camera see? The Nest Hello camera can see approximately 20 feet away.