

How Nest cameras store recorded video

All Google Nest cameras and doorbells can upload and securely save video in the cloud, where it’s protected from theft and damage. Once your camera’s video is safely uploaded, you can access it at any time. But for your camera to upload video to the cloud, it needs to be connected to Wi-Fi and the Nest service.

Cameras can disconnect for several reasons. For example, there could be an issue with your Internet service or router, your home could have a power cut, or your camera could be unplugged.

To offer backup video storage when they go offline, the Nest Cam (battery) and Nest Doorbell (battery) can continue to record and save events to their internal memory, and then upload the video to the cloud when they reconnect to the Nest service. That way, you can still get video of what happened when the Wi-Fi, Internet or power goes out.

The Nest Cam (wired) saves video to local storage a little bit differently. It can still record video and store it locally when the Wi-Fi or Internet goes out, and then upload it to the cloud when it reconnects. However, because it doesn’t have a backup battery, it won’t record and save video locally when the power goes out.

More about local video storage

Here are some more details about how local video storage works when your battery-powered camera or doorbell is offline:

  • The Nest Cam (wired), Nest Cam (battery) and Nest Doorbell (battery) have enough internal memory to store up to one hour of recorded events when offline.
  • Higher video quality settings and more activity will shorten the amount of time it takes to fill up the internal memory.
  • If your camera is using its backup battery, it will honour its maximum video clip length setting. This means that if your camera is recording an event, it will cut off and save the clip even if the event is still happening.
  • When the Nest Cam (wired) or Nest Cam (battery) is connected to power and has a 24/7 video history subscription, it will record continuously for about eight minutes before switching to event recording.
  • For security reasons, your camera’s internal memory is not accessible.
  • If your camera or doorbell powers off completely (due to no battery charge, a power cut or extremely hot temperatures, for example) it can’t record and save events to its internal memory.

When your camera or doorbell reconnects

  • Locally stored video is uploaded to the cloud and removed from your camera’s internal memory.
  • The app will send a push notification when your camera’s back online.
  • Recorded events that you missed will appear in the Home app’s Feed.

Event or 24/7 video history storage

With an event video history subscription, your camera only saves clips to the cloud when it detects important sound or motion. With 24/7 video history, your camera saves all footage to the cloud anytime that it’s connected to power and streaming video.

Whether your camera can record and save video with event history or 24/7 history, and for how many days it saves video to the cloud, depends on the following:

  • Which Nest camera or doorbell model that you have
  • Whether you have a Nest Aware subscription
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