A Nest Cam, wired, whose automations do not run, trigger at the wrong time or do nothing has a set of conditions that must all be met, and a check of each finds the gap. This is the wired indoor Nest camera that plugs into mains power with a USB-C adapter and has no battery, with on-device detection of people, animals, vehicles and packages, managed in the Google Home app.
The checks in more detail
Some of its features and its event history need a Nest Aware subscription, and automations that use camera events depend on the camera being online and the detection being enabled. Start with the camera. Check in the Google Home app that the camera is online, with a good Wi-Fi signal on 2.4 or 5 gigahertz, and that it is powered, since a camera on a flaky adapter drops offline and triggers nothing. Check the settings for the camera: notifications on, the detection types that you want, such as person or motion, enabled, and activity zones set if used.
A camera that is paused or switched off by a Home and Away routine will not detect anything, so check that it is not in a mode that disables it. Then the automation. In the Google Home app, open Automations and view the routine. A routine has starters, the events that trigger it, and actions, the things it does. Check that the starter is one the camera supports, such as a person detected or a familiar face, and that it needs a Nest Aware subscription if it is a familiar-face or other advanced event; without the subscription, that starter will not fire.
Check the conditions, such as the time of day or who is home, and that they match when you test. Check that the action's devices are online, for example the light or the speaker. Test by walking in front of the camera while the app shows its events. Check the household and the member permissions, since an automation created by another member may be run only for them. If the routine still does not run, delete and recreate it, update the Home app and the camera's software, and contact Google support with the camera model.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nest Cam routine, schedule or automation is not running”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The camera offline or paused
What separates it No events and no automation
How to confirm Check power, Wi-Fi and the camera's mode
- 2
Detection types or zones off
What separates it The camera records nothing for the starter
How to confirm Turn on the detection types and zones
- 3
A starter that needs Nest Aware
What separates it A familiar-face or advanced starter does nothing
How to confirm Subscribe or choose a basic starter
- 4
Conditions not met
What separates it The routine runs at another time or never
How to confirm Check the time, home status and members
- 5
An action device offline
What separates it The routine starts but nothing happens
How to confirm Check the devices the action uses
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- What the routine is supposed to do
- Whether the camera shows events
- Whether a Nest Aware subscription is active
- The camera's Wi-Fi signal
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedCheck the camera
ReversibleOnline, powered, not paused.
Check detection
ReversibleTypes and zones.
Check the starter
ReversibleDoes it need Nest Aware?
Check the conditions
ReversibleTime and home status.
Test it
ReversibleWalk in front of the camera.
Recreate the routine
ReversibleAnd update the app.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Starters and actions
- A routine needs both to work.
- Nest Aware
- Some detections need a subscription.
- The camera's mode
- Home and Away can pause it.
- Power
- A wired camera needs a good adapter.
- Conditions
- Time and members limit a routine.
- Google help
- Quote the camera model.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !Do not leave a camera pointed at private areas
- !Check local laws about recording
- !Contact Google support if the camera stays offline
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does my Nest Cam automation not run?+
The camera is offline, detection is off or the starter needs Nest Aware.
Does the wired camera have a battery?+
No.
Which events need Nest Aware?+
Some advanced ones, like familiar faces.
Can a Home and Away routine disable it?+
Yes.
How do I test?+
Trigger the event and watch the app.