Nest Cam (wired, 2nd gen) video is blurry, dark, frozen or delayed

The checks in more detail

Wasserstein's guide for offline cameras lists the checks that apply, including router restarts and the Wi-Fi band. In the Google Home app, look at the camera's video quality setting in Settings, and raise it if it is set low. Clean the lens with a soft cloth, because dust or a fingerprint makes the picture hazy, and a camera behind a window reflects its own infrared at night, so aim it away from glass. Night vision uses infrared, and a reflective surface near the lens, such as a wall, a shelf or a glossy table, washes out the night picture, so reposition the camera.

Direct sun through a window causes glare during the day, and a backlit scene makes faces dark, so move the camera or change the light. A camera on a stand that sits on a soft surface may tilt, so mount it firmly. If live view lags but recorded clips are fine, the issue is the live connection; check that no other device is using a lot of upload. If the video is poor on one device only, test on another phone, since the viewing device may be the cause. Restart the camera by unplugging it for ten seconds, and keep the firmware current, which updates automatically when it is online.

If the picture is poor on a strong signal with a clean lens, contact Google Nest support. The wired camera records at a fixed field of view, so a picture that is soft at the edges is a lens effect and not a fault. If you need more detail of a particular area, move the camera closer or use the app's zoom on a clip. Streaming a camera to several phones at once uses the upload bandwidth, and a poor upload at home shows as a lower quality live view when many people watch together, so ask family members to watch one at a time.