Turn Nest camera on or off
You can turn your Google Nest camera or doorbell on or off anytime. You're always in control of when it streams and records video. There are a few ways to switch your Nest camera on or off with the app:
- Manually switch it on or off
- Use a camera schedule to turn it on or off at specific times
- Set it to turn on or off automatically when your home senses that you've left or come back
Understand camera behavior
When your camera is turned off with the Google Home app or Nest app, it will not detect sound or motion, stream live video, or record and save activity.
However, your Nest camera stays powered and connected to your Wi-Fi even when it’s switched off with the app. This means:
- You can turn it back on and control it remotely using the Google Home app or Nest app.
- It can switch on automatically with its schedule, when you leave home, or in case of emergency.
Turn your camera on or off
- Open the Google Home app 👁 Image
. - Tap Home 👁 Image
👁 and then
Cameras 👁 Image
👁 and then
your camera.- To turn one camera on or off, tap Turn on or Turn off in its live view screen.
- To turn all Nest cameras off, at the top, tap More 👁 3 dot menu icon
👁 and then
Turn all Nest cameras off.
Camera settings
- Open the Nest app 👁 Nest app
. - On the home screen, select your camera.
- Tap Settings 👁 Nest settings icon
. - Tap the switch next to "Camera On/Off."
The Spaces view
If your camera has already been turned off, just tap your camera in the home screen's Spaces view to turn it on.
Unplug to completely power off
If your camera has to be wired or plugged into a power source to work, you can simply disconnect it to power it off completely.
However, if you unplug a battery-powered camera, it will continue to work for as long as its battery is charged. So if you want your battery-powered camera to power off completely, you'll have to let the battery run out.
Tip: When you completely turn off power for your camera, you won't be able to control it or watch its video with the app.
When reconnected to power, it will take some time (usually less than a minute) to restart and reconnect to the Wi-Fi network and the internet, and start streaming again.