Is Your Nest Camera Flashing Blue Light? (Let’s Fix!)

If your Nest camera flashing blue light after a restart, power outage or during the setup, don’t worry as this is a simple indication of your camera’s connection state. 

To resolve the blue blinking light on Nest cameras you may need to carry out the app setup, or simply check the status of your Wi-Fi connection. 

This guide will walk you through, so keep reading…

Why is My Nest Camera Blinking Blue?

The blue light on the Nest camera can either be pulsating slowly, or flashing quickly!

• Slowly Pulsating – The slowly pulsating blue light on the Nest camera means that the device is ready to connect, hence, it’s not connected to the app.
• Flashing Quickly – If the blue light is flashing quickly for a long time, it means that the device is attempting to connect, but unsuccessfully.

Based on how the camera is flashing in blue, you can identify what’s wrong and how to proceed.

Nest Camera Flashing Blue Light – [Slowly Pulsating]

If your Nest camera is slowly pulsating in blue, then the device is not connected to the app, and Wi-Fi, which means you must carry out the setup. 

This is entirely normal if your camera is new or you’ve performed a factory reset.

How to Connect Nest Camera to App & Wi-Fi?

Important: You need to connect your Nest camera to the Wi-Fi before you install it since you’ll need to scan the QR code on the back.

Step #1 Download the App

Based on your Nest camera model, you either need to use the Google Home app or the Nest application.

You can download the required app, from the App Store or Google Play, for Android and iOS devices.

When to Use the Nest App?

• Nest Cam (battery)
• Nest Cam (wired)
• Nest Cam with Floodlight

When to Use the Home App?

• Nest Cam Indoor
• Nest Cam Outdoor
• Nest Cam IQ Indoor
• Nest Cam IQ Outdoor

Note: When you download and install the respective app, as per the model of your Nest cam, sign into your account or create a new one.

Step #2 Scan the QR Code

Home App:

1. First, open the Google Home application on the mobile device.
2. Press Devices → Add (+) → Google Nest or partner device.
3. Add another home or create a new one, and then select “Next”.
4. Select the model of the Nest camera during the scanning stage.
5. When prompted, use the phone’s camera to scan the QR code.
6. Follow the remaining instructions to get your camera connected.

Note: Alternatively, you can select “Continue without scanning” and tap “Find the code” to get help in connecting the camera without scanning the QR code.

Nest App:

• If you’re new to Nest, tap on Add (+) and scan the QR code or manually insert the numbers, then follow the on-screen instructions.
• If you’re an existing user, tap Settings → Add Product and scan the QR code or insert the numbers, then continue with the instructions.

Step #3 Connect to the Wi-Fi

The last part of the setup process is to connect the Nest camera to Wi-Fi, which is the same, regardless of whether you’re using the Nest app or Google Home.

Select your Wi-Fi, insert the password and you should be ready.

When you see the blinking white light, this means your Nest camera is successfully connected.

Note: If you have trouble with the Nest app, you can transfer the Nest camera to Google Home!

Nest Camera Flashing Blue Light – [Flashing Quickly]

If your Nest camera is blinking blue light quickly, after the setup, or power outage, this means that the device is attempting to pair with the application and Wi-Fi. 

If the blue blinking continues over 5 minutes, it’s clear that there is a problem with the automatic connection, which could be an app problem or a Wi-Fi issue.

There are various ways to resolve this problem:

1. Inspect your Wi-Fi Connection

If the indicator is flashing in blue quickly, for a longer amount of time, then the Nest camera is unreachable and can’t connect.

So, here are a few things you should try right now:

Test your Wi-Fi Connection:

The easiest way to test whether your Wi-Fi is accessible is by using your smartphone.

So, try to connect to the same Wi-Fi your Nest camera is attempting to pair with.

If you can connect, then try to open a few websites to check whether the wireless network is online. If you can’t access websites, your broadband is likely down.

In contrast, if you’re unable to pair with the Wi-Fi, it’s probably an issue with the router.

Optimize Wi-Fi Connection:

There are several ways to fix Wi-Fi-related problems:

• Power cycle the Wi-Fi router via unplugging for ~60 seconds.
• Elevate your router’s position and straighten up the antennas.
• Disconnect all the unused devices from your wireless network.
• Unplug and reconnect the Ethernet cable from the WLAN port.
• Shorten the proximity between the router and the Nest camera.

Quick Tip: If your Nest camera won’t connect automatically, try to connect the device to the 2.4 GHz, instead of the 5 GHz wireless frequency.

2. Sign-Out and In the Application

As per numerous reports from users with the same problem, when your Nest camera blinks blue light quickly, signing out and in the app helps.

So, based on whether you use the Nest application or Google Home application, follow the respective steps below to relog quickly.

• Nest App: Open the Nest app, head to Settings → Account → Sign Out.
• Home App: Open the Home app, tap on your profile picture, and Sing Out.

You will be brought to the login screen of the respective application and to sign in, you only need to insert the password for your account.

Note: When you sign out, wait for your camera’s light to start blinking in white, and if it doesn’t continue reading ahead.

3. Uninstall and Reinstall the App

A quick fix, especially when you’re unable to complete the setup and your Nest camera is flashing in blue, is to reinstall the Nest or Google Home app. 

This is quick and easy:

• iOS: To remove the Nest or Home app on iPhones, tap and hold the icon from the main screen, and select Remove App → Delete App.
• Android: To remove the Nest or Home app on Android, go to the Google Play Store, tap on your Account, select “Manage apps & devices” and locate the app.

When the application is successfully removed from your device, you can download it back from the Google Play Store or App Store. 

Reminder: If your Nest camera is blinking in blue slowly, you will need to carry out the initial setup by connecting the device to the respective app.

4. Factory Reset the Nest Camera

If nothing works, and your Nest camera is flashing blue light without a proper reason, you are probably facing a software problem.

The quickest way to deal with any software issue would be to perform a factory reset, which will unpair the camera from the app and erase all the settings.

Warning: The lost configurations after the factory reset cannot be recovered!

Here’s how to factory reset your Nest camera in easy steps:

1. Locate the “RESET” button, found in a small pinhole.
2. Insert a paper clip or similar object within the pinhole.
3. Press and hold the button for about ~12–15 seconds.
4. You should hear a reset tone and see the yellow light.

The Nest camera will then appear “Offline” in the app.

So, remove it, wait for the factory reset to complete (slowly blinking blue light), and carry out the initialization.

Note: If your camera is stuck blinking in blue, perhaps there is a hardware defect, so seek more help at Google Nest Customer Service.