Updating your home to a smart home is exciting, but smart home devices do have some downsides.
For example, when your internet randomly goes out, then your devices may no longer function as they should.
So, does a Nest Doorbell still work without WiFi?
A Nest Doorbell works without WiFi as a normal doorbell, but its many features, such as viewing the camera feed or motion detection, won’t be available. If struggling to maintain WiFi connection, solutions include getting a WiFi hotspot, using cloud storage, or setting up a surveillance camera.
The rest of this article will discuss the various features of a Nest Doorbell that need WiFi and possible solutions for how to use your Nest Doorbell’s features when your WiFi goes out.
Nest Doorbell Features That Don’t Work Without WiFi
Nest Doorbells, like all other smart home devices, operate through a WiFi connection.
While it’s convenient most of the time, it can become frustrating when your WiFi goes out.
WiFi outages can happen during inclement weather, wiring issues, problems with a modem or router, or even due to problems with your Internet Service Provider.
If you don’t mind your Nest Doorbell only working as a traditional doorbell when your WiFi goes out, you should be fine.
However, if you want all of the features and capabilities, you’ll need to maintain a strong WiFi connection.
Getting live feeds on your camera, updates when motion is detected, and many other features require WiFi.
While having the cool-looking doorbell and accessing it from your phone is great, several features make smart doorbells, like the Nest Doorbell, unique.
Every person has different wants for their home, so depending on those wants will determine if the WiFi-compatible features are essential to you.
These features include but aren’t limited to:
24/7 Streaming
One of the main positive attributes of the Nest Doorbell and other smart doorbells is the videoing feature.
This feature allows homeowners to look at the surveillance feed of their front door at any time, which especially comes in handy when someone rings the doorbell.
The Nest Doorbell also video records continuously, depending on how much cloud storage you have.
This is excellent if you get packages delivered often and you often deal with package theft.
While this is an advantage to having a Nest Doorbell, it does require WiFi to see the stream at any time.
Motion Detection
Motion detection is another plus to having a Nest Doorbell.
Like the 24/7 streaming feature, motion detection can detect if there are any visitors at your front door, even if they haven’t rung the doorbell.
This is also an advantage to catching package thieves, as most people stealing packages aren’t going to ring your doorbell.
To get alerts for motion detection, you must a working WiFi connection. There isn’t any way to get around WiFi for this feature.
Package and Face Recognition
The Nest Doorbell also has package and face recognition, which means it can recognize if there’s a package at your door and even various familiar faces.
Therefore, when you have a package delivered, or one of your friends is at the door, the Nest Doorbell will send you a notification on your phone.
WiFi is essential for this specific feature.
Pre-Recorded Responses
Pre-recorded responses are excellent for when you’re busy and can’t make it to the door or if you don’t feel like answering.
After the notification is sent to your phone that someone is at the door, you’ll be able to either talk to the person live or give a quick, pre-recorded response.
These pre-recorded responses have to be accessed through the app, making it dependent on WiFi.
3 Solutions for Using a Nest Doorbell Without WiFi
If you don’t always have the best WiFi access or it’s constantly going out, having a backup plan for your Nest Doorbell might be the best option.
This is especially important if you’re like most people and have a Nest Doorbell for security reasons.
While the first solution should be getting your WiFi looked at, there are other options for when your WiFi undoubtedly goes out:
1. Get a WiFi Hotspot
If you often struggle with your WiFi going out, having a WiFi hotspot as backup is a good idea. Especially if you want to consistently experience all of the features.
The main downside to having a WiFi hotspot is paying for cellular data. However, if constant surveillance is crucial to you, having a backup for your Nest is needed.
If you want to get a WiFi hotspot for your Nest Doorbell, I recommend checking out the Alcatel LINKZONE WiFi Hotspot on Amazon.
This WiFi hotspot is small and reasonably priced, making it easy to store, and it can be of great use with a Nest Doorbell.
Read also: Will a Ring Doorbell Work With a Mobile Hot Spot? 6 Steps
2. Use Cloud Storage
When you get a Nest Doorbell, you get a specific amount of cloud storage along with it.
This cloud storage is not unlimited, so having a Nest Aware subscription will allow you to have a 24/7 video history.
This is essential for when your WiFi goes out, and you want to see what happened with the camera during that time.
Ensuring you have enough storage is important.
When your camera goes offline for any reason, you’ll be able to access the video footage after the camera is back online, and any recorded events that you missed will appear on the app.
Editor’s pick: Can Google Home / Nest Be Hacked? 6 Dangers + 10 Tips
3. Set Up an Additional Surveillance Camera
If having the Nest Doorbell is convenient, but you don’t want to rely on it when it comes to security, having an additional surveillance camera is a good option.
Many surveillance cameras don’t need WiFi access, so it makes for a great backup plan.
If you’re looking into surveillance cameras, a good, less expensive option includes the MUAYB Mini Wireless Camera from Amazon.
This camera is small and compact and records continuously. However, the battery life isn’t the best.
Since this camera doesn’t have solar panels for power, you’ll be responsible for recharging the battery if it’s not always plugged in.
If you want to go all out, I recommend the VOSKER V150 from Amazon. This camera is expensive, but one of the best.
It uses solar panel technology, has motion detection, and the battery life is incredible. However, it only takes pictures when it detects motion.
Therefore, you won’t receive any videos or even 24/7 video surveillance, so you should choose a different option if this is important to you.
Without WiFi, it would be best if the camera you choose has an SD card.
Saving surveillance footage to an SD card and accessing them through files on your computer is a secure way to have the footage.
However, having a WiFi-compatible video surveillance, such as the Nest Doorbell, is always an excellent first option.
It has 24/7 surveillance, and having a camera with SD card capabilities is a great backup plan.
Final Thoughts
While a Nest Doorbell technically works without WiFi, it doesn’t work with all of the main features and benefits the doorbell offers.
Without WiFi, a Nest Doorbell will work as a traditional doorbell, with no motion detection or video surveillance access.
Suppose there’s ever a time when your WiFi isn’t working, and you still want some of the Nest Doorbell benefits. In that case, you can:
- Set up a WiFi hotspot to connect to it
- Ensure you have cloud storage for your Nest Doorbell
- Invest in a separate surveillance camera for the video benefits
You may also wonder: Will Nest Thermostat work without power?