You can schedule your Nest camera to turn on and off at specific times regardless of whether someone’s home or not. For cameras controlled by the Nest app, you can create a schedule in device settings. For cameras controlled by the Google Home app, you can create Household Routines to turn your cameras on and off.
Before you start
Turn off automatic switching for your camera if you use a schedule. If you use a schedule and automatic switching at the same time, your camera may not work correctly and can turn off and on unexpectedly. Use one or the other, but never both at the same time.
Depending on which app you use to manage your cameras, you can turn off automatic switching with Home/Away Assist (Nest app) or with Home & Away routines (Home app). If you’re not sure which one you used, check both.
Important: If you have other Nest products in your home, you can still set them to automatically switch when you leave or come home. You only need to turn off automatic switching for cameras using a schedule.
Nest App
Create a camera schedule
- Open the Nest app, then select your camera.
- Tap Settings
Schedule.
- Turn Schedule on.
- Pick the day of the week that you want to schedule. Note: By default, your camera is scheduled to be on all the time.
- Tap Add time.
- Set the time you want your camera to turn off and when you'd like it to turn on again.
- If you want the same schedule to repeat over several days, tap Repeat and choose the days you'd like to use this schedule.
Note: If you schedule your camera to turn off at a certain time, but it's already past that time when you set the schedule, your camera won't turn off until the next time it's scheduled to be off. You can schedule your camera to turn off and on up to 32 times per week.
Turn your camera's schedule on or off
If you turn off your camera's schedule, the app will remember the times and days you set, so you can turn the schedule back on again when you're ready.
With the Nest app, select your camera. Tap Settings
Schedule.
Google Home app
Create a scheduled routine to turn your cameras on or off
- Open the Google Home app
- Tap Automations
- Tap Add
Household, then give your routine an easy to understand name.
- Tap Add starter.
- Add a At a specific time or At sunrise or sunset starter.
- (Optional) Select days of the week on which your routine will run.
- Tap Add starter.
- Tap Add action
- Select the camera you want to turn on or off.
- Tick the box that says Turn on or off, then select between Turn on or Turn off depending on your preference
- (Optional) Repeat steps 8 through 10 for each additional camera you would like to control with your routine.
- Under Configuration, select Play on, then select a device or Don’t play media depending on your preference
- Tap Save to save your routine.
Note: For full scheduled on/off control, you will need to create at least 2 Household Routines— one for turning a camera on and one for turning a camera off. This is optional.
Turn your scheduled camera routine on or off
You can activate or deactivate your scheduled routine to pause your routines from turning your cameras on or off as needed. When you’re ready to use your scheduled routine again, you can simply re-activate the routine.
- Open the Google Home app.
- Tap Automations
- Tap the scheduled routine you created to control your camera(s).
- Tap the Activate Routine toggle on or off.
- Tap Save.