my nest cam keeps going offline in the app, it's plugged in and the light is on but it says it's offline.

Diagnosis

The "Offline" status in the Google Home app, despite the camera showing a steady power light, indicates a breakdown in the handshake between the Nest Cam Indoor Wired and your wireless access point. This is rarely a hardware failure of the camera itself; rather, it is typically a "ghost connection" where the camera maintains a physical link to the router, but the data packets are being dropped or blocked, preventing the device from communicating with Google's cloud servers.

This usually happens due to 2.4GHz band congestion or "DHCP lease expiration," where the router assigns a temporary IP address to the camera that expires or conflicts with another device on the network. If your camera is placed near large metal objects, mirrors, or thick masonry walls, the signal-to-noise ratio drops, causing the camera to intermittently drop the connection while the internal power circuitry continues to indicate that it is receiving electricity.

How to Fix It

To resolve this, you need to clear the network cache and force a fresh IP assignment. Follow these exact steps in order:

1. Disconnect the Nest Cam Indoor Wired from its power outlet. Leave it unplugged for at least 60 seconds to allow the internal capacitors to fully discharge.
2. Perform a hard power cycle on your networking hardware. Unplug both your modem and your Wi-Fi router from the wall. Wait 30 seconds.
3. Plug the modem back in first and wait for the "Internet" or "Online" LED to turn solid green/white.
4. Plug the router back in and wait 2 full minutes for the local wireless broadcast to stabilize.
5. Plug the Nest Cam back into the power outlet. Do not open the app yet; wait for the status light on the front of the camera to stop blinking and settle into its steady state.
6. Open the Google Home app. If it still says offline, force-close the app (swipe it away from your recent apps) and relaunch it.
7. Check the "Device Information" section in the app settings to ensure the camera has a valid IP address assigned.

If That Didn't Work

• Assign a Static IP Address: Access your router's admin panel (usually via 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) and find the DHCP reservation table. Locate the Nest Cam's MAC address and assign it a permanent static IP. This prevents the camera from going offline when the router tries to rotate IP addresses.
• Separate the SSID Bands: If your router uses "Smart Connect" (combining 2.4GHz and 5GHz into one name), the camera may be trying to hop between bands. Create a dedicated 2.4GHz guest network specifically for your smart home devices and move the camera to that network.
• Adjust DNS Settings: Change your router's DNS settings from the default ISP provider to Google Public DNS (Primary: 8.8.8.8, Secondary: 8.8.4.4). This often resolves the "Offline" error caused by the camera being unable to resolve the Google cloud server addresses.
• Perform a Factory Reset: Locate the small reset button on the back or bottom of the camera. Press and hold it for 10-15 seconds until the light ring flashes yellow/white. You will need to set the camera up as a new device in the app, which clears any corrupted firmware flags.

Heads Up

• Avoid placing the camera directly on top of a microwave or within 3 feet of a cordless phone base, as these emit interference on the same 2.4GHz frequency used by the camera.
• Ensure you are using the original power adapter provided in the box. Using third-party USB blocks with inconsistent voltage can cause the Wi-Fi chip to brown out and disconnect while the status light remains on.
• If you use a VPN on your mobile phone, disable it when checking the camera status, as some VPNs block the local discovery protocol needed to see "Online" status.
• Keep your router firmware updated. Google frequently updates the Nest ecosystem, and outdated router security protocols (like old WPA versions) can cause intermittent drops.