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First confirm the wall switch controlling the lamp is in the ON position. Smart bulbs need constant power — if the switch is off, the bulb can't respond. With the switch on, try unscrewing the bulb, waiting 10 seconds, and screwing it back in. It will pulse softly as it boots and reconnects.

The bulb has lost its Wi-Fi connection. Open Google Home, tap the bulb, and check if it shows Offline. Power-cycle it: turn the wall switch off for 10 seconds, then back on. It should reconnect within 30 seconds. If it stays offline, your Wi-Fi password may have changed — see Whole-Kit Issues below.

Check whether the wall switch is a dimmer switch. Physical dimmers interfere with smart bulbs and cause color failure or partial dimming. Replace any dimmer with a standard on/off switch. If the switch is already standard, open Google Home, tap the bulb, and confirm the color wheel and brightness slider appear. If they don't, contact support.

Flickering almost always has one of two causes: (1) a dimmer switch — replace it with a standard on/off switch, or (2) a loose bulb — turn power off at the wall and firmly screw the bulb in. If it still flickers with a standard switch and tight socket, the bulb may be defective. Contact us and we'll replace it.

Schedules and routines require the bulb to stay online. If the bulb is on but not following its schedule, check Google Home — if it shows offline, the bulb has lost Wi-Fi. Power-cycle it and confirm it reconnects. Also confirm your phone's Google Home app is running and has notification permissions enabled.

Unplug the smart plug from the wall, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in. The indicator light should turn solid green. Then test: toggle the plug off and on in the Google Home app and watch the light change. If the light responds but the device still won't power on, test that device in a regular outlet — the issue may be with the device itself, not the plug.

Check the indicator light. If it's completely off, the outlet has no power — try a different outlet. If the light is on but the plug is unresponsive, it's lost Wi-Fi. Unplug it, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. It will reconnect automatically within about a minute.

Our smart plugs handle up to 15 amps (about 1800 watts) — safe for lamps, fans, TVs, gaming consoles, and coffee makers. Do not use them with space heaters, window AC units, hair dryers, or any heating appliance over 1500W. Check the wattage label on your appliance if you're unsure.

This is usually the plug's overload protection triggering because the connected device is drawing more current than the plug can safely handle. Check the wattage of whatever is plugged in. If it's within range, contact support — the plug may have a firmware issue or be defective.

Confirm the camera has power — the indicator light should be on. If it's on but Google Home shows offline, the camera has lost Wi-Fi. Try moving it physically closer to your router. If it reconnects when closer, the camera is out of range at its current location and you need a Wi-Fi extender for that area. If it stays offline even close to the router, restart both the camera and your router.

Camera lag is almost always a Wi-Fi issue. Work through these in order: (1) Restart your router — unplug it for 30 seconds and plug it back in. (2) Confirm the camera is on your 2.4GHz network, not 5GHz — 2.4GHz has better range. (3) Check how many devices are streaming simultaneously — multiple cameras at once on a slow internet plan can hit your bandwidth limit.

Open Google Home, tap the camera, then tap the gear icon. Confirm 'Motion notifications' is toggled on. Then check your phone: on iPhone go to Settings > Google Home > Notifications > Allow. On Android go to Settings > Apps > Google Home > Notifications > On. If both are enabled and alerts still aren't coming through, re-draw the motion detection zone in camera settings.

Wipe the lens with a dry microfiber cloth — dust and smudges are the most common cause. Make sure the camera isn't pointed directly at a bright light source (a lamp, TV, or window at night), which confuses the auto night-mode sensor. If the image is grainy but not blurry, that's normal in very low light — add a small nightlight to the room to give the sensor more to work with.

Live view is always free in Google Home. For recorded history, you need a Google Nest Aware subscription — this is separate from OnGrid Care and managed through your Google account. Basic event clips (last 3 hours) are included free with some Nest devices. For full 24/7 history, a paid Nest Aware plan through Google is required.

Confirm the device has power — for wired doorbells, check that the doorbell wires are connected securely. For battery cameras, check the battery level in Google Home. If power is confirmed but it's still offline, the device is likely out of Wi-Fi range. Outdoor locations are often at the edge of coverage. Move it closer to the router temporarily to test — if it reconnects, you need a Wi-Fi extender near that location.

Check two things: (1) In Google Home — tap your doorbell, tap the gear icon, confirm 'Doorbell press notifications' is on. (2) On your phone — on iPhone: Settings > Google Home > Notifications > Allow. On Android: Settings > Apps > Google Home > Notifications. Also check if Do Not Disturb or Battery Saver mode is active on your phone — both can suppress alerts.

Wipe the camera lens with a clean microfiber cloth — outdoor cameras collect pollen, dust, and water spots quickly. Avoid paper towels or abrasive cleaners. If the image is still blurry after cleaning, check whether the camera is pointed into direct sunlight, which can wash out the image. If neither fixes it, the lens may be damaged — contact support.

Black and white night footage is normal — that's the infrared night vision working correctly. If the image is completely black (not grayscale), the IR LEDs may be blocked. Clean the lens and make sure no glass, plastic cover, or wall is within 6 inches of the front of the camera. If it's still black, the night vision sensor may be defective — contact support.

The chime volume is adjustable in Google Home. Tap your doorbell, then tap the gear icon, and look for 'Chime' or 'Indoor chime' settings. Also confirm at least one Google Home speaker or Nest Hub in your house is set to announce doorbell presses — this is set in the doorbell's settings under 'Linked chimes.' If you have a traditional wired chime box, verify the doorbell wires are providing the correct voltage.

The two sensor pieces need to sit within about half an inch of each other when the door is fully closed. Open the door, look at both pieces, and confirm they're aligned. If the gap between them is too wide when closed, peel off one piece and reposition it closer. The arrows or alignment marks on the sides should face each other. Once repositioned, open and close the door — the LED should blink each time the magnet separates.

Offline almost always means a dead or near-dead battery. Replace it with a fresh CR2032 coin cell battery — available at any drugstore, hardware store, or pharmacy. After replacing, the sensor reconnects to Google Home within 60 seconds. You'll also get a low-battery warning in Google Home before it fully dies, so replace it promptly when that alert appears.

With normal use (a door that opens 10-20 times per day), the battery lasts 12-24 months. High-traffic doors drain it faster. You'll get a 'Low battery' alert in Google Home when it's time — keep a pack of CR2032 batteries at home so you can swap it immediately when the alert comes.

No reset needed. Peel both pieces off their current surfaces and clean any adhesive residue with rubbing alcohol. Apply fresh 3M Command strips to both pieces and mount them on the new door, making sure the two pieces align within half an inch when the door is closed. The sensor keeps its Google Home connection and room assignment automatically.

Random false triggers usually mean the two sensor pieces are at the edge of detection range — close enough to sometimes connect but not reliably. Reposition one piece so they sit closer together (a quarter inch or less is ideal). Also check if the door or window shifts in wind or temperature changes — even small movement can break the magnetic connection and trigger the sensor.

Check the microphone mute switch on the back of the Hub. When muted, an orange indicator light shows on the front. Slide the switch to unmute. If the mic is on and it still won't respond, swipe down on the Hub screen to confirm it's connected to Wi-Fi. If offline, bring it closer to your router. If it's online and the mic is on, restart it by unplugging the power cable for 30 seconds.

Hold the volume up and volume down buttons on the back of the Hub simultaneously for about 10 seconds. The screen will go black and restart. This soft reset does not erase your settings, device connections, or room assignments. If the Hub freezes repeatedly, it may need a software update — connect it to Wi-Fi and leave it plugged in overnight; updates install automatically.

The Hub shows devices from your Google Home account. Open Google Home on your phone and confirm all your devices appear there. If they do but the Hub isn't showing them, restart the Hub. Make sure the Hub is signed into the same Google account as your phone — swipe down on the Hub screen and tap your account avatar to check. If accounts match and devices still don't appear, contact support.

Say 'Hey Google, show me the [exact camera name].' The name must match exactly what it's called in Google Home. If it still won't show, open Google Home and confirm the camera is online. Camera feeds can't be displayed on the Hub if the camera is offline. Also confirm the Hub and camera are in the same Google Home structure — cameras in a different home aren't accessible.

Open Google Home, tap Automations or Routines, and confirm your routines are active (not paused). Check the trigger — for time-based routines, confirm the Hub's time is correct (swipe down to check the clock). If a routine is set to run on a specific speaker and you've changed your device setup, re-assign the routine to the correct speaker in the routine settings.

Multiple simultaneous dropouts are almost always caused by your home Wi-Fi, not the devices themselves. Restart your router: unplug it for 60 seconds, then plug it back in. Wait 5 full minutes for everything to reconnect before concluding anything is still offline. If most devices come back but a few don't, those specific devices are likely out of Wi-Fi range — see the device-specific sections above.

This is the most common cause of a whole kit going dark. Do not attempt to reset each device individually — that will erase your room assignments. Instead, contact us. We'll guide you through reconnecting the Nest Hub to your new network, which then pushes the updated credentials to the rest of your devices automatically. This process usually takes 15-20 minutes with our guidance.

Moving is exactly what our reprogramming service covers. Contact us before or right after your move. We'll update your Google Home with your new Wi-Fi credentials, re-assign devices to their new rooms, and rename anything that changed. OnGrid Care+ includes one free reprogramming per year. OnGrid Care and no-plan customers can add reprogramming for a flat fee.

You can add devices anytime through the builder on our site or by contacting us directly. New devices ship pre-configured to your existing Google Home — plug them in and they appear automatically. OnGrid Care customers get 5% off add-ons; Care+ customers get 10% off.

The Google account signed into Google Home doesn't match the account your kit was configured for. Open Google Home, tap the profile icon, and check which account is active. It should be the Gmail address you provided when you built your kit. Switch to the correct account and all your devices will reappear. If you've lost access to that Gmail account, contact us and we can reconfigure your home to a new account.