How to Troubleshoot Google Nest Hello Doorbell Error NC033

This weekend after successfully installing a Google Nest WiFi network after overcoming a few issues, I moved on to my Google Nest Hello Doorbell. While I was able to finish this installation in the same day, it did encounter a major issue near the end.

After locating my doorbell’s transistor to verify that the doorbell was compatible, I followed the instructions on the Nest app to install the sensor in my doorbell’s chime mechanism and then replace the doorbell itself. However, I got stuck near the end of the process, when the Nest app tries to connect to the doorbell and configure it on my WiFi network.

The setup came up with an error “Your camera couldn’t connect to another Nest product in your home to finish the setup process” with an error code of NC033. Unfortunately, this error code does not show up in Nest’s official Nestcam error code troubleshooting guide. However, it’s pretty much the same as NC030.

The troubleshooting for this error advises you to ensure that your mobile device with the Nest app is on the same WiFi network to which you want to connect your doorbell. That wasn’t much help for me, because my iPhone was definitely on that network. Turns out, this is a somewhat common bug with one of two workarounds.

How to Fix Google Nest Hello Doorbell Setup Error NC033

Workaround 1: Remove any spaces or dashes from your WiFi’s SSID

Apparently, the Nest app on the iPhone or iPad has a bug where it does not play nice with a WiFi SSID that has spaces or dashes. Mine had a dash in it. However, with so many other devices already set up on that SSID, I did not feel it was worth changing it. So, workaround 2:

Workaround 2: Restart Setup Using an Android Device

Luckily, I still had my older Android phone. I connected it to the WiFi network and installed the Nest App. This time, setup completed without any issue. For some reason, the Android version of the Nest App has no issues with the SSID name.

Now you know how to work around this mysterious new error that shows up on some iOS devices when trying to set up the Google Nest Hello Doorbell!