look mom, no cloud
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  2. Video doorbells
  3. Google

Does the Google Nest Doorbell (battery) work without internet?

No. The Google Nest Doorbell (battery) phones home to Google for everything it does, and there is no known way to stop it.

Verdict · as sold

Cloud required

Phones home for everything, and there’s no known firmware that stops it.

Checked
7/7 checked
Brand
Google · US
Model
Nest Doorbell (battery)
Released
2021
Home Assistant
nest · vendor cloud: always
Track record
Has pulled local control before

Seven questions, as sold.

7 of 7 checked. Every yes or no links to its source and the date it was checked. Nothing here assumes a flash: that’s the next section.

  1. Works with the internet cut 01 · No

    Does the main function survive with the WAN cable pulled?

    Google states an offline doorbell cannot stream live video or save video to the cloud; the on-device buffer (about one hour of events) is uploaded on reconnection and is not viewable offline.

    source: support.google.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  2. No vendor account needed 02 · No

    Can it be set up without creating an account with the manufacturer?

    The tech specs say it "Requires the Google Home app and a Google Account".

    source: store.google.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  3. Documented local API 03 · No

    Is there a publicly documented local protocol: HTTP, MQTT, ONVIF, RTSP, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Modbus?

    The only documented programmatic access is the cloud Smart Device Management API (GenerateWebRtcStream); no RTSP, ONVIF or local endpoint is documented.

    source: developers.google.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  4. Can be firewalled off for good 04 · No

    Can it be cut off from the internet permanently without anything breaking?

    Cut off from Google the doorbell cannot stream or record beyond its one-hour upload buffer.

    source: support.google.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  5. Firmware updates without the cloud 05 · No

    Can it be updated by hand, with no forced auto-update?

    Google states the doorbell updates automatically over the internet and "Manual updates aren't available".

    source: support.google.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  6. Runs alternative firmware 06 · No

    Can it run ESPHome, Tasmota, OpenBeken, Valetudo or OpenIPC?

    No Google or Nest hardware on the Thingino supported list; none on OpenIPC's SoC list.

    source: raw.githubusercontent.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation
  7. Home Assistant talks to it locally 07 · No

    Is the Home Assistant integration local_push or local_polling?

    iot_class: cloud_push

    source: github.com verified 2026-09-22 vendor documentation

Already own one? Into Home Assistant, then.

A different question from the verdict. Home Assistant can talk to a device locally and still need Google’s servers to get started, or for good. This is what the integration itself needs.

Yes, but through Google. The integration talks to Google's servers rather than to the Google Nest Doorbell (battery) itself, so it only works while Google keeps those servers up.

Route
Built-in integration
Integration
nest
Vendor cloud
Always
Verified
2026-09-22

The core integration uses Google's Smart Device Management API and Cloud Pub/Sub; setup requires a Google Cloud project, a paid Device Access project and OAuth. Live view is a WebRTC stream brokered by Google's servers. Nothing is local.

How to set it up → source: home-assistant.io

Question 08 · the company

Google’s track record.

This company has taken local control away from devices people already owned. Each incident below links to its source.

  • Google announced the end of the Works with Nest programme and the Nest API, the only third-party route to Nest devices. After the backlash it kept existing connections alive but stopped accepting new ones on 2019-08-31, so a device already owned could no longer be linked to a new Home Assistant install. Source
  • All remaining Works with Nest connections were switched off. Google's own support page states that as of this date WWN connections no longer work; the replacement (SDM API via Works with Google Home) is cloud-only and requires migrating to a Google account. Source
  • 1st and 2nd generation Nest Learning Thermostats were unpaired from the Nest and Home apps. Remote control, third-party assistants, Home/Away Assist and multi-device Eco control were removed; only on-device control and the local schedule keep working. Source

Editor’s note

In plain words.

Without internet the doorbell buffers about one hour of events in its own memory and then stops; nothing is viewable until it reconnects and uploads to Google. A Google Account and the Google Home app are mandatory, updates are automatic and cloud only, and Home Assistant reaches it through Google's paid Device Access API. No local route, no alternative firmware.

Wrong? Probably somewhere.

Say where. A link and a sentence is enough. Every claim above carries its source so it can be checked.

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