How to Fix Nest Sensor That Is Not Connecting

Google is a well-known brand worldwide. However, did you know they sell devices? Nest is owned by Google! In this article, let’s learn how to fix Nest Sensor that is not connecting.

What is the Nest Sensor?

Google designed a nifty little gadget to balance your home’s temperature. By using sensors and spreading them out throughout the house, the Nest Thermostat can regulate the home’s temperature as needed.

Keep in mind that you do need to have a Nest Thermostat in order for the sensors to work correctly. A maximum of six Nest Sensors can be used with one thermostat. Meaning you can spread it throughout your home in six locations.

How do Nest Sensors work?

Plenty of technology tends to work by building a connection via WiFi. However, that means it won’t work if the WiFi is down. Furthermore, it can also cost more for companies to produce, thus, charging the customers more.

Though the Nest Thermostat does use WiFi to connect with the Nest app to allow users to change the temperature at any time, the Nest Sensors do not connect through WiFi.

Instead, they connect wirelessly through the “Thread” protocol. The protocol uses low-power wireless radio signals to allow open communication between the devices.

It connects the sensors to the thermostat without the use of WiFi, as it is a mesh network connection. Therefore, even with no WiFi, the sensors will continue to send signals to your Nest Thermostat.

Nest Sensor

Nest Sensor Disconnecting

Technology isn’t perfect; you are bound to run into some issues here and there. There are a few ways to fix Nest sensor that is not connecting. A reset can work wonders, but there are other things you can try before resorting to that.

Below, you will find step-by-step instructions on how to fix Nest sensor that is not connecting to the Nest Thermostat. Let’s get started.

Reasons Nest Sensor Is Offline

It can be quite frustrating when your devices randomly don’t work to go offline. Luckily, Nest has you covered and will send you a push notification to notify you when your sensors are offline.

You might notice that the room’s temperature might be uncomfortable without the sensors. And sensors offline will no longer show up on the Nest app.

Interference, distance, and lack of signal can all cause the Nest Sensors to disconnect from the thermostat. Routers and other devices that emit signals can cause interference because of the radio frequencies they emit.

Avoid placing your sensor near any devices, at least 3ft or more apart, to make sure that is not what causes the problem. Since Thread connection links the sensors with the thermostat, even a minor disruption can alter the connection.

Furthermore, the battery being low can also be a culprit. A stable connection cannot be established if the battery is low. The Nest App will alert you once the battery levels are particularly low.

Distance

You should not have your sensor be extremely far from the Nest Thermostat. The distance can keep the connection from being able to establish. Especially since walls, doors, and other things can block the signal from reaching the thermostat.

Try bringing the sensors closer to your thermostat if it is failing to connect. If it still does not work, try resetting your Nest Sensor.

Resetting Nest Sensors

To fix Nest Sensor that is not connecting, you can try resetting them. The reset process is simple and relatively easy; start by removing the battery from the sensors.

Make sure the batteries have enough power. Replacing the sensors with low batteries will not fix the problem. After you remove them, wait around 5 minutes before placing the battery back.

Now you can open the Nest App and check if the Nest Sensors are connected. If it isn’t back after it has been reset, you will have to remove and re-install the device once again.

Start by removing the battery from the Nest Sensor and launching the Nest App. Then open the “Menu” option located on the top-left side of the screen.

Select the sensor you want to reset, be careful if you have more than one. Then remove the sensor, and place the battery back inside. Lastly, you have to add your sensor to the app once again.

Connecting Nest Sensors To App

After removing your Nest Sensor from the app, you now have to add it once again to the Nest App and make the connection. To do so, follow the steps below:

First, launch the Nest App on your phone, select the “settings” icon, and then click on the “Add” button. Locate the sensor’s QR code on the battery pull tab. 

You will be prompted to launch your camera and aim it at the QR code. Once it scans, the device will connect to your account. Then you need to tug on the battery pull tab to activate and turn on the device.

You can now place it wherever you wish. It would be best if you put it in an area where there is a lot of foot traffic and people spend time in a lot. Then name the sensor, such as “kitchen” or “master bedroom.”

Final Thoughts

Overall, using Nest Sensors can aid your Nest Thermostat in keeping the temperature in your home perfect. It is an excellent investment and high-quality, mainly because Google manufactures it.

Yet, at times, it can disconnect and cause you issues. There are a couple of things that might interfere with the connection. Try resetting, changing the battery, or even calling the Google Nest support line to fix it.