Delays in Nest Thermostat in detecting away

[thegios]

I have a Nest Thermostat 3rd Gen (so fully controlled by Nest app) and a Nest Camera fully controlled by Google Home app. The Google Home app can also control partially the thermostat (but I cannot set schedule and other parameters, must do on Neat app).

I also have two phones: mine and my wife's, both configured exactly in the same way as follows. 

 

In Nest app Use Phone Location is on, synced automatically with Home app (see below: if in Neat app Inturn this option off, it turns automatically off also in Home app, and the other way around).

Each single phone is instead set to off, because this is controlled by Home app: from what I understand, once use phone location is on, I can use which app (Nest or Home) must act based on each phone's actual location. Since Home app has more options, I have been told to set phone off in Nest app and on in Home app (see next).

 In home app, use phone location is obviously on (synced with same setting on Neat app) and each single phone is set to on (of I set this to off in Home app, it turns automatically on on Nest app, but as I said I have been told to keep it on on Home app).

Question 1: is this correct?

Now, thermostat is set to turn off when no one is home and on when someone is home, and camera the other way around (on.when no one home and off when someone is home).

Yet, when we both leave home, while the camera turn immediately on, the thermostat takes 1h to go off.

I have realized that when we are both outside, in less than 5 minutes the status of both phones in Home app is set to away, the camera is turned on but thermostat stays on. If I open the Nest thermostat the status of both phones is still at home, it takes 1h for Neat app to align phones status to away like in Home app and eventually turn off the thermostat.

Question 2: is this normal? AmI doing something wrong?

Thx

[thegios]

Anyone here who can confirm if it's the correct configuration?

Here's what happened today.

We both left home at 08.00 came back at 10.00 and left again at 10.40.

Both phones now are away in Home app but while in my wife's activity list I see left at 0.800 came back at 10.00 and left at 10.40, on my phone under activity list I only see left at 10.40, so it seems that my phone was not detected away at 08.00.

[Badstar25]

Hello Thégios,
I don't know if you remember the routine problem with the 2024 cameras we both had, but I've been having the exact same problem for several days now...
Are you no longer having the problem with your cameras?
Thank you.

[Badstar25]

This was the problem:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Cameras-and-Doorbells/At-Home-routine-not-working-properly/td...

I sent an email here:
#
For you, it will be this one:
#

[thegios]

Yep I do remember 😀

Those problems disappeared: all had been working fine for days.

The problem I am having now, but I've always had, is that the phones are correctly detected as away BUT

1. The away routine is not run

2. House remain At Home

2. The camera turns on

3. The thermostat remains on

As a matter if fact while Goggle Home app says I am away, the Nest app says I am at home.

Then after 1h the away routine magically runs, house is set to Away and in neat app phone is set to away.

Today it was even worst: in Google home app, while my wife's phone was correctly detected as away at 08.00 at home at 10.30 and away at 10.40, my phone was not detected away at 07.00 but only at 10.40

I am not sure if the problem is in the interaction between Google home app and neat app: as I said you have to choose which app controls the phone's away/home status, and since I have thermostat, camera, speaker in Google app I chose this one.

It's a mess!!!

[Badstar25]

The problem is probably still coming from their servers, like last time 😞
I've tried everything on my end, and nothing works. However, like you, the Nest app clearly sees that I left my home and came back...
I don't use the Google Home app.

[Badstar25]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Nest/comments/1jmxpta/anyone_else_having_homeaway_assist_issues/

[thegios]

Oh well today left home at 10.00 and came back 1h later yet no activity has been detected

[thegios]

Do you have an Android or an iphone?

Today my wife left home early but I stayed home.

Then she came back and we both left.

My Google home app shows nothing

While my wife's shows both activitie

[thegios]

@Badstar25 
I think I found the source of the problem, but not the solution.

This morning wife left home at 07:45.
I called wife at 08:30 and the situation in google home app was:
- myself: phone status at home, house status at home, activity list empty

- wife:  phone status away, house status at home, activity list one entry as away at 07:45

I left home at 12:30.

I called wife at 13:20 and the situation in google home app was:

- myself: phone status away, house status at home, activity list empty

- wife:  phone status away, house status at home, activity list one entry as away at 07:45
Then at 13:25 I refreshed on my google home app the activity list and suddenly one entry as away appeared but at 13:25 (so at refresh time>) and not at 12:30 when I actually left home, yet house status was still away:

- myself: phone status away, house status at home, activity list one entry as away at 13:25 (instead of 12:30)

- wife:  phone status away, house status at home, activity list one entry as away at 07:45

I arrived home at 13:30 and looking at activity list on my phone at 13:35 I still couldn't find an entry as at home at 13:30 while phone status was at home, house was still at home:

- myself: phone status at home, house status at home, activity list one entry as away at 13:25 (instead of 12:30)

- wife:  phone status away, house status at home, activity list one entry as away at 07:45

So at 13:40 I refreshed the activity list and suddenly the entry as at home apperaed but at 13:40 that is when I refreshed and not when I actually arrived

- myself: phone status at home, house status at home, activity list one entry as away at 13:25 (instead of 12:30) and one entry as at home at 13:40 (instead of 13:30)

- wife:  phone status away, house status at home, activity list one entry as away at 07:45

So problem seems to be the activity list in google home app that is not being updated unless >I manually refresh it.

[thegios]

@Badstar25 any news on your side?

[Badstar25]

Hello, the problem has been resolved for 48 hours by the Google teams!

[thegios]

Well yes and no.

Thermostat is now detecting correctly home and away, but it takes 1h to detect I'm away

[Badstar25]

At least, it's working again for me, and Google posted a message on Reddit 😉
See you next time 😛