Nest App says offline but thermostat is connected

[RBurke]

The Nest App on my phone shows the Thermostat as "Offline",  losing my ability to control the thermostat from  my phone. On the thermostat, it shows the app is connected and the wi-fi is connected. 

I have done re-sets on the thermostat, I have removed and re-installed the thermostat from the app, I have uninstalled and re-installed the app.  It connects for about 15-20 mins then goes "offline" again. 

#3rdGen

[CoolingWizard]

@RBurke , 

What you need to understand is that your App connects to the thermostat via the Google Nest Cloud server. That the Nest Thermostat and the Nest App talk to each other via the Google Nest Server.  They do not directly connect to each other.  When the App it saying it cannot see the thermostat, and the Nest thermostat display can see the server, there is a a problem with your app itself. 

I cannot stress enough. It is  seldom necessary to factory reset the Nest Thermostat once it is operational.  

AC Cooling Wizard

[RBurke]

Ok so how do I remedy that? I have Uninstalled and reinstalled the app. Not sure what else I can do. Live with it?

[CoolingWizard]

Sometimes we have discovered that a customer has added some type of antivirus or other special malware protection software on their smartphone and it is this software blocking the communications.  For the most part, this problem lies with your smart phone and the app. This is stated because the Nest Thermostat display has access to the nest cloud server through your home network.  So if your Nest Thermostat display is attaining outdoor temperature, it is reaching the server.   

AC Cooling Wizard

[RBurke]

What anti-virus software have you found interferes with the app connectivity? I do not believe that is the issue because it does occasionally connect but then disconnects. Are there log files I can look at somewhere? This is a recent issue, something has changed somewhere but as of  now the app is useless to me. 

How can I debug this issue to get it functional again?

[CoolingWizard]

@RBurke ,

this all depends on your local area network and your ISP router or modem. You need an IT specialist you look at the logs of the gateway/modem to see if any TCP ports or connection requests are being denied or blocked.  You can isolate the smartphone by its IP address assigned and search the log for that day.  The time to check the log is on the day that the smartphone connects and then looses the connection. Check the logs to see if there are any disconnections for the “remote” end or if the disconnection was from the source end.  

AC Cooling Wizard

[RBurke]

So you are actually suggesting this is an issue with my router or ISP provider rather than an issue with Nest? Luck would have it I am an IT professional so I will look at those logs. I would prefer to look at the app logs because this is where the issue is presented. 

[CoolingWizard]

@RBurke ,

The app reports that is offline but that is not necessarily the app that caused it.  It can be that the remote connection for some reason was terminated or reset. Since you are, as you say, and IT profession you should already how to check the logs in the NAT of your modem or ISP gateway. And how to isolate the log files and deduce the port being used by the app, determine the connection request and the connection results including disconnection and rests.  By  the way I am a Cisco CCIT from the ‘70s

AC Cooling Wizard

[RBurke]

As an IT professional, I would look at APP LOGS for an app that is not functioning as expected. This is where to start. App logs should catch network errors as well and would point to the issue.