Nest : please attach to base

[Alexis22]

I have had my nest for a year but this winter it is not working. It randomly states please attach to base and will shut down to save energy at random times. In the middle of the night it some how got detached from the base and i woke up to 50F while its 11F outside. This not okay. I would like some answers as to why this would happen and how to fix it. I obviously have tried reattaching it to the base, that is not working.

[Elm18]

Any luck getting this fixed?  I had the same problem.  Went to bed last night and I turned up the temp because it was got very cold and I wanted the house to stay at 65.  Woke up this morning and it was 50. Nest was off with red light blinking.  I had to short the wires to get my boiler heating again.  I charged on USB and I get message "Please attach the display to its base"  When I attach it tells me to remove and reattach. I tried resetting a few times.  Any ideas?

[Alexis22]

I charged it using a USB for about 7 hours and that fixed the problem. It was so dead that it would alternate between 'shutting down to save power and 'please attach the display to its base". I did fidget with some of the wires to make sure they were as flat as possible, but I still don't understand how it became detached from the base. It has been working fine for about a week now. Best of luck with your nest.

[Akhileshrao]

Same issue here. Any fix?

[Tipwynn]

Having the same issue. Anyone can help?

[Naz_]

I am having same issue. While on usb charge, it says attach to base. When I attach it to base, nothing happens and tapping won’t turn on. it’s low 50’s inside. Any help would be appreciated.

[Elm18]

@Naz_ 

I had no luck getting this fixed.  I was going to order a replacement battery but the reviews were horrible. Someone suggested I get an alternate power source for the next but I did not do this.  I broke down and purchased another wifi / programmable brand thermostat.  Nest is off my list.  I honestly don't think it saved me much money if you compare it to the cost.  If you do solve the problem please follow up here.

[Tipwynn]

Any fix?

[Elm18]

Not yet..  Its very frustrating. 

[Naz_]

The issue was battery for me. when it was charging, it would say connect to the wall. When I connected to the wall, it would not work. I ordered a battery from Amazon (less than $15) and replaced it myself (took about 20-30 minutes as I wasn't being slow and cautious). After I replaced the battery, it has been working fine since. I hope this helps.

[Ryanb3]

I'm also running into this same problem now. I let it charge for about an hour hoping that might help, but keep getting the same error telling me to disconnect and reattach to the base. I even plugged it into a second base in the house (downstairs thermostat which is still working fine) and got the same error. It's a new construction house that we've been in for 3 years, and we've had to already replace both thermostats once for different issues (luckily both under warranty) but now this second replacement is no longer under warranty and I need to buy a new one. Something about a 1.5 year lifespan doesn't seem right for such an expensive device. I've read good things about Ecobee, so I may consider getting one of those instead.

[Naz_]

The issue was battery for me. when it was charging, it would say connect to the wall. When I connected to the wall, it would not work. I ordered a battery from Amazon (less than $15) and replaced it myself (took about 20-30 minutes as I wasn't being slow and cautious). After I replaced the battery, it has been working fine since. I hope this helps.

[Ryanb3]

Thanks! I'll have to give this a shot if I need to hook it up anywhere else as I've already gotten a new thermostat (not nest this time). I needed something connected right away since we didn't have any heat upstairs without one. I suppose I could have gotten a cheap one temporarily until I replaced the battery, but I wasn't sure it was even fixable, and I've had so many problems with them already I decided to just go with a different brand entirely. I got Honeywell this time, so I guess we'll see what happens! Definitely some pros and cons to the switch so far.

[Answerus]

Hello Google please explain why all of these customers buy your nest thermostat faithfully and yall can't find a solution or the audacity to even reply to at least 1 post . It's ridiculous.  Can you please join the community and help ya folks (us) out  becuz clearly i dont have extra funds just to buy another 1 and u havent tried helpin us fix this issue. A 2nd time shame on us.. is what I gather thus far haha

[Mel5]

I have three of these and the replacement for one that lost its WiFi has this same problem. So do the replacement they sent me for the replacement. What a huge waste of money.

[Markjosephp]

Hello folks,

Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your inquiry. I'd love to know more about this.

Could you provide more details about what happened? What specific type of Nest Thermostat is this? Also, could you provide a rundown of all the steps you've tried?

I'll look forward to your response.

Regards,

Mark

[Elm18]

Hi Mark,

If you haven't already take a look over the whole thread.  I think some of what you are asking might be answered.

[Mel5]

Hey Mark,

Nest Gen 3 learning. Steps I tried? everything on this forum, what I could find on Youtube and 2 hours chatting with Nest support. For the problem with the unit not charging which sometimes puts you in a loop of “remove from base and then reinstall from base” I had a hunch and replaced the base with the one that came in the warranty box - that fixed it! 

Googling around I found that it’s a common problem - but one Nest Support does not tell me about.  Some other owners with the problem believe the thermostats are just too lightly made to handle occasional power surges.  

[Elm18]

Sorry forgot to add in another link with similar issues and more info.  Have a look here...

[Mel5]

PS - the base is no longer available from Google/Nest as a replacement part. Once out of warranty try Honeywell?

[Markjosephp]

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry to hear you're having an issue with your Nest Thermostat displaying the message report. Please give these steps a try:

1. Make sure that the wires are flat on the base.
   1. Detach the thermostat from its base and check that the wires lay flat on the base. Otherwise, the wires may be pushing the thermostat away from the base, causing the message.
2. Loosen the screws on the base.
   1. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws of the base by a half or quarter of a (counterclockwise) turn. This should help if the base is screwed too tightly to the wall.
3. Make sure the thermostat display is properly seated.
   1. Check the Nest thermostat from the side. If the white plastic from the thermostat base is visible around any of the edges, the Nest display isn't seated properly. In this case, reseat the display.
   2. If the display doesn’t go any further, detach it from the base and check for loose wires or other obstructions that could cause the display to push away from the base.
4. Inspect the 20-pin connector for any visible damage. Check both the male and female ends of the base and display.
5. If you have other Nest thermostats with the same version, try swapping their displays.
6. Reseat the wires. 
   1. Turn off the power to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and reseat all the wires.
7. Perform a battery disconnect.
   1. Remove the thermostat display from the base.
8. Perform a hard restart on the thermostat.
   1. Press and hold the screen for 10 seconds until it shuts down to refresh. (Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Thermostat E)
   2. Remove the batteries for at least 2 minutes before plugging them back in. (Nest Thermostat 2020).

Let us know it goes.

Regards,

Mark

[Markjosephp]

Hey there,

I'm checking back in. Were you able to do the steps above? I'd be glad to hear from you — I'd like to make sure everything is working.

Thanks,
Mark