Nest thermostat power and wifi errors

[glono]

We can't get our 2 nest thermostats 1st gen to work 😞  They don't call heat and throw n260 and other power and wifi errors. We have a 2 wire heating only system with 2 zones - no c wire - so our electrician put nest power connectors on both zones. We've contacted Nest Support several times and gone through lots of troubleshooting steps ...which have been focused on the wifi router angle. We also looked into OnTech but I guess they don't do Nest thermostat installation services in our area.

We're just about ready to throw in the towel...but decided we'd try asking around again for a nest pro. In the meantime, 3 questions ...

1.  Here is a picture of the zone controller panel where the electrician installed the 2 power connectors. It's all spaghetti to me. Can anyone tell if they are installed correctly (zones 2 and 3 are living areas, zone 1 is marked "SS" - not sure what it refers to)

2. We found a help post that mentioned adding a 24vac transformer. It was totally over our heads. Can anyone explain this potential solution a little more? Also, we have something on the zone control panel that says 24vac...do we already have this base covered?

3. We put put our old thermostats (programmable but not smart) back on with the nest power connectors still on. They work. Is it a bad idea to leave the next power connectors on (trying to avoid another electrician visit)??

Any help greatly appreciated 🙏 

[RenzJ]

Hi glono,

Thanks for posting here in the Google Nest Community forum. We're sorry for the trouble this may have caused you. Let's see what's going on. Based on the photo you sent us, it was wired correctly. But we suggest using the wire connectors that come with the Nest Power Connector.

Our Nest Thermostat is compatible with 24 VAC HVAC systems. The Nest Power Connector will act like a common wire on your system, you can leave it as it is even if you’re using a regular programmable thermostat.

 Also, Could you tell us the case ID from the interaction with our support team so I can take a closer look?

I look forward to your response.

Best,

Renz 
 

[glono]

Thank you for responding! I had several interactions with support - very nice but I ran out of time each time and had to jump off. Case IDs are 8-0121000034811 and 0-2305000034484.

I'm glad to hear the connectors can stay on. Would love to figure these out. 

[RenzJ]

Hello glon,

Thanks for the update. I’ve reviewed the case ID, we’ll need to check the voltage coming out of the wires. Do you have a multimeter?

I also need a couple of other pieces of information to get a closer look into this. Follow the steps below:

1. Gather Nest Thermostat power readings in Settings > Technical Info. (VOC, VIN, LIN, and battery level)
2. Send us a photo of the Nest Thermostat wiring and control board wiring.

Best,

Renz

[glono]

Hi,

Thanks for the help! Sorry, we don't have a multimeter. Here are pictures from the Nest installed upstairs/zone 3:

wiring

• thermostat wiring
• zone controller on furnace

settings > equipment

• VOC, VIN, LIN
• wiring screen
• power connector status

battery

• battery status
• voltage and impedance

networking

• networking status
• connected can control thermostat

error messages

• equipment screen message
• no power
• wifi disconnected

Nest/Zone 2 

• wiring
• VOC, VIN, LIN
• battery voltage and impedance  (battery status: Good)
• Everything else is the same as the other Nest

[RenzJ]

Hi glono, 

This is great! Thanks for the complete details. We really appreciate all your efforts in trying to isolate the issue. The team would like to learn more about this. Please fill out this form and let us know when you’re finished. We’ll have someone reach out to you via email from there.

Cheers,

Renz

[RenzJ]

Hey glono,

We haven’t seen your form submission come through, were you able to access it alright? Let us know if you’re running into trouble or still need our help!

Regards,

Renz

[glono]

Hi, I submitted it earlier. Just resubmitted and got submitted confirmation screen.

[RenzJ]

Hello glono,

Thanks for filling up the form. I've checked your case, and I see here that you're already in communication with one of our support specialists. You may continue your conversation on that channel to avoid confusion.

Best,

Renz

[glono]

Which channel? I had 2 calls with Scott who sent follow up emails from the general support email. Do I just email back?

[Markjosephp]

Hi folks,

I'm barging in to make sure everything is covered here.

Thanks for looking into this, Renz.

@glono, to continue the process, feel free to reply back to the email you received from our team. It would be best if you could check our senior support's suggestion from the most recent email discussion you had with him on the 24th. Also, if a Nest Pro is not available in your area, any local HVAC technician who has expertise with Nest devices, including installations, will do so.

Don't hesitate to give us a shout if you have further questions.

Regards,
Mark