Out of town when landlord changed wifi

[The_Driver]

I'm out of state for the summer, and my landlord has changed our wifi system and a new SSID.

I can get a friend into my apt to update the Nest thermostat and connect it with the new wifi.

But will the thermostat then automatically reconnect with the Home app where I am?

[MplsCustomer]

@The_Driver 

I think you will need to be physically present to update your thermostat's Wi-Fi. Updating Wi-Fi settings for Google Nest devices is always a challenge, so much so that their first recommendation is to set the network name (SSID) and password on a new router/modem to the same values used on the old router/modem--something not possible in your case.

This is Google Nest's Help page:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9223192

[The_Driver]

Thank you for that. And the link is great.

Still, I think my friend can update the thermostat for me. His process should be pretty simple, because the old wifi is gone, so the stat is not connected. Goggle's instructions in that case say to simply choose another SSID on the stat, then put in the new password.

My question involves regaining control of that thermostat by my Home app where I am out of state....will reconnecting the stat with the internet automatically reconnect it with my app? Will I be able to control it with my app?

[MplsCustomer]

@The_Driver 

We have other Google Nest devices, but not a thermostat.

But that's the part--reinstalling it in the Google Home app and regaining control--that I think you have to be physically present for. That's the impression I have from reading other thermostat posts.

Perhaps a customer with thermostat experience can chime in on your situation.

[The_Driver]

Thanks, that's the feeling I get from Google's answers.

I wonder if my friend can add my thermostat to his Home app, then share that device with me.

[MplsCustomer]

@The_Driver 

Or perhaps you can temporarily add your friend to your Google Nest "household", and they can then add/install the thermostat.

[The_Driver]

Hmmmm, that might work....

Thanks again for taking the time to ponder my circumstance!

[Markjosephp]

Hello folks,

I wanted to stop by and see how I could help.

Thanks for the input, @MplsCustomer.

@The_Driver, in addition to what was shared above, referencing the article about changing the Nest Thermostat Wi-Fi network. A Factory reset may be applied to establish the new connection only if prompted to do so. Also, inviting you as a home member is possible but won't allow you to maximize all its controls. It would be better if you could share your account with your friend for the setup, as it is only needed to install the Google Home app and sign in with your credentials. Then, as soon as the setup is complete, you can regain full access.

Let us know if you have more questions.

Regards,
Mark

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi The_Driver,

Chiming in — do you still need help? Please let me know, as I'll be willing to assist you further. 

I appreciate the help, @MplsCustomer and Mark.

Best,

Jenelyn

[The_Driver]

Thank you for responding, Mark and now Jenelyn!

I've resolved the problem, and, of course, it was my friend who did all the work!

I added him to that household. He did a manual factory reset on the thermostat, but then had no success adding the thermostat back into the household. After some thought, he figured the thermostat must need bluetooth to communicate with his phone, so he turned it on, and voilà, there it was and there was our new wifi SSID to select. And it immediately showed up in my app four states away from home.

Life is now good again.

Neither my friend nor I found even a hint about bluetooth in any of the material we could find about communicating with a thermostat that has been factory reset.

Doug, The_Driver

[Markjosephp]

Hello Doug,

Sounds great! I'm glad to hear it was set up successfully. It looks like we can consider this one complete, unless I can help out with anything else. If you come across this and need more help with your thermostat, feel free to create a new post.

Regards,
Mark