Software update download fails

[fish_sauce]

Installed two new Nest Thermostats. No issues with install. Both thermostats connected to wifi and controllable in Home app.

Issue is both thermostats say there is a software update available, but when I initiate the download I get this message after about 5 seconds: "Download failed. Device will try again later." It has been one week.

There are no other error messages. Current software version is 1.0-14

I read elsewhere that software downloads will not initiate if battery voltage is low. The battery voltage for both thermostats is 3.22v. I don't know what it is supposed to be.

[nadeaupa]

Same issue but software version is 1.0-6.  Any help would be great.

[SSavage]

Having the same issue. Just installed yesterday and thermostat recognizes new software version but get ‘download failed, device will try again later’ error. 

[MrLou]

I'm having the same issue as well, just installed on Saturday, everything fine, tstat is getting enough power as I have c wire connected and batteries are reading good, but it says update is available and when I go to download just says  "Download failed. Device will try again later." I am on version 1.0-14

[Roysail]

I am having the same issue where it attempts to download and then stops after about 5 seconds. I may just go back to a Honeywell WiFi thermostat as I already have one of those for another zone. I thought I try a Nest thermostat as I have other Nest products that installed easily and worked. This thermostat has been difficult to get through the installation. Not at all impressed with this device. 

[Roysail]

I spent a couple of hours with Google chat support trying to resolve the download issue and finally gave up. The thermostat won’t even connect to the phone anymore. Going to return it Lowes and get another Vendor. Too bad, the Nest smoke detectors and doorbell were extremely easy to install. 

[Roysail]

I just tried the Update again after resetting the thermostat back to the defaults and it updated!  I wonder if Nest fixed the update issue today? The previous 2 days I had reset the defaults a couple of times along with restarting and it still failed. Today it updated to 1.1-9. I did remove it from the Home App and then reset the defaults and went through the whole process of adding the unit to the Goggle Home app. Durning that process t automatically downloaded and updated, a process I had done at least 4-5 times in the past two days without success, until today.

[KennyD]

I'm  having the same issue. Researching the problem, I found that the new nest thermostat (gen 4 with the mirror front) doesn't have an internal rechargeable battery that needs to be at least 3.7 volts for the download to happen on the older devices. The voltage shown is for the AAA batteries installed in the thermostat. It's very frustrating and hard to believe that this post seems to be the only one to be found that mentions this problem.

[neemoxtrm]

Same exact issue here! Have a c wire and fresh batteries.

[MrLou]

To also confuse matters further, if you search on Googles own website for firmware updates on their nest tstats, still says 4th gen nest is at version 1.0 from October of 2020, which I doubt is true. 

[Saini]

Installed nest thermostat yesterday and facing same issue.

[Saini]

Looks like Google fixed the issue and download update automatically 

[Ebob]

I'm having the same problem.  I installed 1 of 3 Nest thermostats last week and it did an update on install.  Today I installed the other 2 and neither one of them would do an update.  We spent many hours on the phone with support and it is supposedly sent up to Engineering, but only higher level support can communicate by email with them.  I hope they eventually get back with me.  I am extremely disappointed in the support I have been getting from Google.  What is going on?

[Km1]

Same exact issue. Any insight would be helpful. Also, anyone else perplexed at how long it takes to cool the house? I've even turned off airwave and this thing just isn't cutting it.. (installed Friday of last week)

[Bkon]

Also having the same issue. Only thing Google could help me out with is trying a replacement. No idea what's going on, I don't think they know either 

[neemoxtrm]

Since this issue essentially just popped up this weekend, this is most likely just a temporary server type of issue right?

[KennyD]

I just bought and installed my nest this past Saturday and had the issue right from the start, so I have no history to determine whether or not this is a new problem.

[Ebob]

Ok, either something has changed or I found a work around.  I was finally able to get one of my NEST t-stats to download an update.  It wasn't working just before this test.  I was able to rig up a 3.7V LiPo battery instead of the rechargeable ones that came with it (they will never charge to 3.7V).  With my special battery hooked up the NEST was reading 3.30V and it did an update.

[Roysail]

I think the update has magically started to work today, it finally downloaded and update for me tonight

[fish_sauce · Accepted solution]

The update downloaded successfully today. Up to version 1.1-09.

Whoever suggested a server side issue was probably correct.

[KennyD]

After seeing the news about the updates working, I did a manual update and it processed. Current version is 1.1-9.  Thank-you to everyone who worked on getting this resolved.

[nadeaupa]

Same here.  Issue is resolved with a manual update.

[SSavage]

After reading the above comments I tried the update and it went through. I’m on version 1.0-9. 

[MrLou]

Update went through for me as well, showing 1.1-9

[SoupCandid]

Just coming in here to say that I had the same problem yesterday - was installing Gen4 Nest with only the R and W wires, using a Power Connect.  But I could not get the thermostat to download the software update due to the voltage threshold for update downloads (mine arrived with batteries at 2.09V), so it could not recognize the Power Connect and threw the E297 error.  Was on the phone with support and they had no clue, by the end of the call it was clear they knew less than I did.  They told me to update my wiring in the Home app and tell it I had a common wire even though I didn't.  This cleared the E297 error but started a different error because obviously the device could not detect the C wire.  And after all that I STILL couldn't perform an update.

Their only proposed solutions at that point were:

- swap in new batteries and try to update as fast as possible (will never work because 2 1.5V AAA batteries will never reach the 3.7V threshold)

- Double check that I connected my W wire correctly (not to toot my own horn but my job is literally low voltage system design engineering, so I was pretty confident that I connected a grand total of two wires correctly)

- Call a professional installer at additional cost to me (what's he going to do about a software update issue?  No thanks)

At that point I was basically like "Hey, the thermostat is at the very least appropriately controlling my heating system, I just won't get any software updates for a while, that's fine as long as my house is warm"..and left it alone for a couple hours.

Went back to it at the end of the work day to try for the update one more time on a whim, and the update downloaded with no problem.

As others are saying this seems to point to a server issue.  When I brought up that possibility on my call to support, the guy was very confident that the servers were fine.  Oh well.  Doesn't matter now, everything is working, just figured I'd vent on my lackluster experience with calling support.

[SSavage]

Hey SoupCandid,

Would you mind if I asked a question about the Power Connect? I am setting it up on a boiler for heat only. I have an R and W wire at the thermostat however on the control board at the boiler I see a W terminal but no wire.  I’ve connected the R wire and C wire as diagrammed. Do you have any idea how to resolve the W wire issue so I can get power to the thermostat? 

[SoupCandid]

Hi!  I just have a couple questions to get a better idea of the situation :

Are you able to trace the cable path between your thermostat and your control board at all? 

Was the system confirmed to be in good working order before the old thermostat was removed?

[SSavage]

I can sort of trace it visually, but you may mean tracing another way? I have a multimeter, is there a way to trace it using continuity?

The system was checked and operational just a few days before I installed the Nest. 

[SoupCandid]

Yeah, I just mean tracing the wire visually.  If the W wire is present at the thermostat and absent at the control board, I would start by finding where the W wire disappears and/or where it goes.  I'm not sure how the heating system could have been controlled by the old thermostat if the W wire doesn't connect back to the control board.  The W wire is what allows the thermostat to switch the heating unit on and off.

[SSavage]

Ok, I'll start there, thanks!