Thermostat switches to Away when I'm Home

[KevinHam]

I've been using the Nest Thermostat for a number of years.   I always suspected there was an issue with Home/Away switching but never investigated it.   This summer I've been working from home so I was able to monitor the situation better.

At random times, the thermostat switches in to Away (Eco) while my wife and I are home.   Both of our iPhones are setup to provide location information.   After reading one of the threads on this board, I realized that I had my zip code entered so I updated both phones using our actual address.    

Over the last few days, it seemed like it was a little warm so I walked over to the thermostat.   Within in a second the motion sensor in the unit saw me moving closer and turned on the AC.   I've also sometime looked at the app before checking the unit and have found it set to Away.

How can I fix this issue?    It's very annoying.   Thanks for any advice.

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi KevinHam,

Thanks for reaching out. I'm sorry for the delay. Wake on Approach is the Home and Away feature where the Nest Thermostat display activates upon detecting a person. This can either be done through geofencing with your phone location or using the thermostat’s built-in sensors (occupancy sensors). Depending on your location, the thermostat can either heat, cool, or switch to Eco mode.

The occupancy sensors are calibrated to detect your presence up to a distance of 15 feet and at an angle of 90 degrees if you pass by your thermostat.

Follow the guide below:

1. Check Activity History in the Nest App (Settings Home/Away Assist Activity History), or the Activity feed in the Home app (lower right hand tab) - this should provide an explanation of when and why your home state changed over the previous 10 days. For example, the note "Home: Activity in the house. Living Room Thermostat 7:30 P.M." means that your home switched out of Away mode because your thermostat saw activity.
2. Verify what products are contributing to Home/Away status.
   1. In the Nest App, go to Settings > Home Away Assist > What decides if you’re home.
3. Check your home location settings.
   1. In the Nest app, go to Settings > Home Info > Address.
4. Edit the address if needed. Then select Next.
   1. If the pin location is off on the next screen, drag the map to move the pin to the correct location.

Best,

Jenelyn

[KevinHam]

You're missing my point.   Yes, Wake on Approach is working.   However Home/Away Assist is not working correctly.   If my wife and I are both home for hours, why would the thermostat not be in Home mode?   It only flips back to Home mode when approaching the thermostat.   I have put our home address on both phones in the the setting.

[RenzJ]

Hey There,

I’m sorry for the delay. I appreciate you posting and updating us on your efforts to address your concern about finding a fix.

We can do a couple of things to make sure everything is working as intended. Make sure both phones' location is enabled.

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
2. Make sure that location services are on.
3. Scroll down to find the app.
4. Tap the app and select an option:
   • Never: prevents access to location services information.
   • Ask Next Time or When I Share: This allows you to choose Always While Using the App, Allow Once, or Don't Allow.
   • While Using the App: Allows access to location services only when the app or one of its features is visible on screen. If an app is set to While Using the App, you might see your status bar turn blue with a message that an app is actively using your location.
   • Always: Allows access to your location even when the app is in the background.

Choose "Always" and monitor if the issue persists.

Cheers,

Renz