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WiFi Connection Problems

PRFoxcroft51
Community Member

I suddenly lost WiFi connection from my 3rd Gen Thermostat, and have been unable to get it back. I have tried all the trouble shooting ideas from Nest but with no success. I also have a Nest Doorbell which is working absolutely fine. I have removed the thermostat from the app, but the next instruction is to on the thermostat go to Settings > Account > Disconnect, but on going to Settings I do not have Account so am unable to Disconnect.

Any ideas as to what to try next, should I go for a factory reset or is my thermostat in need of replacement?

28 REPLIES 28

PoTayyToe
Community Member

https://www.engadget.com/google-replace-nest-w5-wifi-error-070131820.html 
Same happened to me yesterday. I'm here looking after reading that article.

I don't get an error message, only "WiFi is Hidden from Thermostat", and I've even tried putting the thermostat next to the router!

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi folks,

 

Thanks for reaching out. I'm sorry to hear that you're having issues with connecting your Nest Thermostat to your Wifi. I'd love to know more about this and I have a few questions:

 

  • What Nest thermostat model do you have?
  • Does the thermostat display show any codes or messages?
  • Can your other devices find your Wi-Fi network name (SSID)?

Looking forward to your response.

 

Thanks,

Edward

 

Hi Edward.

I have an about 5 year old 3rd Gen thermostat, which suddenly lost it's WiFi connection, and I was unable to get it back. The only message I kept on getting was "Your network is hidden or too far away", and the thermostat was not locating any WiFi networks in the area. I tried all the trouble shooting techniques up to and including a factory reset. After contacting technical help, we tried moving the thermostat and even looking at the network settings, but nothing would get it back. I also have a Nest Doorbell which has the network connected and is working as normal.

Technical help basically said the thermostat needed replacing, which I have now been forced to do and am waiting for my electrician to come and install.

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PRFoxcroft51,

 

Thanks for the response. Please give us an update once the replacement has been installed.

 

Thanks,

Edward

Hi Edward.

New thermostat installed in the same place as the old one, and immediately found the WiFi network. I really think Google/Nest should consider replacement at a reduced cost, as I don't think five years is realistic for the life of a chip, £40/year just to run a thermostat seems very high to me.

Paul

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PRFoxcroft51,

 

Thanks for the update. Glad to know that the new one is working fine. I'm sorry that your previous thermostat's Wifi chip has already failed. We appreciate people who are keen on sharing with us their thoughts. We're always looking for ways to improve and we'll take this as feedback.

 

Thanks,

Edward

Edward,

How long is a Nest thermostat planned to last? As a customer who has bought 3 of these, I would like to send feedback that wifi is crucial to the benefit of owning a nest thermostat. I appreciated that mine, purchased just over 2 years ago, was replaced at no cost to me even though I was told my warranty had expired. I purchased from Costco on their Costco credit card. As I understand it, Costco/visa will extend electronics warranties, so that was my next recourse.

However, I am wondering how long Google has planned for these to last. All previous thermostats had lasted for 20 or more years, only getting replaced if I wanted additional features. 

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe,

 

Thanks for the response. We don't have information on how long does the Nest Thermostat would last as it would depend on the usage and other factors. Our team is always looking for ways to improve and we'll take this as feedback.

 

Thanks,

Edward

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe,

 

It's me again. I wanted to check back in to see if you have other questions and concerns. Feel free to let me know if you do. 

 

Thanks,

Edward

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe,

 

Just checking in to make sure that you've seen our response. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns as I will be locking this in 24 hours.

 

Thanks,

Edward

After I configured the new Nest, established it in my account for a few days, it went off-line in the app, but the device says WiFi is connected and that it is associated with an account.  Is this a known issue?

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToem

 

Sorry to hear about this. I'd love to know more about what's happening. Could you share the power readings of your Nest Thermostat? You can get this information by going to Settings > Technical Info > Power.

 

Also, you can click on this link for some troubleshooting steps you could try.

 

Thanks,

Edward

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToem,

 

It's me again. I wanted to check back in to see if you have other questions and concerns. Feel free to let me know if you do. 

 

Thanks,

Edward

2 hours of troubleshooting with support and this replacement appears to be a dud. It worked fine for a week, then went offline in the app, but remained on WiFi, downloading update, etc. 

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe,

 

Thanks for the update. I'm sorry to hear that you're still experiencing the same issue with the replacement. I would suggest responding back to the email that our team sent you and let them know that the replacement is still going offline.

 

Keep us posted.

 

Thanks,

Edward

Was an email sent? I don’t see one

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe,

 

Thanks for the response. Could you share the case number of your interaction with our team so I can investigate further?

 

Thanks,

Edward

Case ID : 8-9094000032839

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe,

 

Thanks for the response. I checked the case number that you provided and it looks like it's been elevated to our senior support team and it's being investigated. Our team will will get get in touch to you with an email once they get an update.

 

Thanks,

Edward

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe

 

I checked your case number and our team already sent an email. Let us know if you have questions.

 

Thanks,

Edward

Thanks Edward. I had missed it as it was buried somewhere in my email and didn’t display in my inbox… another Google frustration that has begin happening recently. 🙂

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe,

 

Thanks for letting me know. Please continue the conversation through the email, but you could let us know if you have other questions.

 

Thanks,

Edward

EdwardT
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi PoTayyToe,

 

Since your case is already being handled by the team, I will be locking this thread. Feel free to create a new one should you have some more questions or concerns in the near future and we'll be more than glad to help.
 

Thanks,

Edward

Gayle2
Community Member

Same issue here.  My internet provider shows no issues on their end.  My thermostat can't find my router even if I manually type it in.

I have the same issue, no list of near WiFis and typing in manually just can't find the Wifi even if I put the thermostat next to the router.

PoTayyToe
Community Member

I got a replacement. I went to the url on the device error nest.com/w5

I followed the troubleshooting guide. Did not fix. I called support number on that page. They went through their script. Mine was out of warranty. They didn’t care and said “This is an important feature…” They processed my replacement. This must mean they have had many break. I hope my two others don’t suffer the same problem.  
I had to have a gpay account to secure their shipment. Otherwise I would have had to ship mine back first and go with no hvac for however long it will take to ship. No thanks. I found my old gpay account last used in 2018. Verified my payment card and my home address is correct… important. They sent a link for me to order. It will charge only if I don’t return to broken device in 30 days. 

correction - must return broken device within 21 days, not 30.