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Nest wifi randomly going offline

Sydtriman
Community Member

For the past week my Google nest Wi-Fi go randomly off-line. There have been absolutely no other changes in my network or environment that could cause this. I’ve had no issues prior to this. 

I can see a couple of posts in the forum of a similar vein, has anybody been able to solve this issue? Is it a firmware problem?

I’ve done a full factory reset which hasn’t helped, and in fact seems to have made it worse. 

Setup: Router (firmware 13729.57.27) and 2 points (firmware 1.54.267572)

any ideas?

 

 

 

 

1,464 REPLIES 1,464

Jeff - dates? Release notes? Config requirements? 🦗🦗🦗

 

 

 

 

Jeff
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi HL-brokenrobot,

 

The update is actually rolling out to some devices now and it will continue throughout the month. I don't have the release notes yet, but as soon as I receive them I will share them here. I received notice of the update a few days ago, but have yet to get a copy of the full release notes.


Thanks,

Jeff

Thanks for the update. When I didn't hear back and found no notice of the update online I went ahead and purchased a Netgear system.

 

A big part of this debacle has been terrible communication by Google. Updates appear unannounced only to blow up like landmines. Users beg for information and get served crickets. Now information on the update that supposedly fixes the issue is witheld even from you. Google does not look good.

Jeff
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

I understand the frustration about that, HL-brokenrobot. I'll actually pass your feedback along about the updating process and communication. I do wish it was a bit more clear for you on how it all works.


Thanks,

Jeff

The key here is that it DOESN'T work.  Most of us (including me) have changed over to a competitors product and they JUST WORK.  So it's not our wiring, our house, bridge mode and the thousands of other excuses.  The product just doesn't work.

 

So now I understand why, no one was actually working on it because they were all working on pushing out the NEW Nest WIFI 6.  So my question is, can I trade in my non functional NEST WIFI product for the new WIFI 6?

Ask yourself abou one more point. If they not give us a fix or refund, will they make the things diferent and better on this new product coming soon? No more trust in Google!

B0555555
Community Member

When there's a thread like this with thousands of replies, how am I supposed to figure out if there was a solution? Either I don't know how to use this forum or the design of this forum is terrible. There should be a way to Mark a comment as a valid solution and to allow people to vote for solutions so those particular responses bubble up to the top so people don't have to literally scroll through thousands of posts to figure out if anyone solved this problem. If I misunderstanding how to use this form, please let me know. Otherwise hopefully this feedback is taken to heart.

The thread is what is because there is only one solution: buy something, really anything else. 

Either that, or keep reading Jeff's monthly "Google is aware of the issue and will be addressing it soon" posts. 

There is no solution. Just a bunch of a half-baked placebo effect band-aid solutions. My permanent solution was to get the Eero 6+. It actually works and has not failed since I bought it a few months ago. Save yourself the headaches and just count your losses.

My assessment is that the jury is out. Google (although AWOL in this thread) maintain it's user error - we should put cable modems into bridge mode to avoid the problem. Or (as most on this thread say) the system is irredeemably flawed.

I've been getting responses from @madebygoogle on Twitter. After my last attempt to get Google nest router to see internet through cable modem failed, they asked me to try again with port forwarding  network to 5222 using UDP, or enabling DMS on my router. 

I've yet to find the time to dedicate to another attempt with this setting.

I feel like Charlie Brown with Google as Lucy.

HL-brokenrobot
Community Member

So I came across this blog post by someone who apparently knows networking and is ALSO having the same issue:

At 54 days my Nest Wifi + Mesh is going to a farm in upstate New York where it can run and chase but...

Choice quotes:

Overall though, the Nest Wifi + Mesh in its current firmware and as it stands is the least usable router I have run into in… really forever… a Nest branded product that routinely brings down my Nest cameras and my Nest Hubs is getting booted out of my nest"

"I ... wish this product had been more stable and the support were there."

 

TUR7L3
Community Member

Has anyone had any luck getting this issue resolved? Making my system near unusable at this point. It "says" my connection is great. But getting no service whatsoever directly next to a node. 

The google home app* wifi status lies - or at least it's very laggy. I have to close down the app and open it again for it to refresh the connection status of the points. Yes it frequently tells me things are great when there is not internet - restarting the app updates the status.

* on android at least.

Literally a few nights back I noticed the exact same thing. I wasn't having any issues as such but decided to login to the cable router and start a reboot, then do the same with the Nest routers after that.

But once the cable router began the reboot, the Google Home app (on WifI), no longer showed the routers and points as active (all gray). Yet I was able to call the status API (http://testwifi.here/api/v1/status) and also connect with various home devices on my LAN (NAS, sat receivers, home automation devices etc). So the WiFi was working fine but the Google Home app showed everything offline. 

It sort of suggests, it's not necessarily talking to the routers directly, rather via the Internet to the mothership and back again. Then once that outbound internet connection is not working, it shows everything offline.

CptnCrunch
Community Member

Today my Nest router went offline... but the point apparently is online and only my google devices seem to have internet access. This is bizarre. Google Home reports it is offline but my cameras and Nest Protects are all accessible. No other devices have internet access though and Google Home shows the main router as offline. I wonder if Google pushed some kind of "fix"? Has anyone else seen anything like this?

For the last ? month? I've noticed that the nest router recovers faster than it used to. Also Google home app status doesn't refresh reliably. My guess is it bounced, returned connection, but the app is still reporting prior status.

HL-brokenrobot
Community Member

OK... my 5th? attempt to put my comcast cable modem into bridge mode AND also have the nest wifi router see the internet was 🤞 sucessful 🤞 today. Time will tell if the network drops now that I've configured it as Google/ @madebygoogle said I should.

The difference between my last attempt and this (and I suspect my prior attempt last year and the comcast tech's failed attempt a few months ago) is port forwarding. I used the xfinity admin interface to identify the google nest router and to enable port forwarding for that device on port 5222  & with UDP as the protocol.

Kinda crucial information to put in the setup instructions, Google!!😠

Also kinda crucial is ensuring the ethernet connection from nest router to the cable modem is on LAN port 1 (they say) and - IMPORTANT - NO OTHER ENTHERNET CABLES PLUGGED INTO THE CABLE MODEM. It makes sense when you realize that you only want IP addresses being assigned by google next router or you get the double-NAT issue which I had never heard of until this nightmare.

That's important information for users BEFORE THEY PURCHASE THE GOOGLE NEST ROUTER, GOOGLE! 😠

I solved this multi-ethernet connection issue (based on someone's advice in this thread) by purchasing a Netgear 5 Port Gigabit Ethernet Plus Switch. One ethernet connection from that to the ONLY spare ethernet port on the google nest router, plugged my solar inverter ethernets into that switch. Very easy setup - it just worked (maybe Google will achieve that one day).

Doing port forwarding on the comcast modem wasn't simple. I used the admin interface (browser URL http://10.0.0.1/, use the modem admin ID and password). Important - do this before trying bridge mode. Go to connected devices to  identify which is the google wifi router. The xfinity browser interface  then  tells you to  Visit xfinity.com/myxfi which then just tells you to install the new xfinity app on your phone (Grrr...). In that app it's quite a hunt for the advanced settings and port forwarding and I honestly can't remember where in the labyrinth it was. But I did that. Then, with ethernet connection from my laptop to the switch, which is ethernet-connected to nest router, which is ethernet-connected to the cable modem, I used the web cable modem admin interface to turn it into bridge mode (PS that disables comcast wifi also). I did NOT unplug the nest router. The comcast interface took about a minute and then it was done.  I had to refresh my admin connection to confirm (words top left  "The Device is currently in Bridge Mode." The white light on the nest router blinked and then it was done. Prior attempt without port forwarding just endlessly flashed yellow. Mesh test showed EVERY wifi point was offline, even though all points' lights were happy white. I manually unplugged-replugged every point. All the points I rebooted that way are now online.

And now I wait.

I can't be sure for a good couple of months but lately the mesh network was bouncing multiple times per day.

🤞🤞🤞

 

Annnd..... less than 24 hours later it fell over again in the middle of an important meeting.

In bridge mode.

I have jumped through every hoop that Google set for me. It was all just stringing me along. I'm DONE!

 

 

I honestly have to commend you for jumping through all these hoops... no one should have to go through that to make a product work.

They should be paying you tester rates. 

And again a day later. @madebygoogle wants me to keep trying different things: 

"We're sorry to hear about your experience. One of the options that we can do is perform a factory reset. This might help your Nest Wifi and possibly resolve it. Here's how: 

Using your Google Home app: Tap Wi-Fi > Settings > Factory reset network.

If you can't do it through the app, you can follow the steps on this link on how to factory reset your Nest Wifi: https://t.co/siAX4fZZfs

Keep in mind that doing this will take time. Also, we'd suggest using the same SSID and password, so you won't need to connect your devices to your Nest Wifi network. We'll be here for your update."

Me:

I'm not investing any more time experimenting. I'm buying an orbi system and will steer clear of all Google hardware in future.

 

Kinda zoned out reading that...the fact that you did all that/felt compelled to try to do it is beyond absurd. I tried all sorts of voodoo tricks to get mine to work as well, all to no avail. 

When I replaced it 9 months ago with Netgear, do you know what I needed to do? Open the box and plug it in. 9 months and zero issues. It was harder getting the boxes opened than configuring it. Too much plastic. But I digress.

Bottom line: It shouldn't take a network engineer dozens of attempts and hours of work to configure a consumer wifi device.

100%

jrschwalbe
Community Member

I'm having the exact same problem described - my 'router' goes offline frequently and requires a power cycle or restart to correct - happens during Zoom and Teams calls - I'll be replacing this hardware as well and encouraging folks to stay away from it...

Bynnek
Community Member

@Jeff this is still a problem.  My remote points go down 2-3x per day for no apparent reason.  Any update on when this will be fixed?  Would network logs help diagnose?  Its crazy people have been dealing with this for over a year now.  

subbuparam
Community Member

i spoke to a friend's friend at Google. Apparently Google did some firmware update in June 2021. Since then the mesh system requires points to be within 20-25 feet of each other. They assumed that all customers would be doing it that way and kept going without looking back. Also it makes no sense because an update should be backward compatible with technology.

I have a large home so this person was recommending that I use a mesh system of router + 6 points instead of 3.. Guess what I'm going to do?? Dump the whole **bleep** thing and switch to a diff brand. I'm done going through this nonsense

I live in a 1200 sq ft townhome, router on second floor at front of house, access point in basement at back of house, and I haven’t been having issues with the points too far apart 💁‍♂️

I have point in an outbuilding ~100ft away from nearest point in house. Signal is weak but fine for wifi enabled devices including streaming from Google mini speaker. It's not likely anything to do with distance. Points near and far go offline.

Tosan
Community Member

Just when I thought I was out...... they pulled back in.

 

So basically what your saying with your post and happy enthusiasm, is that for the equipment to work, we need to move into a home that's 1200sqf or less for it to work. Good idea. I'm very happy for you. Since u had your cheerleading done, YOUR equipment is working in a small area. Yours this discution was opened for people having issues, and if there was a resolution to provide it to others to try. So I'm curious, did you just google search the forum to say urs is working, or you had issues beforehand and came here looking for a fix...... other than that I'm out of questions, cause if u never had problems, you just came for attention my guy. *smack in the back of the head* 

warodge
Community Member

Bascially, if you see my list in the group ive offered insight in how ive resolved “MY” issue 

Dunejeeper
Community Member

I wish I'd have known this before I bought 3 routers in a deal! Every 12 minutes I'm offline! It's constant. Thank God I still have my Google wifi that worked flawlessly. I'll revert back but I'm leaving Google in my next mesh purchase for sure! 

heflerbj
Community Member

If google truly cared about it's customers it would have taken this matter more seriously a year ago or more when the reports started being posted here.  A year with no solution is unacceptable.  a quick scan through will show how many customers gave up on google, went to a different product and manufacturer and have sworn off google hardware from here on out.  I am one of them.  And if the others are like me (IT Specialist here specifically) will never again recommend a google hardware product to any of my customers.  

100% agreed! Google and their clowns!

HL-brokenrobot
Community Member

Judging by the way the system has to be restarted every few minutes today 🤬 I'm guessing that the long awaited update is rolling out. If so it's NOT an improvement.

LanceH
Community Member

Yup. Same problem here. Been happening for months. Nest Point disconnects randomly. Unplug it, wait, restart it. It reconnects, works for anywhere from a few hours to a few days, and then disconnects again. Frustrating as hell.

 

@Jeff Answers to your questions

Network Connectivity Questions:

  1. How long did the WiFi network work properly before encountering connectivity issues? A few months of solid function before the point started disconnecting 

  2. How did you discover that the network was having connectivity issues? Devices connected to the point lose network connection 

Did any of the WiFi points give audible errors....? Nope. Not a one. And the point loses connection at LEAST once a week at this point, usually more. And I've never once heard any kind of audible message.

WiFi Setup Questions:

  1. What is your WiFi setup? Single router, one point.

  2. What is the location of the affected WiFi point in relation to other WiFi Access Points/Routers? The router is downstairs in the living room, the point is upstairs in the office, almost directly above the router. The house is small, like 1100sqft. No appliances between the router & point.

  3. Did you change your WiFi setup recently / was it was working fine before / what did they use before and what did they swap to? Nope. No changes from the initial setup.

If you know any of this info, please provide it as well:

  • Router brand - Netgear Nighthawk CM1200

  • Router security - WPA2

  • Router software version - not sure

  • What's the configuration of the network? Standard mesh, no repeaters. The Nest wifi router is connected directly to the Netgear router and we have a single point upstairs, almost directly above the router.

Sp11
Community Member

As an update. I had all the older models in my house when the trouble started. I bought one of the new router models and reconnected everything to it and haven’t had any problems since. However my google home app tells me everything is offline 😂. I just don’t mess with it anymore and it’s been working. I’m sure I will eventually have a power outage or something that will restart my system and it will all be messed up again. 

heflerbj
Community Member

I am truly amazed that you are willing to risk another investment in another Google product

G8erGirlJax
Community Member

Following, as my points seem to cut off and on throughout the day... Very frustrating! 

Save yourself headache hassle and frustration...dump them and go with netgear tplink or asus

Bynnek
Community Member

I caved and bought a TP-Link deco setup out of frustration.  Put all the wifi points in exact same locations where the Google wifi was.  Not a single issue for three days now.