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Excessive Battery Draion

KevinV
Community Member

I've had a Nest x Yale lock since it's release.  Typically a set of batteries has lasted for several (e.g. 6) months.  But as of the last 6 or so months, I get "batteries are low" warnings in about 1 month after installing a fresh set.  Usage of the keypad/motor hasn't changed, and is in fact quite rare.  It seems to be behaving normally otherwise.

10 REPLIES 10

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi there, 

 

I apologize for my late response and thank you for all of your patience while waiting for a reply. I can definitely understand how frustrating your situation must be, but I wanted to make sure that your issue was addressed. Do you still need help with this issue? I know that there's been a delay in response since you posted.

 

Please let me know if you need further assistance. 

Best Regards, 

Brad.

KevinV
Community Member

Hi Brad,

Yes, the issue still exists.  I have been reading other posts about battery drain.  They suggest that "connectivity issues" can be a cause.  While I don't seem to be having any connectivity issues and the location of the lock and the Nest Connect haven't changed since initial installation,   However...

I had been having intermittent issues with my Nest Detects losing their Wi-Fi connection (e.g. going "offline").  My home network is a mesh system using the same SSID for both 2.4 and 5 GHz networks, which apparently is problematic for Nest Detects.  So to resolve that I picked up an access point and created a 2nd Wi-Fi network in my house using ONLY the 2.4GHz band and moved all of my Nest Detects over to that network.  That has resolved the stability issues with my Nest Detects.  But now I'm wondering if I also moved my Nest Connect over to that new Access Point??

Is it possible if the Nest Connect used by my Nest-Yale lock uses a different Wi-Fi network than the Nest Detects in the house that it could increase battery drain?

KevinV
Community Member

I reconfigured my Nest Connect to use the same access point/network as the other Nest devices in the house.  I inserted fresh Energizer MAX batteries.  Let's see how long these last...

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

@KevinV

 

Thank you for your patience! Have you been able to fix the draining issue? I read over what you were saying and it could be possible if it's spending more time searching for a wifi signal, or the correct signal could drain the battery a bit quicker. But please let me know if you need further assistance.

 

Best regards,

Brad.

KevinV
Community Member

HI Brad.

I replaced with fresh batteries and made sure my Nest Connect was configured for the same Wi-Fi network as my Nest Detects in the house on December 6th.  The relationship between the location of the lock and the Nest Connect that it uses hasn't changed since initial installation.  I just a few days ago (let's call it January 6th) started to get "low battery" alerts from the Nest Yale lock.  So that's one month on that set of batteries before getting the alert.

We're almost NEVER lighting up the keypad or using remote to use the motor to actuate the lock.  once or twice in that month, max.  So that drain is from basic connectivity and monitoring.

Maybe that's typical.  But I know the first year or two I had the device it didn't ask for new batteries on a monthly basis.

If you think that htis battery life is "expected"/normal behavior, then that's all I need to know.  But if your feeling is that it should be longer, I'd still like to try to figure out what has changed that is causing the quicker drain.

Thanks,

Kevin

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi there,

 

Just checking in to see if you still need assistance with this issue. Please let me know if you need further assistance. 

 

Best Regards,

Brad.

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey Folks.

 

At this time, I'll go ahead and lock this thread. If you're still experiencing problems, feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.

 

Best Regards,

Brad.

RachelH
Community Member

I have this issue too.

I've had two Nest x Yale locks for almost two years, both using Nest Connects within 10 feet of each lock. All are on the same wifi network. I have not made any changes to wifi, to lock location, general use or anything else that seems relevant. Wifi is strong (Google Nest Wifi) with fiber running 50+ Mbps. 

Batteries have always lasted months (6+ IIRC). Suddenly, both locks are going through batteries quickly. The last set did not last 24 hours. I've been testing the batteries before installation and they all look great before I use them.

 Because both locks are having this issue at the same time, it makes me wonder if it is a software issue. Was there a recent upgrade? I'm having trouble finding the locks' software version. The Nest web app shows the software as 1.2-7.  

RachelH
Community Member

I am still having battery drain issues. However, I've started to have issues with other devices. I think it the problem is in my wifi. Weak wifi seems to also be a potential cause of battery drain, so I'll try to resolve the wifi issues first, and then watch to see if batteries are draining as quickly or not.

Brad
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

@RachelH

 

Yes wifi speeds affect all of our products because they require a strong connection to function properly and speak with one another. Definitely want to make sure that you restart your wifi router, move your wifi close to your device if you can, and test to see if you are still experiencing the same battery issues. 

 

Best regards,

Brad.