Nest Mini not connecting in care home

[Michael09]

Hi.  My wife is in a respite home and has difficulty using Spotify on her phone, so I got a Nest Mini.  The wifi is listed as 'guest' and to connect a phone, there is a 'tap here to connect' instruction.  I'm wondering if that is causing the issue which results in the Nest being unable to connect?  I've done all the other steps such as resetting etc and the Home app does find it, but it's just that final step that fails.  Has anyone managed to overcome this type of problem before please?

Thank you.

[JillG]

Hi @Michael09 

The home your wife is in sounds like they are using a public type wifi network with the splash log in page. The Nest mini needs to have a secure network to work. Some people have had this issue in hotels and other public spaces. They've found that using a travel router to make a secure network to be the best solution. 

Hope that helps.

[Michael09]

Thanks JillG. I'll give it a go. Has anyone had success with a particular router?  

[JillG]

Small travel routers are on Amazon and other such places. I don't have a brand that I recommend but check out some sites like: Best Travel Routers 2023 - our top picks for travelling - PC Guide etc.

I would also check with the respite home's staff and or IT department. They may also have some suggestions.

[Michael09]

Thank you. I really appreciate your help here. I'll start with the home. I bet there's a load of Google and Amazon devices stashed in drawers because they won't work. I'll get a petition going! 

[LovelyM]

Hello everyone, 

@JillG, thank you for providing assistance here.

@Michael09, I know it has been a while, but I wanted to ensure that everything is covered on your end. Please inform me if JillG's advice did the trick or if you still need a helping hand.

Best,
Lovely

[Michael09]

Thanks for asking LovelyM.  I'm sure a travel router would have worked, but when I mentioned it at the home they got her an EE pay as you go connection which works perfectly.  They'll keep it topped up too.  Of course, they're going to have to do that for every other resident that asks!  Thanks for all of your help.

[LovelyM]

Hi there kcroyaljosh,

No biggie! Thanks for sharing that wonderful news. I'm glad that everything's working out great for you. As we've got a resolution here, I'm going to close this thread in the next 24 hours. If you have other questions or concerns, please feel free to let me know.

Cheers,
Lovely