Nest Sensor Not Connecting? 4 Fixes to Try!

The Nest Sensor is the solution Google came up with to help better maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the entire house. The best part, Google enabled their thermostats to be connectable to up to 6 of these sensors to allow for the best possible environment in your home. But as with all electronics, sometimes a user will run into questions or problems.

If your Nest Sensor isn’t connecting, there are a few ways you can troubleshoot the issue and fix the problem yourself. Your sensor might be too far from the thermostat, so moving it closer is one solution. Another is to reset the Nest Sensor. If either of these doesn’t work, there are others to try.

For more information on Nest Sensors not connecting, we have four questions to help you navigate your way to getting your Nest Sensor connected and working.

Does Nest Sensor Connect to Wi-Fi?

Nest products use 4 different types of wireless protocols to communicate with each other and transfer data. While the Nest Thermostat connects to Wi-Fi for everything from system updates to communication with the user-facing app, the Sensor itself does not connect to Wi-Fi. For the device to connect to Wi-Fi networks, the hardware would need to be changed, which would likely increase cost and size.

Nest Sensors use a wireless protocol called Thread. Thread is a style of a mesh network that allows devices to connect to each other without utilizing a Wi-Fi network at all. These networks make every device that is part of it to become its router maximizing range. Furthermore, these networks use very little energy, which allows each device to make the most of even small batteries.

How Do You Connect the Nest Sensors?

Google has simplified the initial connection of the Nest Sensors to make it as quick as possible:

1. Go into your Nest app
2. Find the settings icon and tap ‘add product.’
3. Using your phone’s camera, scan the QR code that is located on the Sensor’s battery pull tab (this adds the device to your account)
4. Pull out the battery pull tab, which activates the device itself
5. Find a place in your home to place the sensor. It should be a room you or your family tends to use often
6. Name your room something you will remember when you use Google Assistant to adjust the temperature.

Remember that these sensors cannot be a huge distance away from the thermostat it is connected to. Long distances or many obstacles between the sensor and the thermostat can cause connectivity issues and decrease the battery life in the sensor itself.

How Do You Reset the Nest Sensor?

The simplest way to reset a Nest Sensor will more than likely fix connectivity issues. Simply remove the battery and leave it out for at least 5 minutes. Once you replace the battery, check the Nest app to verify everything is working properly again.

If removing the battery does not work, you may have to remove the device completely and start from scratch. Here are the steps that will ensure everything goes back to normal:

1. Remove the battery from the sensor again.
2. Go into the Nest application.
3. In the top left corner, find the Menu button.
4. Find the sensor you wish to reset.
5. Remove the product name and confirm.
6. Replace the battery in the sensor and refer back to the previous section, How Do You Connect the Nest Sensors?

Why Does My Nest Sensor Keep Going Offline?

From time to time, a homeowner may notice that their most common rooms are not as comfortable as they normally are or that their sensors are not showing in the Nest app.

Even if you do not notice initially, after 24 hours of the Nest Sensor being offline, your Nest app will send a push notification to your phone. You can confirm this by looking at the Nest app and verifying that the sensor in question is greyed out and no longer adjustable.

Generally, there is some sort of interference causing the sensor to go offline. Even if this is an intermittent issue, it is still annoying. Here are a couple of ways to try to rectify the problem.

1. One possible solution is to move the sensor as close as possible to the thermostat. Even if it means moving the sensor to an adjacent wall, it may fix the issue.
2. Another possible issue is an electrical inference or even a mirror. Since the sensors use such a small amount of power, it does not take much to throw off the signal. Google references how to help with this type of issue here.
3. On the off chance, the Nest app has not notified you that the battery is low in the sensor, this would be a good time to check. Replacing the battery could help maintain a stronger connection.

Final Thoughts

Nest Sensors are a great way to help maintain the temperature throughout your home. They are cost-effective and very easy to set up overall. The previously mentioned topics will cover the majority of questions that may arise for installers. Any other questions can be answered by Google directly on their support pages.