Troubleshoot issues with the Nest Temperature Sensor

During setup, you’ll connect your sensor to a thermostat in your home. Try these steps if you can’t connect your sensor to your thermostat:

1. Make sure your phone’s Bluetooth is on.
2. Move your sensor to a different location and try to connect it again. Your sensor should be within 50 feet (15 meters) of your thermostat, but it may need to be closer.
3. The connection range can be reduced by wireless interference from walls, cabinets and bookshelves. If you still can’t connect your sensor after a few tries, check for other things that are causing wireless interference. Cordless phones, microwaves, and other electronics can affect the Bluetooth connection.

1. Test the connection a few more times. The sensor may pass the test on a different try without any further troubleshooting steps.
2. Move the sensor closer to the thermostat. Even just a foot (30 cm) can make a difference. If it still can’t pass the test, try to move it even closer. 
3. Check for wireless interference from sources like cordless phones and other electronics, large appliances like refrigerators, bookshelves, mirrors and other things that can block wireless communications. For details, read the Troubleshooting wireless interference article.

If you’re uncomfortable in the room where you’ve placed your sensor:

1. Check that the sensor in the room is currently active in the app. Someone else may have manually switched the active temperature sensor. Or, if your sensor is having trouble connecting to your thermostat, your thermostat will use its built-in temperature sensors instead.

   If the wrong sensor is active, you can manually switch active sensors or create a sensor schedule so your thermostat will heat the room to the current target temperature.

2. Manually adjust the current target temperature. Someone else may have manually turned the temperature up or down.

3. Check your sensor placement. Your sensor’s location can greatly affect the temperature it reports back to your thermostat. For instance, if you place it on a window that can get very hot or cold, your system might respond by overheating or overcooling your home.

   Where to install your Nest Temperature Sensor

4. If you have adjustable vents, you can change the airflow to the room. However, we recommend that you contact a Nest Pro before doing this. If you close too many vents, close them too tight or open them too much, your system may develop other issues.

5. Change your sensor’s schedule. The time of day can affect your sensor’s helpfulness. For example, if you live in a warm climate and the sensor is in a bedroom with many large windows, it may report temperatures that are much higher than those in the rest of your house. You may have better results if you use your thermostat’s built-in sensors during the day to adjust cooling and use the sensor in the bedroom during the evening when the sun is down. 

   How to change your temperature sensor’s schedule

If you’re comfortable in the room where your sensor is placed, but the rest of your home is too hot or cold:

1. Check your sensor placement. Your sensor’s location can greatly affect the temperature it reports back to your thermostat. For instance, if you place it on a window that can get very hot or cold, your system might respond by overheating or overcooling your home.

   Where to install your Nest Temperature Sensor

2. Manually adjust the current target temperature. Someone else may have manually turned the temperature up or down.

3. If you have adjustable vents, you can change the airflow to other rooms in your home. However, we recommend that you contact a Nest Pro before doing this. If you close too many vents, close them too tight or open them too much, your system may develop other issues.
4. Change your sensor’s schedule. The time of day can affect your sensor’s helpfulness. For example, if you live in a warm climate and the sensor is in a bedroom with many large windows, it may report temperatures that are much higher than those in the rest of your house. You may have better results if you use your thermostat’s built-in sensors during the day to adjust cooling and use the sensor in the bedroom during the evening when the sun is down.

   How to change your temperature sensor’s schedule

Sometimes a range issue or wireless interference can cause your sensor to disconnect from your thermostat. In these cases, your thermostat will automatically default to using its own temperature sensors. If your sensor disconnects, you may experience the following: 

• You may not notice that your sensor is offline right away. Instead, you might only sense that you’re uncomfortable in the room where the sensor is placed.
• If your sensor has been disconnected from your thermostat for over 24 hours, you’ll get a notification on your phone. You'll also find that the sensor is offline in the Home app and Nest app, and you won’t be able to manually switch to it with the app or thermostat.
• If you check the sensor list, you’ll also find that your sensor will be grayed out and you won’t be able to select it or change options.

​Troubleshoot an offline sensor

• Try to move your sensor a bit closer to your thermostat. Sometimes it may pass the connection test during setup, but will struggle to stay connected if it’s just a bit too far away.
• Check objects like mirrors and refrigerators between the sensor and your thermostat. These items could block the connection. For more help, read Troubleshooting wireless interference.
• Check the battery charge. The Google Home app or Nest app sends you a notification before the battery is fully drained, so you should have plenty of time to replace it.
• If the battery still has a charge, try to remove the battery for 10 minutes. This lets power drain completely from the sensor and forces it to reset. Then put the battery back in and check if the sensor has reconnected in the app.

How to check that your sensor is online

You can manually check your sensor’s connection with the app at any time.

Google Home app

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. Tap Favorites or Devices .
3. The sensor's tile shows its status.
   • If the sensor's online, it'll show the current temperature.
   • If the sensor's offline, the tile will be grayed out and say "Offline."

Nest app

1. Select the thermostat your sensor is connected to on the app home screen.
2. Tap Settings .
3. Scroll down to the Nest Temperature Sensors list and select the sensor you want to check.
4. Tap Check connection and follow the instructions to run the test.