Troubleshoot when Nest Protect disconnects or is offline

If your Google Nest Protect becomes disconnected from Wi-Fi, you should experience one or more of the following:

Your Protect will appear as gray and say "Offline" in the Nest app.
Your Protect's light will glow yellow during Nightly Promise or Safety Checkup to indicate that there's a Wi-Fi issue.
You may also find missing Protect History information.
You won't get notifications or alerts about your Protect from the Nest app.

Important: Even if your Protect is disconnected from Wi-Fi, it will stay connected to other Protects in your home and continue to detect smoke and carbon monoxide. If one Protect detects a smoke or carbon monoxide (CO) event, all Protects will still speak a Heads-up alert or sound the alarm.

Get Nest Protect back online

Follow the steps below to troubleshoot. After each step, you should manually test Nest Protect's network to check whether it reconnects to Wi-Fi.

1. Check the Nest service status

To check the status of the Nest service, go to Nest System Status. While the service is down, you may also receive a message "The Nest service can't be reached right now" in the Nest app.

If the Nest service is down, wait for the Nest service to resume, then manually test Protect's network.

2. Make sure the app version is up to date

Make sure that you have the latest version of the Nest app on your phone or tablet. You can download it from Google Play or the Apple app store. To make sure you have the newest version, you can uninstall and reinstall the app.

After you install the Nest app, manually test Protect's network.

3. Update Protect's Wi-Fi settings

If you've recently updated your Wi-Fi network's name (SSID), password, or other settings, you may have to update your Protect's Wi-Fi settings in the Nest app.

Tip: Your Nest Protects should talk to each other during setup and share Wi-Fi information. If your Protect doesn't ask you for new Wi-Fi information, one of your other Nest products may be sharing Wi-Fi information with it. You should update Wi-Fi information for your other Nest products before you update your Nest Protects.

2nd gen Nest Protect

On the Nest app home screen, tap Settings .
Select your Protect.
Under "Device options," tap Wi-Fi connection.
Tap Next. Nest will attempt to connect to your Protect, and it will start looking for nearby Wi-Fi networks.
Select your Wi-Fi network and enter the password. Your Protect should automatically reconnect.

1st gen Nest Protect

Remove Nest Protect from your account.
Once it's removed, set up Protect in the Nest app again. The app should walk you through connecting Protect to Wi-Fi.

4. Check that other devices are connected to Wi-Fi

Check that your Wi-Fi network works for other devices (cell phone, computer, etc.) and manually test Protect's network.

If other devices are disconnected from Wi-Fi, move on to step 5 in this article.
If other devices are connected to Wi-Fi but not your Protect, move on to step 6 in this article.

Tip: If you're using your cellphone to check, make sure it's connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Protect and cellular data is turned off. To help make sure cellular data is off, turn on Airplane mode and then turn on Wi-Fi.

5. Restart your router

Restart your router to reset your internet connection. You should also restart any Wi-Fi range extenders or repeaters.

Note: Every router is different. You may need to consult your router's user manual for specific instructions on how to restart your router.

Unplug your modem and router power cords. You may have a combination modem/router, or they may be separate devices. All the lights on your modem and router should be off.
Wait for 30 seconds, then plug your modem and router back in.
Your modem and router will restart. Wait a couple of minutes or until you see steady power and connection lights. You may also see a quickly flashing data light.
Once your router finishes restarting, test the Wi-Fi connection with another device and manually test Protect's network.
- If other devices connect but not your Protect, move on to the next step.
- If none of your devices connect, contact your internet service provider to check the service status in your area.

6. Check for interference

Almost every network is subject to wireless interference which can cause your Protect to disconnect from your home Wi-Fi network. Wireless interference can be caused by the following:

Large furniture and appliances
Walls and floors
Competing Wi-Fi networks
Other electronics

Troubleshoot wireless interference. You can learn about wireless interference and how to troubleshoot it in our help center.
After you troubleshoot wireless interference, manually test Protect's network.

7. Check the settings on your Wi-Fi router or access point

Check your router's manual for instructions to find and change the following settings if needed:

Enable IPv6 or Multicast

If you want to connect a Nest Protect, make sure that your router supports IPv6.

When adding additional Nest devices, make sure your router supports multicast and that it's on. Nest devices use multicast to communicate and set up connections with other Nest products.

Check if your router has wireless isolation settings turned on. This will prevent devices on your network from connecting to other devices in your home. Nest products talk to each other during pairing, setup, and during daily use, so they may not work properly with these settings turned on.

Turn on 2.4GHz

Make sure your router is broadcasting 2.4GHz. Nest Protect can't connect to a 5GHz network. If you have a dual band router that broadcasts both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, give them different names so that you can connect your Protect to the 2.4GHz network.

Parental controls or firewall security

High firewall security or parental controls can block communication with Nest servers. You can temporarily lower these settings while you connect your Protect to the network, then change the settings back once it's connected.

8. Reset Nest Protect to factory defaults

If your Protect still doesn't come back online after following the above steps, factory reset your Protect, and then add it back to the Nest app.

Important: Double check that you've tried all the previous troubleshooting steps before you reset your Protect. The reset to factory defaults will remove all your settings and Protect History.

Before you reset your Protect, take it off the wall or ceiling. You'll need to scan its QR code when you reconnect it to the app after the reset is complete.
Follow the steps to Factory reset your Nest Protect.

Tip: Write down the entry key for each of your Protects and put it in a safe space. That way if you need to reset and re-add your Protect, you won't have to remove your Protect from the wall or ceiling.

How to manually test Nest Protect's Wi-Fi

Battery powered Nest Protects normally test the Wi-Fi connection once per day.
Wired Nest Protects normally test their connection every 30 minutes, as long as the power is on.

Use the steps below to manually check Protect's the network connection before the scheduled time.

Note: Nest Protect doesn't maintain a constant Wi-Fi connection. After each troubleshooting step above, you should manually test your Protect's Wi-Fi connection.

Press and release the button on your Protect. If it's disconnected, it may say "Nest Protect is disconnected from the internet."
Press and hold down the button until you hear your Protect say "Checking the network. Just a moment." Then release the button.
Your Protect will glow blue while it tests its network connection.
After a few moments, your Protect will glow green if it was able to connect, or yellow if there's still an issue.
Continue to the next troubleshooting step if your Protect was unable to reconnect or shows up as "Offline" in the Nest app.

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