Article Summary:
Setting up a wireless router or access point can be tricky. Here’s how to set up your Wi-Fi hardware to ensure the best performance with Nest products.
First, make sure that you are using a Wi-Fi router or access point that has no known issues with Nest products.
Unsupported Wi-Fi access points >
Before making any changes to your Wi-Fi settings, it's essential to take some steps to prepare:
- Download all of your router or access point manuals from the manufacturer's website. You'll need to refer to these during the process.
- Backup and document all of the current settings. Many routers let you export settings to a file as well as print them out.
- Update your router/access point firmware or software. This is essential to ensure optimal compatibility and performance.
If you have multiple routers or access points on your network, make sure that all of them use Nest-recommended settings. You may have connectivity issues if some Wi-Fi access points haven't been updated to use the same settings.
Recommended Wi-Fi settings for use with Nest products
Each router or access point is unique, so check the manual or manufacturer's website for specific information on how to change the settings. But before changing anything, be sure to follow the steps above to back up the current settings. In rare cases you may need to go back to the router's old settings if something goes wrong. Here are the things you'll need to check:
- Set the network SSID to be "broadcast", not "hidden". While hidden networks will work with the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Protect, they are not recommended.
How to connect the Nest Thermostat to a hidden wireless network >
- Use a 2.4 GHz band connection, instead of 5GHz. Nest Protect and the 1st and 2nd generation Nest Thermostats only support 2.4 GHz communications. If your access point is dual band (broadcasts both 2.4 and 5 GHz signals) make sure that it is broadcasting a 2.4 GHz signal.
- Use the 802.11 b/g/n compliant products. The 802.11 a/c standard isn't supported by the Nest Thermostat or Nest Protect. If your access point allows switching between the two, switch it to b/g/n.
- We recommend that you use WPA2 encryption to protect your personal data if you don't have any devices that require WEP encryption. Nest products do not support Enterprise networks such as 802.1x/RADIUS or captive networks.
- Verify that ports 9543, 11095, 80, and 443 are not being blocked by your router or access point. Nest products need these ports for Internet communications.
- If you have MAC address filtering enabled for added security, the MAC addresses of your Nest products must be added to the list of authorized devices. You can usually view the MAC addresses of all devices on your network with your router's software. Refer to your router's documentation for instructions.
- Set your Wi-Fi channel selection to Auto instead of a specific channel. Selecting Auto allows your router to automatically switch channels to avoid interference from other electronics and ensure best performance.
What is wireless interference, and how do I troubleshoot it? >
- Set your Wi-Fi router's DHCP lease time to at least 2 hours.
- Enable Power Save Mode (PSM) on your Wi-Fi router. The Nest Thermostat uses PSM to allow it to sleep and charge its battery while remaining connected to the Internet. Some Wi-Fi routers may not support this feature or may implement it in different ways.
For more network troubleshooting help, please see the following articles:
Troubleshooting the Nest Learning Thermostat's Wi-Fi connection >
My Wi-Fi network doesn't appear in the list of available networks during setup >