NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Nest Thermostat Batteries LOW on a new ORBI AX setup
I have a brand new ORBI AX wifi setup (RBR850 and 2 satellites) that i got configured and updated to the latest firmware (V3.2.15.25) about 10:00 last night with all nodes up to the version with a bit of challenges.
This morning at 7:00 AM my 2 nest thermostat batteries are drained and in low power mode (below 3.6v). I have rebooted them but wondering if anyone has a solution. I am in contacgs with NG but no news yet.
The downstars thermostat is direclty below the router and about 30 feed from one satellite and 20 form the other on the same floor.
The upstairs thermostat is close to the downstaris one about 7 feet almost direcly above one satellite and about 30 feet from the main router
This never happened with my single router setup, and wondering what is occuring.... I did reboot both nest thermostats but they are in the process of recharging to be back online. If conintued issues this orbi system will need to go back in a box and returned as I can't have this occuring. thankfully for summer weather I don't need heat but this should have never occured.
All was working just fine last night between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM when I was setting it up I could see these in the device list on the orbi web console and applicaiton
Pleae advise
No.
Only thing I found was that with mine, being so close to the RBR, 5 feet, was having problems with the NEST. I found that when I moved the RBR away from the one NEST controller, 20-25 feet, the NEST controller started working with out draining the battery. Also was said that this is also a NEST controller issue as well that NEST needs to fix it on there side as these controllers ping pong back and forth on there own when there is more than 1 signal source in play, i.e. RBR and 1 or 2 RBS. Its also recommemeded to install the C power wire to your NEST from the main central AC system to help avoid the battery draining. You'll need to consult your systems mfr wiring diagram to find out which connection that is.
264 Replies
Is AX mode enabled?
What are your CTS/RTC values seen under under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings
64 is default for v15.25...
Please set these up to 2347...
I would follow FURRYe38's recommendation to check and set your CTS/RTS values to 2347. The firmware defaults cause various wireless compatibility issues.
I have 2 Nest thermostats and haven't had any of the issues you describe. Were they successfully connect to wifi after you upgraded your router? It's important to verify the connectivity of your devices and reset/reconnect them if they are not connected. Not all devices will simply reconnect just because you kept the same SSID and password. Also, the Nest thermostats are very sensitive to battery power if you only have them connected via trickle charging and don't have a "C" wire providing continuous power.
- Trickle charging is thier setup as they have been for 2 years. They connected and had the right up address, no issues so I thought all was good.
I’m done playing around with a $1000 setup for something I have never had to do with the 3 years I’ve owned the thermostat devices and the various other routers which have never made this occur. I’ll just disconnect them and USB charge them soon if they don’t recoup with the trickle charge since the old setup is back into place2347 was the default value historically, however for unknown reasons NG change the CTS values to 64 which seems to cause problems in last few versions of FW. I also noticed this with my two NEST controllers. After chaning them back to 2347, my controllers are working again. Something you should try.
- Noticed that my Orbi 4200 auto updated FM to V3.2.16.6 couple days ago. I tried changing my CH to 11 and 48 like someone in the thread suggested. After this new FM and CH update my NEST thermostat lasted 16+ hours until it died. So it’s still an issue :(
Has anyone figured out the issue or have any configuration that works?What is the distance between the RBR and RBS? 30 feet or more is recommended.
What is the distance between the NEST controller and the RBR and RBS? How close is the Nest to either unit.
What CTS value are you using on the RBR? 64?
Is 20/40 Coexistence enabled?
Under Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings
orbi-adan wrote:
Noticed that my Orbi 4200 auto updated FM to V3.2.16.6 couple days ago. I tried changing my CH to 11 and 48 like someone in the thread suggested. After this new FM and CH update my NEST thermostat lasted 16+ hours until it died. So it’s still an issue :(
Has anyone figured out the issue or have any configuration that works?- Distance between RBR and RBS is 30+ feet and RBS is down stairs.
NEST to RBR is about 5 FT and to RBS 25+ feet. I have tried moving them around and no luck.
CTS : 64 and I have tried other values as well (500, 1000, 1500, 2222, 2347)
20/40 Coexistence: Enabled
orbi-adan wrote:
Has anyone figured out the issue or have any configuration that works?No, I don't believe any of us experiencing this issue have found a way around it with the Orbi AX system. I've read others that are doing what I'm doing - Run an old router with a separate wireless for our Nest thermostats.
Having to run an old router makes me sad. I opened a ticket with NETGEAR and there no help so far, they are escalating the issue to next support tier. I will post back if they have me try something that works.
- Just picked up my 753 Orbi set last night at Costco to replace my RBK53. Got it set up and all seemed fine. This morning, all three of my 3rd gen Thermostats are low battery and unresponsive.
This sort of thing isn’t acceptable. CTS is set to 64 (I didn’t touch it).
Back to Costco it goes. I’ll stick with the RBK53.- I agreee and it’s not even as if the product is new or in stages where customers should go. If the problem is with ping ponging then Netgear in thier Mesh network technology needs to be able to lock it to what device should be handling this.
Obviously it’s something with how netgear is handling it as Nest has thier mesh network technology as well, it’s just not AX.Agreed, and since the first post in this thread is from May, I've zero confidence in Netgear sorting this before I need to start using my heating - which is very soon.
Returning it today. Very disappointed.
This issue seems to still exist in Firmware Version V3.2.16.6_1.4.4.
Just got my Orbi this weekend to find 2 of my 4 nest thermostats with a depleted battery,
A real fix for this would be nice.
I have been in comminication with tier 2 support. They have now escalated this issue to engineering. At the moment there is no solution. I will post back if I hear anything.
- Well I wouldn’t put any money on that and due to the limited assistance and warranty you’d be best to pack it up and return it. My posting for this was 3 months ago when this happens and NOW they are JUST looking to put it up to engineering?
Seriously. And it’s coming hearing season. This seems more than unacceptable and should have been addressed a long time back. OR it shouldn’t have existed to begin with seeing it never happens with the prior models.
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected. https://kb.netgear.com/000036466/How-far-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite-from-my-Orbi-routerWhat is the distance between the RBR/RBS and the NEST controllers, in feet.
NG knows about this.
jasonmeltzer wrote:This issue seems to still exist in Firmware Version V3.2.16.6_1.4.4.
Just got my Orbi this weekend to find 2 of my 4 nest thermostats with a depleted battery,
A real fix for this would be nice.
- Why do we always ask this question about distance? Shouldn’t Netgear support be asking this when the issues are reported to them? And further more it’s crazy... it’s sold as mesh. The devices and routers should be handling this at a network level.
- Just purchased a rbr850, now my 3rd gen nest says low battery. Even if i give it a good charging manually, i am unable to connect via nest app. Nothing on wiring for nest has changed, I've factory reset the nest and tried all the google recommendations. I am also 30 feet away from router or satellite. Please fix this bug, yes i said bug. Let me know if i can file it as such somewhere.
- If you want your nests then do yourself a favor and return the Orbi! This product should not be sold or have a disclaimer out there to the retailers selling.
This has been too long and no solution. Mostly everyone else here with this issue has returned due to the lack of support and resolution by Netgear.
Maybe amazon can get it right in thier upcoming Wi-Fi 6 lineup Sent you a PM...Please respond there.
Tahabhai wrote:
Just purchased a rbr850, now my 3rd gen nest says low battery. Even if i give it a good charging manually, i am unable to connect via nest app. Nothing on wiring for nest has changed, I've factory reset the nest and tried all the google recommendations. I am also 30 feet away from router or satellite. Please fix this bug, yes i said bug. Let me know if i can file it as such somewhere.- Followed the best technically sound advicr and returned the overpriced mesh. Good luck getting this resolved for fellow nest thermostat users
You too. Good Luck.
Is there any update on this? Has this issue been resolved yet?
I've resorted to running an additional router just to connect my Nest thermostatMines been running well on v22 with the settings mentioned above. I'm still working with NG on this, however there hasn't been much info in past week or so.
Also using CTS value of 64.
I did see an odd problem on the NEST app however was NOT related to the battery or disconnect. I found that in the NEST app, it reported the NEST controller disconnected. However looking at the controller itself, it reported being online. However looking at the RBRs web page under connected clients, it didn't list the controller but the IP was listed and said "amazon". I looked at the MAC address and it was not for the controller, rather for one of my Echo Dots. I Powered OFF all Dots and waited a few minutes. Then the NEST controller was seen in the RBRs web page. So there was an IP address conflict was all. NEST app and controller have been working well since that one event.
One other item i have noticed a while back, when the contoller does disconnect, it seems that for my controller at least, seems to stop trying to connect to something if it fails and thus stops draining the battery. Not sure if NEST did something on there side or NG did something on theres to stop the ping pong effect when the controller is trying to connect to something which causes the battery to drain. So the few disconnections I have seen, the battery hasn't drained on mine.
However since v22 has been loaded, the controller has been online and stable otherwise.
RBS and RBR were manually updated, Powered OFF for 1 minute then back on with the RBR first, then RBS. Both my RBS are ethernet connected.
brandobot wrote:Is there any update on this? Has this issue been resolved yet?
I've resorted to running an additional router just to connect my Nest thermostatI updated to v22 a few days ago. I'm currently running in AP mode, so I don't know if I can set values like CTS anymore.
I forgot why I set it to AP mode as it's been months since I setup my routers, but it's been stable for months so I'm hesitant to change it.
I'm having the same issue. Both thermostats die. I've been charging them with USB cables for months now. They're on different floors and each are pretty close (within 20 feet) of the base and satellite. Base is on the first floor, satellite is on the second floor almost directly above it. Firmware is up to date.
Do I bother calling support on this? Can they offer any help?
>> They're on different floors and each are pretty close (within 20 feet) of the base and satellite
Move either the base or satelite as far away from the Thermostat as possible. OR shutdown your Satellite. Your NEST is flopping between AP draining the battery.
I installed the Nest Power Connector last week. The thermostat still needs to be charged off its base once a day. I guess I should try a secondary router just for my thermostat.
Be sure the connector adapter is wired correctly, if it isn't, then the controller wont' get the power it needs...
pennycjc wrote:I installed the Nest Power Connector last week. The thermostat still needs to be charged off its base once a day. I guess I should try a secondary router just for my thermostat.
FURRYe38 wrote:Be sure the connector adapter is wired correctly, if it isn't, then the controller wont' get the power it needs...
pennycjc wrote:I installed the Nest Power Connector last week. The thermostat still needs to be charged off its base once a day. I guess I should try a secondary router just for my thermostat.
That would be my advice as well - make sure it's wired correctly. I installed 2 of the Nest Power Adapters and they fixed the issue (so far - it's been 4 days). Voltage for the thermostats has been varying but staying above the minimum 3.6V required to keep them connected.
Another solution that might work for some...
I was about to follow the (unfortunate) solution to use a seperate router and SSID. However, on a whim I decided to enable the Guest network on the Orbi AX and use that exclusively for the Nest. I'm about 1 week into this approach and so far I've had zero problems; the Nest thermostat has been online 100% of the time and battery voltage has been consistently 3.8+ volts! Way more convenient and cheaper than a separate router, so give it a try and perhaps it'll work for others.
Wooohhh.. OK, so you created a guest network on the Orbi with a different SSID and password and no issues so far?! Super easy... I had just ordered a crap router off Amazon but will try this and return if it works!
I also found the distance between the RBR/RBS is important as well. Having them too close to the NEST controllers seems to make the controllers bounce from signal to signal. I found that 20-25 feet or more seems to be needed. I had moved my RBR from it's normal location to my desk which is 25 feet or more from my 3rd gen NEST controller, after this, NEST remained connected and saw no more LOW Battery messages. Also the other solution is to connect the NEST to the AC systems C-wire connection for NEST power and fully elliminate the problem all together!
