Nest Thermostat Batteries LOW on a new ORBI AX setup

[iNexxFear]

The biggest suggestion is to just return don’t bother with Netgear, they did nothing when I first experienced this and your heading into heating months. Unless you have a wire to keep the nest charged otherwise you are ready for headaches

[WilliamGr]

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@FDohadwala wrote:

We are facing similar issues (low battery) with Nest since we installed Orbi Mesh 6 router. Looks like this is a known issue. Plan to follow this thread, lot of good information. I will

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@WilliamGr wrote:

Agree. I already ready returned mine to Costco. 

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open a case with Netgear.

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@WilliamGr wrote:

Agree. I already ready returned mine to Costco. 

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Just send it back. There's no point at this stage hanging around. This was first mentioned 4 or 5 months ago and Netgear don't seem interested in fixing it. If they had even said they have replicated the issue and are working to fix it, I'd have kept mine - but nope. Just "can we get your serial number" messages, which tells me they have no clue. This affects all of them. 

[Tahabhai]

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.

[iNexxFear]

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

[FURRYe38]

Sent you a PM...Please respond there.

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@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.

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[Tahabhai]

Followed the best technically sound advicr and returned the overpriced mesh. Good luck getting this resolved for fellow nest thermostat users

[FURRYe38]

You too. Good Luck. 

[P_Joyce]

The Nest thermostat issue on my RBR has not been solved, and, the router has developed severe WIFI drops. I contacted support to find that I have to pay for any support more than 90 days after purchase – this was 93 days, so $139 for a year of support. The techs were helpful and patient but unable to resolve the problems, so the RBR goes back in for replacement at my cost. I’m done, I’ve wasted too much time on this thing. I’ve ordered a mesh system from another manufacturer. The Orbi was an expensive mistake.

[iNexxFear]

Sorry to hear of your expenses and issues. I agree this is a expensive product that if issues are not addressed the product should be removed from shelves and not sold. Netgear is raking in money but not supporting those who pay the initial price. It’s truly bleeding edge and feel customers buying retail should be warned by retailers to prevent this!

Hopefully new users reading this head the warning and return immediately

[P_Joyce]

Thanks, 

If you plan to make a return, don’t wait around. I purchased directly from Netgear in the US – they only allow ten days for returns it turns out.

I don’t mind teething problems on a new product, but Netgear support was limited and expensive. It seemed their primary goal was to have me pull out my credit card. That’s pretty much my experience with the Orbi, always a new charge.

[FURRYe38]

NG is aware of this and is working on this. I have fowarded all information regarding this to NG. 

Good Luck. 

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@P_Joyce wrote:

Thanks, 

If you plan to make a return, don’t wait around. I purchased directly from Netgear in the US – they only allow ten days for returns it turns out.

I don’t mind teething problems on a new product, but Netgear support was limited and expensive. It seemed their primary goal was to have me pull out my credit card. That’s pretty much my experience with the Orbi, always a new charge.

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[cha_d]

I understand Netgear is “aware”. Netgear should stop giving canned responses to the support tickets then since there is a significant time commitment in getting through in the first place.

Also, the free support period should be increased for products like this, or specific problem topics.

[FURRYe38]

Something the forums can't help with. 

[iNexxFear]

That’s what I keep trying to say as this has been too long for too many people. It should never have gotten here and resolved sooner or product stopped.

[Mikey94025]

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@iNexxFear wrote:
That’s what I keep trying to say as this has been too long for too many people. It should never have gotten here and resolved sooner or product stopped.

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Netgear and Nest should really get this fixed, but it also doesn't make sense that Netgear would pull a product just because a specific thermostat cannot connect reliably.  Many of us still benefit from the product, especially since Nest thermostats do not require internet connections to run correctly.  Nest thermostat owners with "C" wire to deliver power are also unaffected by this issue.

Most of our daily internet traffic via our home routers also does not involve our thermostats.  I am a Nest thermostat owner affected by this issue so I use my old router for my Nest thermostats and a small number of other older devices that are incompatible with the Orbi AX wireless.  The tradeoff of higher wireless performance for my computers, phones, and all my other devices is better for me than the Nest incompatibility.  Other Nest owners must make their own choices.

[Tahabhai]

Well said! I returned my orbi rbr 852 due to the nest thermostat issue and so far, nothing comes close to the performance I had with orbi. Going to re purchase orbi. Thanks for suggesting a different router, while it's not elegant, it is "workaround-able"

[iNexxFear]

And to make this clear for other folks reading this it is indeed orbi AX specific.

I’m using an ASUS ROG AX11000 with no issues, was using it prior to the issues I encountered. I thought that having the multiple access points with the AX would help with some better coverage and speed in points.

I just had so many other issues getting f points with the correct versions, setup and then the drain on a major component of my smart home did it for me. Living where the snow flies I can’t afford to deal with changing this, doing that, measuring distances, turning down frequencies and more.

That’s garbage and what Netgear labs should be doing. This needs to be better fielded by Netgear before it comes a premium price product on retail shelves before users experience it. And if they do, fix it! It’s a premium price after all!

If they are not going to fix it at that level then this should not be sold.

[FURRYe38]

If you do get another, we would still like to have your feed back information regarding your experiences and the specifics I asked about. I'm workng with NG on this issue in hopes to help them get this issue fixed. Any and all specific information would be most helpful. 

Otherwise, Orbi AX works well. Just got to get the bug ironed out is all. Patience is needed here. 

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@Tahabhai wrote:
Well said! I returned my orbi rbr 852 due to the nest thermostat issue and so far, nothing comes close to the performance I had with orbi. Going to re purchase orbi. Thanks for suggesting a different router, while it's not elegant, it is "workaround-able"

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[Tahabhai]

I have the blue wire plugged in my nest 3rd gen and.... No issies after 1 week of testing. All devices are running blazing fast. Satisfied customer.

[FURRYe38]

What FW version are you using?

I reverted back to v11.2 FW and have had 6 days of zero problems with NEST. Blue wire is not used for my NEST. Seems to be some problems in FW with FW versions after v11.2. Have sent info to NG as well. 

Glad yours is working. 

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@Tahabhai wrote:
I have the blue wire plugged in my nest 3rd gen and.... No issies after 1 week of testing. All devices are running blazing fast. Satisfied customer.

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[cha_d]

What did you do differently compared to the first time you setup the orbi?  What is your power output on the thermostat now?

[FURRYe38]

Nothing with the wiring changed for me. Using no power wire for the NEST. Even though eventually I may change this. 

I've downloaded and installed v11.2. Appled RBS first then RBR. 

Using AX mode enabled.

20/40Mhz and 40Mhz only works. 

Default CTS value is at 64 and have not changed this. 

Manual channel 1 and 36 have been working well since I have a next door nieghbor with a Orbi system. 

Power at 100%. 

Using two RBS850s.

I only have 1 3rd gen NEST and 1 2nd Gen NEST controllers. 

I tested with all RBS online and both NEST seem to perfer connecting to the RBS in my dinning room area which is farther away from the 3rd gen NEST which is near and close to the RBR upstairs. I did turn OFF the dining room RBS and let the NESTs connect to the RBR. 

Only minimal changes to channel width and RBS, NESTs have been ONLINE and have seen ZERO disconnects since loading v11.2.

I applied and powered OFF the system then back ON. No factory reset. 

I wanted to go back and see if an older version of FW worked vs newer and let NG know. I've got a new buid of FW to test out to capture some data for NG to review. Hopefully NG can figure out the changes between versions of FW and see if the data collected can help get NEST working better on newer FW versions. 

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@cha_d wrote:

What did you do differently compared to the first time you setup the orbi?  What is your power output on the thermostat now?

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[samnt650]

RBR850 & two RBS850.  Firmware v3.2.16.22

Like everyone, NEST 3rd Gen keep dying from low battery since I switch to Orbi.  Put the NEST back to Nighthawk and problem disappeared.  Agreed with previous post, this is specific to the Orbi product.  I tried mess with CTS/RTS setup, on/off with the AX setup, cannot fix the NEST low battery problem.

[FURRYe38]

How did you update yoru RBR and RBS? Auto update thru the RBR or manually with downloading the FW files? 

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

What is the distance between the NEST controller and the RBR and RBS? 

I've loaded my system with v22 manually:

Using AX mode enabled.

20/40Mhz and 40Mhz only. 

Default CTS value is at 64 and have not changed this. 

Manual channel 1 and 36(40) have been working well since I have a next door nieghbor with a Orbi system. 

Power at 100%. 

Using two RBS850s.

I only have 1 3rd gen NEST and 1 2nd Gen NEST controllers. 

I tested with all RBS online and both NEST seem to perfer connecting to the RBS in my dinning room area downstairs which is farther away from the 3rd gen NEST which is near and close to the RBR upstairs. I did turn OFF the dining room RBS and let the NESTs connect to the RBR. 

Only minimal changes to channel width and RBS, NESTs have been ONLINE and have seen ZERO disconnects since loading v22.

I applied and powered OFF the system then back ON. No factory reset. 

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@samnt650 wrote:

RBR850 & two RBS850.  Firmware v3.2.16.22

Like everyone, NEST 3rd Gen keep dying from low battery since I switch to Orbi.  Put the NEST back to Nighthawk and problem disappeared.  Agreed with previous post, this is specific to the Orbi product.  I tried mess with CTS/RTS setup, on/off with the AX setup, cannot fix the NEST low battery problem.

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[FURRYe38]

Also what is the FW/SW version seen on your 3rd gen NEST controller? 

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@samnt650 wrote:

RBR850 & two RBS850.  Firmware v3.2.16.22

Like everyone, NEST 3rd Gen keep dying from low battery since I switch to Orbi.  Put the NEST back to Nighthawk and problem disappeared.  Agreed with previous post, this is specific to the Orbi product.  I tried mess with CTS/RTS setup, on/off with the AX setup, cannot fix the NEST low battery problem.

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