Nest Doorbell Won’t Connect to WiFi/Bluetooth/App

The Nest Hello is an excellent doorbell for those who want both security and convenience. They can connect to the internet to send you alerts when someone is at the door, and you can view live security video. It’s pretty much essential to connect your Nest Hello to WiFi, and so if you are having problems doing so, that is a big problem.

If your Nest doorbell is not connecting to the app, it could be due to a number of issues. One possible reason is that your camera may be out of range or too close to the router. Try moving your camera closer to your Wi-Fi router or access point, then try connecting your camera to the app again¹. If that doesn’t work, you can try restarting your camera or doorbell.

Nest Doorbell Won’t Connect to WiFi/Bluetooth/App

Troubleshooting this issue can be tricky since it can either be a problem with your connection, specific settings, or a faulty unit. It is ideal for troubleshooting before resorting to utilizing your 2-year warranty, and so we will go through the various WiFi and Bluetooth related issues and how to solve them. If you would like to learn more, we encourage you to keep reading.

Nest Doorbell Won’t Connect to WiFi: Causes/How to Fix

Without WiFi, the Nest Hello is just a very expensive doorbell that can only chime. Naturally, having trouble connecting to WiFi is possibly the worst problem you can have with a Nest doorbell. Fortunately, there may be an easy fix for this, depending on what is causing the issue.

Nest Hello Doesn’t Play Well With WiFi Extenders

If you are using a WiFi extender to get a better signal range, the problem may be. It isn’t explained why this is the case, but users who had WiFi issues when using an extender reported that disabling it solved the problem.

Mesh router systems such as Google WiFi don’t seem to be affected by this as much; some users still experience issues.

Try Changing WiFi Channels and Bands

Some routers don’t allow you to change the band or channel, but most conventional ones do. Each router will have a different way of accessing these settings, but there should be an app that allows you to control a wide range of settings.

If you don’t know what we mean when referring to “bands,” they are signals that routers emit. One is 2.4GHz while the other is 5Ghz; the former is slower but has a lot more range while the latter is much faster but has less range.

If your router is far away from the front door and you are trying to connect to a 5Ghz band, then it may not be working since the signal isn’t reaching the Nest Hello doorbell.

As for channels, selecting the right one will make all the difference in performance and compatibility. On a 2.4GHz band, channels 1,6, and 11 don’t overlap and are the ideal ones to be on. When it comes to a 5Ghz band, channels 36, 40, and 44 are ideal.

Nest Doorbell Won’t Stay Connected to WiFi: Causes/How to Fix

If your Nest doorbell keeps going offline, check to see if your other devices are also having this issue. If so, you might be dealing with a dying router, and/or there is a lot of congestion.

Additionally, your doorbell system’s transformer needs to be powerful enough to adequately power the Nest Hello and its features. Most transformers will work fine with the Nest, but if your home is older and the doorbell system hasn’t been upgrading in a while, then it may be too underpowered for the Nest Hello.

You’ll need a transformer of at least 16v and 10VA, such as this Maxdot Doorbell Transformer. Luckily, these minimum spec transformers are very cheap. So if you are confident in doing the upgrade yourself, you can save yourself a ton of money over calling a professional.

Here’s a video that demonstrates how to do a doorbell transformer upgrade:

Nest Doorbell Won’t Connect to Bluetooth: Causes/How to Fix

If your Nest Doorbell isn’t connecting to Bluetooth, this is likely a simple fix:

Restart your phone.
Restart your Nest doorbell by turning off the breaker for 10 seconds.
Power the breaker back on.
(If you are using a power adapter, unplug that for 10 seconds.)
Disable Bluetooth on your phone.
Bring your phone within 10 inches (0.25 m) of your Nest Hello’s camera.
Set up Bluetooth within the Nest app while holding the phone close to the Nest.

This method is recommended to ensure that absolutely no interference is present. However, it is pretty rare for Bluetooth to get so congested that you have trouble connecting from a reasonable distance.

If you are still having Bluetooth problems, we suggest contacting Google if your warranty is still within the 2-year timeframe.

Nest Doorbell Won’t Connect to Google Home: Causes/How to Fix

To connect your Nest doorbell to your Google home, ensure that you follow the correct steps from the beginning:

Open the Google Home app.
Select “Set up device” in the “Add and manage” menu.
Select “Set up new devices.”
Select “Nest.”
Login to your Nest account.
Open the Nest app.
Sign in to the Nest app with your Google account.

Your Nest Hello should be visible now. Here’s a video if you’d like a visual demonstration of the setup process:

Nest Doorbell Won’t Connect to App: Causes/How to Fix

To connect your Nest Hello doorbell to the Nest app, your doorbell needs to be connected to WiFi. If you are having issues with this, refer to the previous troubleshooting advice above.

Once the Nest Hello is connected to WiFi, open the Nest app, and navigate Settings > Add product.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on January 4, 2021.

Nest Doorbell Won’t Connect to Alexa: Causes/How to Fix

To connect your Nest Hello doorbell to Alexa:

Open the Alexa app on your phone.
Tap the menu located on the top left.
Tap the “skills tab.
Enter “Nest” into the Alexa skills store.
Select “Nest Camera.”
Tap “Enable.”
Login into your Nest account.
In the smart home menu, tap “+ Add Device.”
Select your Nest doorbell.

To test if your Nest doorbell is connected to Alexa, say, “Alexa, show me my front door.” You should get a video feed upon request.

Nest Doorbell Won’t Connect to TV: Causes/How to Fix

To connect the Nest Hello to your Chromecast or Chromecast-enabled TV:

Ensure you have a device that runs Google assistant, such as your phone.
Ensure the Google assistant and doorbell are connected to the same WiFi.
Open the Google Home app.
Press “+.”
Tap “Set up device.”
Tap “Set up new devices.”
Tap your home.
Select your Nest doorbell.
Tap “Done.”

From here, you need to connect your Chromecast to the doorbell. To do this, open the Nest app and tap the “cog” icon located on the top right and select Google Assistant and link it.

You should be able to ask Google Assistant to stream your front door to your TV, simply say “Hey Google. Show ‘[Camera name].” or “What’s on [camera name]’, or “[camera name] on [Chromecast name].”

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on January 4, 2021.

Final Thoughts

If you are still having trouble connecting your Nest Hello doorbell to WiFi or Bluetooth, do not be afraid to request a replacement device. There have been reports of people receiving dud units that will not connect to their WiFi network. Your Nest Hello comes with a generous 2-year warranty by default to cover faulty units.