Some users of Nest thermostats can no longer control the devices remotely, and the problem is forcing Google to replace the devices entirely if the standard troubleshooting fails otherwise. The problem, which started showing up on Nest forums since last November and accumulates more than 200 responses, is known as the “w5 error” and disables the remote control of the company’s thermostats.
Controlling the temperature of your home with your smartphone when you are away from home or away from the physical device is practically the only selling point of the Nest thermostat. That makes this a pretty serious problem, even if you can still manually adjust the temperature on the device. Google says it is aware of the problem and is now offering replacements to device owners who cannot resolve the issue through standard reset procedures.
“A very small number of Nest thermostat users are experiencing a known issue with the Wi-Fi chip causing remote connectivity issues. This does not affect the thermostat’s ability to control the customer’s heating and cooling system at home, but it does affect the user’s ability to remotely manage the thermostat, “says a Google spokesperson. The edge. “If a user sees this error and it cannot be resolved by troubleshooting, they will be asked to contact customer service for help and a replacement device will be sent to them. “
It is still not entirely clear where the problem comes from. Some users in the forum threads have said that Google’s support channel is pointing the figure to a recent update that disabled the device’s Wi-Fi chip, but Google doesn’t say so. Either way, the company is downplaying the severity of the w5 error by suggesting that standard troubleshooting can solve it, when in reality it appears that some devices are simply broken now and can already use one of Nest’s signature features. The fact that Google has to completely replace some of these thermostats is a bit of a concern, considering that a thermostat is not something you normally want to malfunction.
