Nest Protect lights and sounds

Google Nest Protect speaks and lights up so that you don't have to guess what it's trying to tell you. You'll also get an alert on your phone or tablet, as long as your Protect has a working Wi-Fi connection. Alerts are saved in the Nest app in Messages.

Tap Messages in the Nest app home screen to review them. You'll also receive notifications from the Google Home app.

To avoid duplicate notifications from both Nest and Home app, you can disable Protect settings and notifications either from the Home app or Nest app.

Here's what Protect's lights and messages mean, and what you should do.

You might notice that the voice of your Nest Protect has changed. This is working as intended. There was a recent software update that updated your Nest Protect’s voice.

Set up Nest Protect

Protect will guide you through the setup process using its blue light ring and voice.

Protect lights	Protect speech and sounds	What it means	What to do
Pulsing blue light ring	'Hi.' Play the audio	Nest Protect is ready for setup.	Protect walks you through the setup steps. How to install Nest Protect

Nest Protect tests

Protect lights	Protect speech and sounds	What it means	What to do
Pulsing blue light ring	'Press to test.' Play the audio	After you press the centre button, Protect pulses blue to test its sensors, batteries, Wi-Fi connection and interconnection with other Protects. 2nd gen Nest Protects also run Sound Check on their horn and speaker. Protect runs one horn cycle for smoke and two horn cycles for carbon monoxide.	Protect tells you when the test is complete and what the results of the test were. Learn about Safety Check-Up
Pulsing green light ring	None	Nest Protect constantly monitors its internal sensors, batteries and Wi-Fi connection. Each night when the lights are off, it glows green to let you know that everything is working.	Your Nest Protect is working. If you want to turn off the Nightly Promise light, you can use the Nest app to turn off this feature. Your Nest Protect will continue to perform a Self Test, but it won’t glow green when you turn off the lights at night. If a problem is identified during the Self Test, your device will glow yellow and send a message to the Nest app.
Pulsing yellow light ring	'Nest Protect batteries are low.' 'There's an issue with the sensors.' 'Wi-Fi has been down for a while.'	If your Nest Protect glows yellow instead, that means that there’s a problem with it or with another Nest Protect in your home. Push the Nest button to hear its message.	Put in new batteries. Learn more Replace Nest Protect now. Learn more Troubleshoot the Wi-Fi problem. Learn more
No lights	None	If your Nest Protect does not glow green or yellow when the lights are off, the room might not be dark enough.	To troubleshoot this visibility issue, turn the room lights on for at least 30 seconds, then turn them off again to see the Nightly Promise light.

Know about Heads-Up and Emergency alarms

Protect verbally communicates the location and nature of potential threats in your home. It also sends an alert to your phone or tablet as long as it's connected to Wi-Fi and the Internet.

Protect gives you an early warning when it detects that smoke or carbon monoxide levels are rising. This is called Heads-Up. If the smoke or carbon monoxide levels are at critical levels, Protect will sound the alarm, pulse red and let you know where the problem is.

Protect lights	Protect speech and sounds	What appears on your mobile device	What it means and what to do
Pulsing yellow light ring	'Heads-Up. There's smoke in the (room name). The alarm may sound.' Play the audio	Heads-Up: There's smoke • (room name).	Smoke levels are rising. Put out the source of the smoke. Then, use the app or press the centre button to silence the alert.
Pulsing yellow light ring	'Heads-Up. There's carbon monoxide in the (room name). The alarm may sound.' Play the audio	Heads-Up: There's carbon monoxide • (room name).	Carbon monoxide levels are rising. Open a window or door to get some fresh air. Then, use the app or press the centre button to silence the alert.
Pulsing yellow light ring	'(Smoke or carbon monoxide) alarm silenced.' Play the audio	Alarm silenced. The alarm sounds again if the problem continues. In some cases, alarm silencing isn't possible when smoke reaches very high levels.	You have silenced the alarm temporarily. Make sure that you are safe and put out the source of the smoke or carbon monoxide.
Pulsing red light ring	(Alarm sound) 'Emergency. There's smoke in the (room name).' Play the audio	Emergency: There's smoke • (room name).	The smoke in the room has reached emergency levels. Get out of the house immediately. What to do if Nest Protect detects smoke
Pulsing red light ring	(Alarm sound) 'Emergency. There's carbon monoxide in the (room name). Move to fresh air.' Play the audio	Emergency: There's carbon monoxide • (room name).	The carbon monoxide in the room has now reached emergency levels. What to do if carbon monoxide is detected Press the centre button to silence or reset Protect. Call the fire service or 999. Move everyone to fresh air. Do not re-enter the premises until the emergency services tell you to.
Pulsing red light ring	'(Smoke or carbon monoxide) alarm silenced.' Play the audio	Alarm silenced. The alarm sounds again if the problem continues. In some cases, alarm silencing isn't possible when smoke reaches very high levels.	You have silenced the alarm temporarily. What to do in case of a smoke alarm What to do in case of a carbon monoxide alarm
Pulsing green light ring	'The smoke alarm is over in the (room name).' Play the audio	Smoke clearing • (room name). The smoke level is decreasing.	Conditions are returning to normal. Make sure that you're safe and have put out the source of smoke.
Pulsing green light ring	'The carbon monoxide alarm is over in the (room name).' Play the audio	Carbon monoxide clearing • (room name). The carbon monoxide level is decreasing.	Conditions are returning to normal. Make sure that you're safe and have dealt with the source of the carbon monoxide.

Protect only speaks the room name if you selected one of the standard names from the list during setup or if you chose a standard name and added a custom label. If you use a custom name, your Protect won't speak a room name.

Learn more about Nest Protect names and labels

Respond when Nest Protect needs attention

When a problem is identified during Self Test, Protect uses its yellow light to communicate that it requires attention. As with Heads-Up and Emergency alarms, Protect also sends an alert to your phone or tablet as long as it's connected to Wi-Fi and the Internet. The batteries may be low, the sensors may have failed or Protect nears expiry.

Battery chirps and expiry chirps

Protect continuously chirps when its batteries are critically low and when it has expired. The chirp acts as a reminder for you to take action (and is required in order to comply with safety regulations). In both of these situations, Protect chirps continuously until the issue has been taken care of. However, it uses different chirp patterns depending on what's going on.

• Low battery: Protect sounds one chirp every 60 seconds until you replace the batteries.
  • To stop the chirping, you need to replace the batteries with Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA (L91) batteries.
• Protect has expired: Just like any electrical appliance, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms wear out over time and expire. Protect sounds double chirp once a minute. You won't be protected from smoke or carbon monoxide if you don't replace your Protect when it expires.
  • Protect lets you know it's going to expire a few months before the expiry date. You'll receive a series of messages during that time to remind you to replace it.

Protect lights	Protect speech and sounds	What you'll receive on your mobile device	What to do
Pulsing yellow light ring	'The batteries are low in the (room name). Replace the batteries soon.' Play the audio	Low battery (home name: Protect location). The battery is low. Replace the battery soon. Your Protect needs new batteries in the coming months.	Protect batteries (or backup batteries for Protect wired) are low. Replace Protect batteries soon. Replace Nest Protect's batteries
Pulsing yellow light ring	'The batteries are very low in the (room name). Replace the batteries now.' Single chirp every 60 seconds. Play the audio	Replace the battery now. (home name: Protect location). Your Protect needs new batteries immediately. Only a few days of battery life remain. Protect starts chirping day and night soon.	Protect batteries are very low. It chirps. Replace Protect batteries now. Replace Nest Protect's batteries
Pulsing yellow light ring	'The sensors have failed in the (room name). Replace Nest Protect now'. Single chirp every 60 seconds. Play the audio	Smoke sensor failure (home name: Protect location). The Protect's smoke sensor has failed.	Protect has tested its smoke sensor and a problem has been detected. Clean your Protect according to the instructions. Clean your Nest products If the problem persists, replace it. If you're in the US, you can send your old Protect back to Google for recycling. When to replace your Nest Protect Recycle your Nest Protect
Pulsing yellow light ring	'The sensors have failed in the (room name). Replace Protect now'. Single chirp every 60 seconds. Play the audio	Carbon monoxide sensor failure (home name: Protect location). The Nest Protect's carbon monoxide sensor has failed. You need to replace Nest Protect.	Protect has tested its carbon monoxide sensor and a problem has been detected. Replace your Protect now. If you're in the US, you can send your old Protect back to Google for recycling. When to replace your Nest Protect Recycle your Nest Protect
Pulsing yellow light ring	'Nest Protect has expired in the (room name). Replace Nest Protect now'. Two chirps every 60 seconds. Play the audio		Nest Protect has expired as per safety regulations. Replace your Nest Protect now. When to replace your Nest Protect
Pulsing yellow light ring	'Nest Protect is offline in the (room name).' Play the audio	Nest Protect is offline.	Protect is no longer connected to the Internet. Check your Wi-Fi network and Internet connection.
Solid green power light			Nest Protect is receiving power from line voltage. Troubleshoot wired Nest Protect power problems
No power light	'The power is out in the (room name)'.	Power out (home name: Protect location) The power is off.	Nest Protect's wired power is out. Protect is receiving power from the battery. Troubleshoot wired Nest Protect power problems
No lights	'The sensors have failed in the (room name). Replace Nest Protect now'. Single chirp every 60 seconds. Play the audio	There is a problem with the light ring.	Nest Protect's light ring no longer works. Replace your Protect now. When to replace your Nest Protect

Use Pathlight to light your way in the dark

Nest Protect has a motion-activated night light designed for hallways and dark rooms that can detect you and your pets passing by. If Pathlight isn’t turning on in your device, it could be because of:

• Ambient light: It only triggers in total darkness after your eyes have had a few seconds to adjust.
• Battery power: To save energy, Pathlight disables itself when batteries are low.

Tip: Disable Pathlight with the Nest app or Home app at any time.

Change Pathlight settings

Changes in brightness affect your Nest Protect's battery life. Your device's light brightness range ensures the best performance while preserving battery life. The default setting is bright enough to light your way in the dark without quickly draining the batteries.

There's a slight difference in how Nest Protects conserve energy, depending on the power source of your Nest Protect.

Product	How it works
Battery-powered Protect	On: Pathlight turns on for five seconds as you pass by. Off: Pathlight won't turn on.
Wired Protect	On: Pathlight turns on for 10 seconds as you pass by. Always on: If you choose Always on, Pathlight powers up when it gets dark and shuts down when the room brightens up. This option is great for a child's room or a dark area like a stairwell. Off: Pathlight won't turn on.

Tip: Disable Pathlight with the Nest app or Home app at any time.

With the Google Home app

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. Tap Home  Smoke and CO your Nest Protect.
3. Tap Settings .
4. Turn Pathlight on or off.

To immediately update Pathlight settings, press the button on your Nest Protect once.

With the Nest app

1. Open the Nest app .
2. Tap Settings .
3. Scroll down and select the Nest Protect for which you want to change the settings.
   • To change Pathlight brightness, tap Brightness Low, Medium or High.
   • To turn Pathlight on or off, tap Nest Sense Pathlight.
     • If you have a wired Nest Protect, you can choose Always on.

Tip: Changes to Pathlight settings take effect within the day for a battery-powered Nest Protect and within an hour for a wired Nest Protect. A clock icon in the app indicates pending changes.

Nest app reports power loss while the green light is on

A solid green light combined with an app report that power is out indicates a status update delay. These updates can take up to 24 hours following a power fluctuation.

Force a status update

1. Press the Nest button once. This connects the Nest Protect to the Internet.
2. Wait a few minutes. The Nest app's status should update shortly after.

Run a manual test

If the status remains unchanged after pressing the button once, perform a manual test:

1. Press the button once. The device will say 'Ready, press to test'.
2. Press the button again. This initiates a Safety Check-Up, confirms that the unit is functional and forces a sync with the app.

Learn about Safety Check-Up.

Occasionally, scheduled maintenance may cause Nest online services to be temporarily unavailable. The Nest Protect cannot update its status until these services are restored. For more information, check Nest service status.