Learn about when your thermostat’s display turns on

You need to be near (typically within 3 feet or about 1 meter) your Nest thermostat for the display to turn on. However, your Nest thermostat adapts to how much activity there typically is in its location, and it measures the current light level to adjust when exactly it will turn the display on.

How your Nest thermostat decides when to turn on the screen will depend on your thermostat model and the display setting you choose in the app.

Display options	Nest Thermostat E	Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd gen)	Nest Thermostat	Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)
Dynamic Farsight
Farsight
Wake on approach
Wake when you pass by
Wake on press

It turns off when the battery is low

If your Nest thermostat’s internal battery charge gets too low, the thermostat will take steps to preserve battery life, so it can continue to keep you comfortable and help save energy for as long as possible. You should get a notification from your thermostat about a power or wiring issue if the battery charge is low. You might also notice that you need to be closer to your thermostat than usual for the screen to turn on. When the battery charge gets very low, the screen will turn off completely.

For troubleshooting, visit Troubleshoot when your Nest thermostat won't turn on.

Where it's installed matters

No matter where your Nest thermostat is installed, it will learn and adapt to your habits. Depending on its specific location, it can sense when you’re approaching or passing by to use it and turn on the screen. For example, in a narrow hallway where people are constantly walking by only a few feet away, your thermostats screen will turn on only when you’re very close. On the other hand, if your thermostat is in a location where there’s less activity, you won’t have to be as close for the screen to light up.

The temperature setting and lighting matter

In some cases, the Nest thermostat’s screen automatically turns on, even when no one is near it. For example, it lights up when there is a target temperature change that has been automatically triggered by the schedule, or if someone makes a change with the app. 

However, your thermostat will only turn on in these cases if the room isn’t too dark. If the light level suggests the room is unoccupied or you may be sleeping, it won’t disturb you.

Farsight turns on quickly

The 3rd and 4th generation Nest Learning Thermostat comes with the Farsight feature enabled by default. Farsight allows your thermostat to turn on the screen as soon as it detects you, from as far as 20 feet (about 6 meters) away.

Farsight overrides all the factors your thermostat would ordinarily use to determine when to turn on the display (activity in the room, lighting, location, etc.). No matter where your thermostat is installed or how much activity there is in the room, Farsight will always turn the thermostat display on as soon as it detects someone.

Nest Learning Thermostat 4th generation comes with the Dynamic Farsight feature enabled by default. Dynamic Farsight works similar to Farsight, except when a person is far away, a larger, easier-to-read font is displayed. As a person walks closer to the thermostat, a more detailed display is shown. 

Learn about Farsight