You can no longer use Nest Guard as a bridge to connect your Nest x Yale Lock to Wi-Fi. Only a Nest Connect will be able to connect your lock to Wi-Fi. If your lock goes offline, you will not be able to operate your lock with the Nest app, but you will still be able to operate it with the keypad.
If you previously used Nest Guard as a bridge to connect your Nest x Yale Lock to Wi-Fi, you must take action to replace your Nest Guard with a Nest Connect. Eligible users received an email in January 2024 with instructions on how to receive a Nest Connect at no cost. Once you have a Nest Connect, refer to the Help Center article Keep your Nest x Yale Lock connected after support ends for Nest Secure to reconnect your lock.
If you currently own a Nest Connect, you may need to move it closer to your Nest x Yale Lock to connect it to Wi-Fi. If your lock is out of range of a Nest Connect and goes offline, you will not be able to operate your lock with the Nest app, but you will still be able to operate it with the keypad.
To install a Nest Connect, refer to the Help Center article Set up Nest Connect.
For more details, check the frequently asked questions in this Nest Secure Community Forum update.
Working together with Yale, we’ve designed a lock with a variety of features to help keep your home secure. The lock can keep you up to date on who’s coming and going and even give you alerts on your phone if it detects tampering.
The Google Nest × Yale Lock is a tamper-proof, keyless connected deadbolt lock. As long as it maintains its connection to the internet, you'll be notified on your phone when someone comes home, as well as receive notifications and low battery alerts.
Durable and secure hardware
The Nest × Yale Lock is designed to be durable. It’s a certified ANSI/BHMA (A156.36, Grade 2) deadbolt lock that can withstand rain, dust, and snow. It’s usable in outdoor temperatures as low as -22°F (-30°C) or as high as 140°F (60°C).
Keyed locks can be easily picked or bumped. Since the Nest × Yale Lock is keyless, it can’t be picked or bumped. If your lock detects tampering, it will send a notification to your phone and sound the built in alarm.
Communicates securely
The Nest × Yale Lock uses AES 128-bit encryption whenever it’s communicating with other devices in your home or the outside world. Here’s a breakdown of some other ways your lock can help protect its connections and prevent hacking.
Important: When you use the keypad to unlock your door, the passcode is not wirelessly transmitted. Instead, encrypted passcodes are stored directly on the lock. This greatly reduces the chance of your passcode being intercepted or stolen. If you suspect that someone has a passcode who shouldn’t, you can always change or disable it using the Nest app. And since passcodes are stored on your lock, wireless jamming won’t cause your lock to stop working and your door can’t be unlocked this way.
Wi-Fi and Weave
The Nest × Yale Lock uses an encrypted internet connection to talk to the Nest app on your phone. With the Nest app, you can do things like lock and unlock remotely, change a passcode, and adjust the lock’s settings.
For these communications, your Nest × Yale Lock doesn’t connect directly to Wi-Fi. Instead it uses Weave to connect to a Google Nest Connect in your home. Your Connect, which is connected to your Wi-Fi network, lets your lock communicate with the Nest service in the cloud and the Nest app on your phone.
Bluetooth
The Nest × Yale Lock uses Bluetooth, but only when you’re installing and setting it up. It doesn’t use Bluetooth for day-to-day functions. You won’t be able to unlock your door or change any settings over Bluetooth.
Family and guest access
You can choose whether you want to only give others the ability to unlock the door using a passcode on the keypad, or to also give them remote control over the lock’s settings and other Nest products in your home.
- People with Full Access can use either the Nest app or the lock’s keypad to unlock the door.
- People with Home Entry Only access can only unlock the door by entering their passcode on the lock’s keypad.
- Each person has a unique passcode, so the Nest app will know who has unlocked the door. You can see who locked and unlocked the door during the last 10 days in the app.
After you’ve migrated your Nest Account to a Google Account, family members and guests will need to take these steps in order to use the lock:
- People with Full Access: Migrate to a Google Account and ask the lock owner to add you as a member to their Google home.
- People with Home Entry Only access: Ask the lock owner to confirm you still have access. If the lock owner has a family account, they’ll need to re-invite you.
Learn more about sharing Nest device access after migrating to a Google Account.
Nest app security
You can add an extra layer of security by signing into the app with 2-step verification. To learn more about 2-step verification and set it up on your account, see:
Remember, never share your password with anybody.
Everyone gets a unique passcode
Because everyone who uses your lock has a unique passcode, you can know who’s coming and going. If you think that someone knows a passcode who shouldn’t, you can easily change the passcode or remove access using the Nest app. You’ll also have access to a 10-day history showing whose passcodes were used to unlock your door.
Notifications to keep you in the loop
There are a number of different notifications you can get from the Nest app. You can also enable or disable notifications with the app. The available notifications include:
- When a person unlocks or locks the door, including the name you gave them in the Nest app and the time
- When the lock has a low battery
- When the lock has a very low battery
- If someone with Home Entry Only uses a passcode outside of their scheduled time
- When someone enters an incorrect passcode 5 times
- If your lock goes offline for an extended period of time
- When your deadbolt is unable to extend or retract
- Tamper detection
In addition to notifications, you’ll also be able to view a 10 day history of the lock in the Nest app. This will show you who unlocked your door and when.
Privacy Mode
You can enable Privacy Mode using the Nest app or by pressing the white button on the inside of your lock. Privacy Mode will disable your lock’s keypad. You can use this option if you want to prevent anyone opening your front door using a passcode.
Note: Anyone you invite to your home with Full Access will still be able to disable Privacy Mode and use their phone to unlock the door. Anyone on the inside of your home will still be able to turn the thumb turn to unlock your door, which will also disable Privacy Mode.
Automatic and remote locking options
Locking your door
Did you remember to lock your door on the way out? Unlike a traditional keyed lock, the Nest × Yale Lock lets you lock your door remotely, and it can even lock itself automatically.
If your lock is connected to the internet, you can:
- Use the Nest app to check your lock. If it’s unlocked, you can lock it right from the app.
- Set the Nest × Yale Lock to automatically lock itself when everyone’s away from home.
If your lock is not connected to the internet, you can:
- Set the Nest × Yale Lock to automatically lock itself after a certain period of time.
To learn more about locking and unlocking your door remotely or automatically, visit the following article:
Unlocking your door
If you accidentally get locked out of your home and you don’t have your phone with you, no worries. The Nest × Yale Lock gives you a couple ways to get back inside without needing to break a window or call a locksmith. You can:
- Use your passcode on the lock’s keypad.
- Get in touch with someone else who has access to the lock and ask them to unlock the door remotely using the Nest app. Your lock will need to be connected to the internet in order to be able to use this option.