Nest doorbells are amazing home monitoring devices. But there are situations when you may need to remove it. You might want to change your doorbell, charge it, or fix any other issues. When you buy a doorbell, you’re given a removal tool for that.
But what if you lose the pin tool for removing your Nest Doorbell? Is it possible to remove Nest doorbell without that tool?
If this is what you’re looking for then you are in the right place. It’s possible to remove the Nest doorbells without the pin tool. In this article, I will show you exactly how to remove the Nest Doorbell without it.
Also, I will show you all the alternatives and the full process for the different models.
Let’s get started!
Can You Remove Nest Doorbells Without Using a Tool?
By tool, I assume you mean the pin tool that comes in the box with the Nest doorbells. If that is what you mean, then yes, you can remove Nest doorbells without using that tool.
But if you mean that you want to remove the doorbell with your bare hands without any tools, then that might be extremely difficult if not entirely impossible.
Usually, there should be something in your house that fits the same description as the release key tool of the Nest doorbell. If not, you can buy a similar tool in the nearest hardware store.
Can You Get a Replacement For the Nest Doorbell Tool?
No, the pin tool or hex key that comes in the box with your doorbell is not sold separately officially. So if you were thinking of buying a new piece or replacing your broken one, you can’t do that.
You only have two options—Use an alternative tool or buy it from someone else.
If you know someone willing to sell his Nest doorbell removal tool because he doesn’t use it anymore, you can buy it from him. Otherwise, you need an alternative tool that can be used as a pin tool.
Nest Doorbell Pin Tool Alternatives
So if you lost the Nest doorbell pinhole tool or can’t find it at the moment, what else can you use? A lot of household items or other small-sized tools. Let’s have a quick look:
If you have any of these tools near you, you should be able to remove the doorbell. Of course, each tool needs a different approach depending on how you use it. There are other factors as well which I will discuss now.
What to Look For in a Nest Doorbell Removal Tool?
All the tools I mentioned above can be used to remove the Nest doorbell but they need to fit into some criteria to be able to do so. If the tools possess these qualities then they can be used for this purpose:
If the tool you chose has all these things in it, proceed to the next section where I will show you how to remove the doorbell from the mount even if you don’t have the actual release key too.
Removing Nest Doorbell Without Tool
Since there are 3 different Nest doorbell models and each has a different process of unmounting, I will cover all of them.
Nest Doorbell (Battery)
Nest Doorbell battery has a hole on the top side. You get a key-shaped tool to open the doorbell from its mount. The best replacements for this tool can be flat-head screwdrivers, paper clips, or SIM card pin tools.
If you have a flat-head screwdriver, I recommend you use that. Be careful about the size of its head. Don’t try to force it in if the hole is smaller.
If the screwdriver enters naturally, apply a little pressure and the doorbell should pop off. One trick is to enter your screwdriver from an angle and not straight.
For a paperclip, straighten one end to make it taller and keep the other end as it is. Now push the rounded end towards the doorbell hole. You will need to apply some extra pressure since paper clips don’t have much strength.
SIM card tools have a thin head which is good for pushing. But you will still need to apply more strength since you have to cover the full button using that thin head.
Carefully enter your tool. Once it is there, push the button until the doorbell is released.
Nest Doorbell (Wired)
The 1st generation wired Nest Doorbell has a hole in the bottom. The hex key that comes with it is almost identical to SIM card pin tools.
So the best replacement would be an actual SIM card tray tool. Other good alternatives are thumbtacks or paper clips.
You can read Are Doorbell Wires Dangerous?
Nest Doorbell (Wired, 2nd gen)
The 2nd gen Nest Doorbell wired also has a pinhole on the top. However, it uses a different mechanism than the other two. Unlike Nest Doorbell 1st gen and the battery model, this model requires you to screw it to the mount using the provided hex key.
So if you lost the hex key, the only replacements are tools that can work as screw openers.
Final Thoughts
This tutorial shows you how to remove your Nest doorbell from the mounting bracket without the tool. I’ve covered all the possible alternative tools, how to use them, and the full process of removing each Nest doorbell model.
Pick any alternative tool you have nearby and follow this guideline. If you face any problems, let us know in the comments.
