Google never disappoints, and their Nest wifi router has already been taking over the industry by storm. If the good first impression were a person, then it would be the Google Nest wifi. Not only does it have a sleek and modern design but contains high-quality components to deliver strong wifi to all the corners of your home.
If you own smart home, the Nest wifi is really what you need. This system allows you to take charge of your smart home with the Google Assistant. But what else does the Nest mesh wifi system have to offer in terms of delivering fast download speeds throughout your home? We’ve got you covered on that and much more.
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Nest wifi price and quality
The Nest wifi system is slightly pricy compared to others but might be worth it for the quality you get. The router alone costs $169, and it’s capable of covering up to 2,200 square feet of space. If you need the router together with one point, enough to cover an area of about 3,800 square feet, it goes for $269. There is also the option of the Nest wifi router and two points, which can increase coverage to up to 5,400 square feet for $349. Each additional wifi point after that will cost you $149.
While there may be more expensive mesh wifi systems in the market, the Nest wifi system is definitely not cheap either. There are cheaper alternatives in the market like the Amazon eero, and it even comes with an extra point, making them three devices that will boost coverage for up to 5,000 square feet. However, with the Amazon eero, you will miss out on the voice controls, which are important for a smart home. The Nest Wifi system, on the other hand, already has the voice controls built into the points.
Similar to the Nest wifi system, the Netgear Orbi has voice controls thrown in the mix. But its base price shoots past that of the Nest wifi system. The Netgear Orbi is a great choice for the people who need more Ethernet ports for that gaming PC since it has a maximum of 6 Ethernet ports. Nest wifi only has two, and one of the ports will be taken by the modem. That being said, if you do have several Goggle devices in your home and you want a reliable mesh system to cover your home with a strong wifi signal, the Nest wifi system would be your best bet.
When it comes to quality, you can see that Google did quite a commendable job at it. The router and the points have a solid feel, and most people don’t have issues with plugging in the devices. The devices have a small groove at the bottom to ensure your cords effortlessly run to your outlet.
Nest wifi design
The Nest wifi router and node components all have a sleek and stylish design. They can easily blend in or even match your home décor without even trying. The matte white router has a WAN port, a gigabit LAN port as well as a power jack located at the base. Unfortunately, it lacks USB connectivity. Furthermore, its an AC2200 dual-band router capable of providing internet speeds of 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz and 1,733 Mbps on the 5GHz band. It’s quite a powerful router because it’s powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core CPU, 4GB of flash memory and 1GB of RAM. The nest wifi supports other advanced features like beamforming, MU-MIMO for simultaneous data streaming and automatic band steering. It also comes with the latest and highly secure WPA3 encryption.
The wifi points come with a selection of three colours, including sand, mist and snow. It’s a little bit smaller than the router. The point is a dual-band AC1200 extender that can produce speeds of 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 866 Mbps on the 5GHz band. The impressive thing about the point is that it contains a Bluetooth radio and also supports the Google voice Assistant. It’s more like a mini smart speaker that will update you on everything including local or international news, weather and you can even place a hands-free call on it. It also allows streaming of music.
There is a 40mm speaker on the point that delivers all-round audio. Aside from that, there are four microphones carefully embedded in the top of the closure. It lacks LAN or any USB ports but has an LED ring around the base that glows whenever you speak to the Google assistant. There is also a tiny switch for disabling the Google Assistant.
Google integration
Basically, the Nest wifi system uses the Google Home app that’s usually used to control the Google Assistant smart speakers and other Google Home products. If you want to find the network settings, simply tap on the wifi button on the screen. You will also be able to access controls for other connected smart devices like the thermostats, smart lights and smart plugs. You will find the details on the number of connected devices and installed wifi points on the wifi screen.
The truth is the Nest wifi system is the perfect solution for most smart homes. This is because you are able to control your home security and the smart devices in your home with the Google Assistant voice commands. Google will be at your service whenever you want to dim the lights, lock your door or even arm the security system.
The wifi points actually double as a Nest Mini speaker, and you can use them to play music any time you want. Other than that, there are other router-specific commands thrown in the mix like the ability to run a speed test and pausing connections to the devices managed in the app. There is a devices tab that you can use to give priority to certain devices in use.
There is an endless list of devices compatible with the mesh wifi system like the Amazon Echo devices, Google Home devices, Google Chromecast devices, Hubitat Elevation hub, Phillips Hue smart lights, WeMo mini smart plugs, August smart lock and doorbell among many others. If you’re not absolutely sure, you can always check with the manufacturer for compatibility.
Nest wifi installation and setup
Nest wifi installation and setup is pretty simple and painless. Installing a traditional router is quite complicated, and you have no background knowledge in networking, it becomes a tough challenge. Google strives to make the setup super easy by providing a quick start guide. The installation instructions are clear, straightforward and easy to understand.
Once you download the Google Home app, the setup is even simpler. With the app, you are guided on connecting the Nest wifi router to your existing gateway modem or router using the provided Ethernet port. That said, it won’t be difficult to know what to do in every step that’s provided in the process.
The other good thing about the setup process is that it’s similar to the other mesh networking systems. Therefore, you won’t find it unusual. The only pressing issue you might encounter is the annoying opt-in or opt-out steps in which Google keeps on asking if they can collect some information from you and your device.
We also liked that Google gives you a quick summary of your network password, name and the devices you have set-up. Therefore, if you didn’t write down the password and network name, don’t worry because you will get a little reminder at the end.
Nest wifi performance
Among the most important aspects of a mesh wifi system is its performance capabilities. The Google Nest wifi uses a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor, and the extensions have a far-field voice-pickup technology that’s highly functional. With the 1GB of RAM and 4GB of flash memory, there is plenty of storage in the router for the firmware and the settings. The extensions or points have enough storage space amounting to 768MB of RAM and 512MB flash storage.
We like that the router uses a Trusted Platform Module to authenticate all of the automatic firmware updates. What this means is that the system software changes and updates are secure, and only those digitally accepted by Google are allowed. When it comes to performance, the Nest wifi mesh system does not disappoint. The Nest wifi has consistently provided faster internet speeds to all of the devices we have connected to the mesh system. In fact, it registers similar speeds with other industry giants like the Netgear Orbi.
However, the speeds seem to become slower when the devices are connected to the points. This is probably due to the points being less capable and the fact the system lacks a dedicated backhaul channel in which the router can communicate to the point a dedicated backhaul band is usually a great feature because it provides faster speeds especially for the devices connected to the mesh points that are farther away from the mesh user. This is where the Nest wifi system is lacking, and maybe the future versions will take this into consideration. Most of the time, while the router was working, it remained cool. It’s only the extensions that got a little bit warm to the touch.
What we like about the Nest wifi
A feature that stood out on the Nest wifi system is actually turning off the microphone. A microphone switch is very important, especially for the people who are most concerned about privacy. If you can mute the microphone switch, you can rest easy knowing your privacy is protected.
It’s also super nice that both the router and points literally light up when in use. The points light will change from orange to blue depending on whether you have the mic turned on or off. In case the microphone is muted, the light will glow in soft orange. On the other hand, when you’re giving Google Assistant voice commands, the light glows and gives off a light blue hue. Thankfully, the light doesn’t glow too brightly to bother the eyes or disturb your peace when busy doing something important.
Another thing we took note of is that the router and points have such a compact size. This means you will have a pretty easy time fitting the devices on your office desk, bookshelf or even your wall. We like the minimalist design that blends with all kinds of home décor.
What we don’t like about Nest wifi
The most significant design flaw that caught our eye was the extremely limited number of Ethernet ports. There are only two Ethernet ports provided, and one of those ports is already dedicated to the modem. That leaves you with only one port available for your wired connections. This is a bit frustrating because there if there many people in the household who are interested in gaming and need the wired connections. The lack of enough Ethernet ports is definitely a bummer.
The Nest wifi router specs
The nest wifi router comes with some notable specs, and we have to mention a few things in that regard. From the look of things, this router does not disappoint in terms of the latest technology. It features the MU-MIMO which allows the router to seamlessly communicate with your cellphone, laptop, tablet and other internet devices all at the same time. This basically means any of your devices will not have to wait in line in order to receive a signal from the router. Games, websites and videos will surely load faster than normal. You also experience won’t experience buffering while streaming the latest shows and series.
There is also beamforming that enables your router to detect devices and then redirects a stronger signal in that direction. As a result, your devices will get a stronger and faster wifi signal. Impressive, right?
Final thoughts: Is Nest wifi worth your time?
Nest wifi is a well-designed and thoughtfully priced mesh wifi system. It works perfectly fine for most large homes with multiple devices that require a high-speed connection. The only letdown is the limited Ethernet ports. There are those who need more Ethernet ports for their wired connections. Other than that, Nest wifi is a great option for the internet users.
