Google Improves Its Wi-Fi Mesh Products

Google Wifi and Google Nest Wifi are getting some interesting functional updates, and Google is lowering the price of the older product.

“Lately, our homes have become busier than ever,” Google’s Pushkar Sharma notes. “We work, attend classes, enjoy entertainment from movies to video games and even exercise right in our living rooms. This means our Wi-Fi needs to be dependable and strong, and keep us covered in any room of the home.”

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To address our shifting Wi-Fi needs, Google is improving both generations of its Wi-Fi mesh networking solutions—Google Wifi and Nest Wifi—with some new features. Key among them is new device notifications, where you’ll be alerted in the Google Home app when a new device joins the network. Google is also reducing network delays and improving network performance to help you avoid congestion when multiple devices are online. And it’s continuing its work to improve speeds on slow Internet connections.

As important, Google is lowering the price of its previous-generation Google Wifi solution. A single node, which covers homes up to 1,500 square feet, is now $99. And a three-node pack, which covers homes up to 4,500 square feet, is now just $199. By comparison, the more powerful Nest Wifi, which has better performance and coverage, is more expensive at $169 per mode or $349 for a 3-pack.

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Conversation 9 comments

  • Pbike908

    07 October, 2020 - 9:42 am

    <p>I put the nest in my house about 30 days ago…it's a great product. I picked up a 2 pack on sale at best buy for $200. Worth every penny…</p>

  • lightbody

    07 October, 2020 - 9:45 am

    <p>I've had a 2 node Google WiFi system for years now, and it's been fabulous. It just works.</p><p><br></p><p>My cable modem/router is in modem only mode, connected to the first puck, that in turn is connected to a gigabit switch for Ethernet. The second puck is on another floor of the house and carries the signal on out to the garden.</p><p><br></p><p>I work in IT and wanted a simple solution at home that needed no thought, and it does just that. Brilliant.</p><p><br></p><p>Rob</p>

    • SvenJ

      07 October, 2020 - 12:08 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#584546"><em>In reply to lightbody:</em></a><em> </em>So what is doing the router (DHCP) function? The cable box or the Google puck?</blockquote><p><br></p>

      • sandy

        07 October, 2020 - 9:27 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#584658">In reply to SvenJ:</a></em></blockquote><p>It'll be the Google WiFi; for full functionality (including mesh at all) you have to let Google WiFi NAT the connection out &amp; unless you have another DHCP server behind that NAT, the Google WiFi must be doing DHCP too.</p>

  • ghostrider

    07 October, 2020 - 10:47 am

    <p>Google Wifi is the best wifi system I've ever owned. Two nodes provide total house coverage, with no interruptions to service. Piece of cake to setup too. Looking forward to these new features.</p>

  • RonV42

    Premium Member
    07 October, 2020 - 10:59 am

    <p>With the amount of data the Google can/has collected from these devices I moved to Unfi by Ubiquity for Wifi devices and switches. And I will never look back because I can partition my network to my security needs where as Google doesn't have this support other than a Guest network. Their UDM is designed for SOHO and is very easy to configure and with two of their access points placed around my home I have 100% coverage and a very secured network for IoT devices.</p>

  • jrjr

    07 October, 2020 - 4:18 pm

    <p>I have my reservations about using a Google product for our home wifi but I finally gave in after having connectivity issues with the cable company's modem/router, stand-alone router (Asus) and Ubiquiti AmpliFi instant. The Nest Wifi has been solid.</p><p><br></p>

  • sandy

    07 October, 2020 - 9:24 pm

    <p>So 140 m2 &amp; 418 m2</p><p><br></p><p>I didn't realise they were still selling the original Google WiFi product; I've only seen new Nest WiFi here since it came out.</p><p>I liked being able to cable a 2nd WAP in the mesh system but in the Nest WiFi 3-pack (unlike the Google WiFi 3-pack) only the 1st WAP has an Ethernet socket.</p>

  • chasmm

    09 October, 2020 - 6:37 pm

    <p>I've had the Google OnHub ever since it came out, and added a couple of WiFi pucks about 3 years ago. It's been solid since then. Unlike almost every other tech product I've had, it just works. I 'can' manage my own network and have, both at home and work, but with this I don't have to do it at home.</p>

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