Google Announces Nest WiFi
blog.google
blog.google
Everything worked great with it for the first few months, but then I started getting severe speed drops - specifically I was seeing download rates of 20MBps or less, when I should be getting 350MBps or less. I did all of their recommended troubleshooting (reset router, reset modem, restore to factory settings and reupdate the firmware, move router away from potential sources of interference, etc) and could not solve the issue. I still had my Nighthawk and ended up spending an afternoon testing the two, and the Google WiFi router would consistently drop speeds, while the Nighthawk stayed rock solid.
I ended up just sticking with my Nighthawk and throwing my Google Wifi in a drawer. I was outside their return window, and honestly just had no desire to try and go through Google's customer service (or finding out if it even exists for their WiFi devices). Long story short, it was the worst experience I've ever had with a router and I would hesitate to ever try their WiFi devices again.
- Mesh
- "Simple" objects (They blend in to my house)
- "Security"
I'm not sure if this is a google wifi problem (I have the OnHub) - or an issue with the mac pro wifi drivers.
I restarted my macbook pro 2016 wifi and I'm getting 50Mbps
2013 with the same test: 150 Mbps
During my tests, I found a few reddit posts of people experiencing a similar issue. A few people were linking the issue to a firmware update around November/December of 2018, but I couldn't verify since I bought by Wifi device around February of 2019.
I don't think it makes sense if you don't need mesh; the whole point of the thing really is that it is the easiest way to set up a home mesh network (or maybe it isn't, but in the research I did before buying it, it seemed to be the most popular and recommended, which is why I got it even though I was skeptical of buying wifi from google).
I've seen speed drop offs twice in about a year of using it, which is my only problem with it. In both cases they were related to mesh: if located in the room with the main router, I'd still get 100+MBps, but when I was in range of the other AP's, it dropped to ~3MBps and the app was reported the mesh connectivity was poor where it is usually "great". In both cases, I rebooted the AP's (via the app) and it instantly fixed it.
For me, I made a one off account using my personal email/domain years ago. I think it might have been for a shared link or something. Google required phone numbers so I gave it one. Haven't logged in since and no longer have that phone number.
I got a shared link to an interview assignment during my recent job search, but much to my surprise, Google wouldn't let me login! Password hadn't changed (I use a password manager). However, Google's AI thinks I'm not me. I can answer everything but the phone txt during their recovery process; I even have the original activation email archived so I know the exact date I made the account. I even dusted off my old old old laptop to try using a "recognized device". No luck. All I get are warning emails from Google saying, "Don't worry! We stopped an unrecognized login attempt!"
I asked for access to be given to another email, but I guess I took too long in trying to dig up old hardware and trusting that Google's recovery process was sane. I got rejected.
Ahh. I see.
(I well and fully get your point, I'm just amused that, in the bigger scheme of things, a microphone is the problem here.)
"HomePod is a breakthrough speaker that adapts to its location and delivers high-fidelity audio wherever it’s playing. Together with Apple Music and Siri, it creates an entirely new way for you to discover and interact with music at home. And it can help you and your whole family with everyday tasks — and control your smart home — all with just your voice."
Also, just generally shared it in case skimmer types missed that.
I'm pretty sure if you're paranoid about Google, you'd also not want them to control your wifi anyways.
Here’s the funny thing though. Security isn’t the real reason why the Google Home can’t access the calendar. You’d think Google Home talking to Google servers would be more secure than Alexa being able to read my calendar with no problem.
Gsuite accounts never work right with every product google launches, often get features late or never. Many google products have _never_ become available for gsuite accounts.
No mention of whether it supports 802.11ax. Why are WiFi devices lagging in speed advancements so much?
I ended up purchasing a second hand AirPort Extreme because it’s still one of the best performing 802.11ac devices (in my anecdotal experiences of running a lot of clients)... and it’s OLD!
works like a charm
No blinking lights, no fighter-jet aesthetic, just fast reliable boring looking panels.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1369199-REG/ubiquiti_...
And there's a new faster one available now:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1426307-REG/ubiquiti_...
Even if it does support WiFi6( 802.11AX), there are no client devices that support WiFi 6 yet.
EDIT: Apparently iPhone 11 pros support WiFi6 [0]
[0] (https://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-iphone-11-supports-wi-fi-6-h...)
Somewhere in a router's lifespan, someone in my household will buy a new Wi-Fi client. If I need to get a new router, I might as well buy one that I don't regret and want to replace within its components' lifespan.
I switched to Ubiquiti and won't look back. It's cheaper, enterprise grade hardware. If you know anything about networking, setting up the environment isn't that big of a deal, but is definitely a deterrent for some.
Especially not the last 3 years or so when it’s been a buggy software mess of outdated dependencies.
At the end I may run out of patience and just look for something second hand.
I get 930 u/d wired.
ax really doesn’t do much for most home networks. In a small network, 802.11n will provide all the throughput necessary to stream most things at 4K. And few people even have a connection faster than ac allows.
ax provides faster speeds for highly congested networks, as well as better battery life for phones. That’s mostly what it’s about. It’s unlikely you’d see a difference between ac or ax on a small home network.
And here we have another intrusion of Google into our home. It's clear Google has no respect for anyone's privacy and is now a part of the problem.
EcoBee is a great HomeKit-aware thermostat and you don't need to sign up to their account to use it (although it'll keep nagging you to, it's not required).
Yes they collect a lot of data, but 1) that's exactly what allows them to provide the services that their users want, 2) they are very transparent about it (see My Activity), and 3) they seem to take security more seriously than the competition.
I do my best to support the companies that respect privacy, and I make sure my own startup's products give our customers the privacy that I would want for myself.
I wish there was a certification or something, sort of like b-corp, that could indicate that a product doesn't gather any personal data (as opposed to just being GDPR-compliant, which allows collection but imposes various processing/deletion requirements).
[1]: https://support.google.com/wifi/answer/9378012?hl=en&ref_top...
The D-Link Covr series and the Amplifi are probably the best direct competitors for this. Neither require a cloud subscription to work either. Both have "tri-band" which basically just means they actually have a dedicated radio to use as a backhaul (which this doesn't).
The Covr is ~$200 for 2 units and Amplifi is about ~$340 for three units so this is more expensive already than either of what I think of as its direct competitors. The only "feature" that this has the others don't is Google Assistant and in my book the lack of it is a win.
I've personally used the Covr mesh nodes and they're pretty solid and easy to use.
Most reputable vendors put out firmware updates for a long time. Routers should not be disposable consumer devices, I think.
I have this belief both from a security standpoint (frequent updates are important) but also as someone who supports quite a few family members. Switching out routers over the phone is not easy for an 80 year old.
[0] https://wikidevi.com/wiki/ASUS_RT-N66U
[1] https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RTN66U/HelpDesk_BIOS/
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/30/airport-base-station-fi...
Those might be good devices but the downside is simply too dangerous to be ignored so .... Hell no.
For that price, have a look at Ubiquity's Unifi line (and Amplifi). Great router, great AP's, frequent firmware upgrades and no privacy concerns.
1) I hate the mobile only interface. It's nice to have one, but no desktop interface (unless I run an emulator) is really annoying when trying to manage and monitor the network.
2) You need to have a s-H-s type topology where each satellite connects directly to the main unit. Thankfully most areas of my house are hardwired so I can plug them in, but there are some areas that don't have good coverage that I'd love to chain another satellite to, but its too far for it to reach the hub over wifi (no cable is run), and it doesn't support branching off of another satellite.
For the new system it looks like their solution to #1 is to put the controls into an even worse app...
For item #2, anyone know if it will support s-s-s-s-H chaining?
On a related note.. I actually got into a support chat with them once asking about that and their support rep said it didn't work because my cable modem had nat enabled and if I turned that off it'd work great facepalm. After a lengthy discussion he thanked me for teaching him about networking.
If you're looking for simple rock-solid mesh WiFi, Eero is what you want.
[1] https://eero.com
Also they now have a verified identity to all my data from my router. I know they will have that anyway given my Gmail sends them the ip, they just have a detailed view of all urls I use and every site I go to and how long i spend there. I bought one and it worked fine but in a few weeks I just couldn’t use it because of this unsettling feeling. Ended up throwing it in the drawer. May be should have returned it instead, oh well.
I never understood why the Apple HomePod didn't have a network-extender functionality. I'm sure it has the necessary hardware, and it would have helped justify the high price. I'm glad to see others are putting these features (smart speaker + wifi extender) together!
I’m worried enough now that my Nest is doing bad things, but I can set that up on its own network that only it has access to. Giving Google such access to my home network is scary.
* "making it even better"
* "includes the Google Assistant" (I guess this means its Google Wifi + Google Home combined?)
* "Nest Wifi is more powerful than Google Wifi, delivering up to two times the speed and up to 25 percent better coverage."
I'm a bit wondering why it has the "Nest" name tag.
Would love one without the microphone, too.