Mesh Wi-Fi solutions have been everywhere for a while now, but more so since so many ISPs in New Zealand have offered them in packages. Whether it’s called Super Wi-Fi or just a bundled router, it’s hard to get a fibre connection without one of these packages. Well, I was sent a Google Nest WiFi router to take it for a spin and see how it compares.
What is a mesh network?
In short, it lets you have multiple Access Point’s (APs) for one wireless network, extending the range. This used to be just the technology of companies, so you could walk around an office and stay connected to Wi-Fi. Your device switched from one AP to the other without noticing anything. For a few years now, this has become a fantastically simple home technology. Basically you have a main router and a bunch of AP’s that look identical around your house. You would get sweet as Wi-Fi strength everywhere. Whether you have a large house, a house with Wi-Fi-blocking walls like concrete, or just a big backyard, then these solutions are for you.
Google Nest WiFi Pro is one of these solutions. Oddly, I was only sent a single unit. This meant I couldn’t test its mesh capabilities, but it does come with a lot of bumps in technology. This means I will be able to test it out against my older TP-Link Deco Mesh solutions.
How does it stack up?
This is the weirdest thing. I thought moving away from my mesh solution would really struggle in my house, but it was better in some areas. My house has 177 square metres of floor space and is split level. That means heaps of walls, and thanks to 70’s building styles, it’s made of all kinds of different materials. With a mesh solution in the house, I had a random dead spot in the middle where any devices really struggled to connect. The single Google Nest WiFi unit in one corner of the house gave a comfortable signal throughout the whole house.
Of course, there is no chance the signal was going to reach as far because it’s just one AP. That means]t in my backyard the results were patchy at best. But this is where getting a pack with a couple of AP’s comes in. You can nab a 2 or 3 pack to extend that range. I can’t test how well it handles your phone switching between them, but as a single unit, I am seriously impressed.
How easy is it to set up?
The thing with a unit you get from your ISP is that everything comes configured. In other words you pull it out and it just works. So I wanted to see how how hard it would be setting this up. Well It wasn’t hard at all. Seriously, I plugged it in, launched the Google Home app, and followed a few quick instructions. It was so damn easy.
One annoying thing is that it has a funky little loading screen of some shapes shuffling around. With no progress bar, I had no idea if the app was still doing its thing or if it was stuck in a loop and needed to be restarted. I fought my urges to do so and just left it alone, and it set itself up in no time. As always, it only feels long when you are sitting staring at it.
Anything else?
Obviously there is the question of style. Many mesh AP’s wind up having to sit on shelves around your home, so you want it to look very nice. What surprised me most about the Google Nest Wifi Pro units is that where most tech these days is going down the matte route, Theses one have gone for the shiny look. With the smoothed edges and the shiny plastic, I was really digging the simple look.
The other thing that impressed me was some of the additional features. Setting up multiple SSID’s like a guest Wi-Fi is so damn easy. This is important because for most people, if it isn’t easy they won’t set this up.
So should you get one?
Based on just using it as a single AP, I am very seriously impressed. Its ease of use, handling many devices connected simultaneously, and the fact that it is Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E compatible make this unit seriously worth looking at. Sod all devices are Wi-Fi 6E compatible yet, but a good router is ideally able to be set up and forgotten about. Unlike phones, it is a bit of kit you don’t want to be upgrading every couple of years. This will have you ready for when your new phone wants to take advantage of 6E speeds you can relax.
It's a damn good WiFi router that is all shiny.
1 Comment
Unfortunately you have not mentioned or tested the Thread and Matter connectivity.