Set up additional Google Wifi points Archives

In lockdown, a good internet connection is important. Google have launched a new wifi system that claims a strong connection in every direction. I’ve been using the new Google Nest Wifi over the last few weeks, as an add-on to my router. This won’t replace your existing broadband modem.

Like the rest of the country, I’ve been spending more time in my back garden, where I get little to no wifi coverage. After installing the Nest WiFi point in my kitchen, I now have a strong signal all the way to the back of my garden. The extra wifi point acts as an extender in setting up a wifi mesh network. With my standard broadband modem, I have a single point from where the wifi signal is transmitted. The closer you are to that signal, the better your download/upload speed will be.

However, walls, other electronic devices, and so on, will reduce the signal strength and even cause interference, resulting in spotty signal quality. Of course, the bigger your house, the more problems you will have, but even in a small house there can be issues and these are the things that the Nest WiFi is designed to overcome.

In the kit I received from Google, I got the main device, which connected directly to my existing broadband modem, via an ethernet cable. Thankfully, it also has another port, which you can connect to another device, so you don’t lose any ports.

Nest WiFi is as simple to set up as Chromecast or Google Home smart speaker, using the Google Home app. It really is one of the simplest wifi systems to install and set up, which is important if you don’t have a degree in networking.

If you’re considering upgrading from the original Google WiFi, you should get up to two times the speed and up to 25% overall coverage improvement.

I did a lot of comparison testing between the Nest WiFi and my existing broadband modem’s wifi.

Download and upload speeds were comparable, although the Nest was slightly faster, but not enough that you’d discern a difference in real-world use. However, your mileage may vary. If I turned off the router, the Nest WiFi would be up and running much faster than my existing modem. Also, it is far better at managing wifi traffic with a lot of devices connected, something my modem would struggle with intermittently.

Adding the extra Nest point to extend the range throughout the house is a massive bonus, especially now that it reaches my garden. If you have a large house and there are black spots or places where the wifi is spotty, then the extra Nest point is a game-changer. You can purchase additional Nest points if you require even more coverage, but just one is more than enough for most standard-sized homes.

The Nest WiFi system is not just a dumb wifi extender, but a smart device that allows you to control the priority of certain devices, test the speed of your network, set up a guest network, or change your password. All of these, more advanced features have to be done using the Google WiFi app and not the Google Home app.

Other features include the Family WiFi, which can pause the internet for a group of devices or for specific devices.

You can also set a schedule, ahead of time, for regular routines, like getting ready for bed or distraction-free homework time and can even block adult content on children’s devices by using groups and Google’s SafeSearch technology.

The Nest Wifi point also has a speaker with the Google Assistant, which means it can do everything that Nest Mini can do, although it sounds a heck of a lot better. With it, you can use your voice to control smart devices or play your favourite radio station or just ask Google a question.

The Nest WiFi doesn’t support WiFi 6 and you can replace your existing modem, but it more than makes up for this in the simplicity of set-up, ease of use, and powerful features in both hardware and software.

Available from store.google.com/ie: Nest WiFi router €159, Nest WiFi router and point, €259; Nest WiFi point, €139.

If you're reading this, you may agree with me that WiFi, in general, kind of sucks. Either that or the homes many of us live in suck. No matter where you choose to aim your ire, the point remains that reliable wireless internet isn't always attainable in the places we'd like it to be, which is where Google Nest Wifi comes in.

A rebrand and refresh of the older Google WiFi mesh system, Nest WiFi is a Google-branded router with the option of expanding its signal range through smaller Nest WiFi nodes. The router and nodes work in tandem to, ideally, create a powerful and seamless WiFi network through a space that couldn't accommodate that otherwise. 

Oh, and every device involved is also a Google Assistant-powered smart speaker. That part is important.

I had the chance to test out Google's newest mesh setup in my apartment, which is a long and narrow Brooklyn domicile that's traditionally been absolute hell for wireless signals. With just a router and a single WiFi node, I got impressive results, but the experience ultimately left me wanting more.

The price of logging on

The mesh WiFi market has gotten pretty crowded in recent years, and Google's new entrant is in the upper half in terms of price, depending on your needs. The router on its own is $169.99, but assuming you need at least one point (you probably do if you're reading this), those are $149.99 separately.

The saving grace here is that Google sells router-plus-point bundles that are a little more reasonably priced. A router and one point is $269.99, while a router and two points is $349.99. That's not nothing, but the router on its own can cover up to 2,200 square feet and each individual point can reach 1,600 square feet, so I imagine most people won't need more than two points.

Still, there are cheaper options out there. It isn't the greatest look for Google from a pure coverage standpoint that something like TP-Link's Deco setup comes with more mesh points for $159.99. I can't directly compare performance between Nest WiFi and its cheaper competitors, but their existence is worth noting, at least.

Simple setup and powerful performance

If you're wary about Nest WiFi's somewhat high price not being worth it, let me allay those fears a little bit. Internet signal has been a constant headache in my apartment for more than a year, and Nest WiFi more or less fixed it in about 10 minutes. From a pure performance perspective, it's tough not to be impressed.

Setting up Nest WiFi is comically easy, with the caveat that you need to do it through Google's ecosystem, of course. To start, I had to download the Google Home mobile app, log into my Google account, and unplug the router I normally use. After plugging in the Nest router, all I had to do was follow the instructions in the Home app, most of which involved waiting for the router and the WiFi point to turn on and connect with each other.

I had to fiddle with the placement of the point a little bit due to the unaccommodating shape of my apartment, but the good news is, you can do that without any real fuss. It takes a good 30 to 45 seconds to boot back up after you plug it into a new wall outlet, but there's no additional setup needed.

All told, after 10 minutes or so, the dead zones in my place were brimming with internet life. The extended signal wasn't as powerful as the one in the same room as the router, but it was more than usable for modern needs like streaming and remote working. For the numbers-obsessed among you, the area that used to be a WiFi graveyard consistently got between 25 and 50 Mbps of download speed. 

Not amazing, but a heck of a lot better than before. 

Smart(er) router

As is the case with any hardware Google makes these days, both the Nest router and point are Assistant-enabled. You can talk to them, and they'll talk to you back. If you're a smart speaker philistine like me, there's a physical switch to turn the microphones off, too.

That said, being able to run speed tests and whatnot with voice commands is pretty handy. The Google Home app also gives you a solid amount of control over Nest WiFi. You can name and rename devices, sort them into groups, and even pause WiFi from a point if you want the kids to go to bed or you'd like to mess with your roommates. 

One benefit of Google's approach here is that both the router and any points you get are much more presentable than the typical internet equipment. One of the great hypocrisies of our age is that most routers don't look great on display, but their signal output is better when they're high up and visible. Google found a decent workaround by making these devices look like things people tend to place prominently in their homes.

Again, while I'm more inclined to use the app than my voice, I came to appreciate the convenience of Nest WiFi's smart features. Being able to run a mesh test while I'm away from home is pretty cool. 

Wires are still valid, dang it 

By now, I've made it clear that Nest WiFi is powerful and convenient in many ways. That said, my biggest hangup with it by far is a near-total lack of ethernet ports. 

This is not going to matter to some consumers, but to someone like me who occasionally plays video games online (and likes to get as much speed as I can otherwise), this is inconvenient to say the least. The base router has two ports, but since one of them is permanently occupied by a connection to the modem, it really only has one that can be used for other things. The points don't have any ethernet ports at all.

There are plenty of good reasons to use wired internet, even in 2019, so this is an unfortunate omission on Google's part. It might make for a more elegant visual presentation, but function ultimately matters more than form when it comes to online connectivity. When you factor in that lots of other mesh systems include ethernet ports, even on extension points, it knocks several points off Nest WiFi's value.

If Nest WiFi had an ethernet situation that was comparable to some of the other mesh systems out there, I'd recommend it wholeheartedly. In fact, I might still recommend it to anyone who can live without hard connections. It brought light to the digital darkness that was my apartment in just a few minutes, solving a year's worth of headaches almost instantly.

The smart features are also nice, if not necessarily the reason to get Nest WiFi in and of themselves. If you've been banging your head against the wall to get workable internet throughout your home, Google Nest WiFi is almost certain to patch things up for you.

Whole home coverage

The new Nest Wifi system is two separate devices, the Nest Wifi router plugs directly into the modem. Therefore forming the basis for a strong and powerful home network. While the Nest Wifi point expands coverage to where you need it most.

This new device is more powerful than the predecessor Google Wifi, delivering up to 2x the speed and up to 25% better coverage. A two pack will deliver coverage for a 3,800 sq foot home. The system is also scalable so you can add more points at a later date. Already got a Google Wifi network? Easily add Nest Wifi to it for additional coverage.

Simple setup and control in the Google Home App

You can easily set up Nest Wifi. Simply plug it in, download and open the Google Home app and you’ll be guided through the setup in minutes! Once complete you can manage your network from within the app and all your other supported connected devices.

Google Home app, makes it easy to share Wi-Fi passwords with guests and prioritise devices, test the speed, set up a guest network and change your password. Have a Nest Smart Display? Share the network and password right on the display, simply scan the code with your phone to get online!

Manage separate homes in the app too! You can manage the wifi of a loved one’s network if they aren’t tech savy from your own home!

Have children? You can set up a Wifi Schedule so you can shut off the internet on certain devices at certain times during the week.

Hands-free help with the Google Assistant

Nest Wifi Point has a speaker has a Google Assistant so it can do everything that a Nest Mini can do. Listen to music and ask Google to do a whole heap of things such as pausing the Wifi for certain people or ask Google what the Wifi Network is like. For example: