Google Nest Wifi Pro, the proof: the easy way to the mesh network

A mesh network is a wireless network that is based on a series of nodes that share the same Internet access point and that should ensure each same download and upload speed. Without going into excessive technicalities, the main advantage is that it can be used to cover large or even very large spaces such as (for example) several floors of the same hotel. Or several rooms in the same generously sized house.

This last reason is what pushes more and more people to set up a mesh network for your homea preferable solution to that of the old extenders, and this is exactly how we tested the new Google Nest Wifi Pro: in a not very large apartment (about 110 square meters), but characterized by two mezzanines with steel structures and with a pillar that hinder the diffusion of the signal and make it weak or practically absent in the most distant areas from the modem.

How the Google Nest Wifi Pro is made

The Nest Wifi Pro is Google’s latest and greatest device aimed at e-connections it also supports Wi-Fi 6E: the single unit costs 219.99 euros, to have two you spend 329.99 euros. These aren’t low prices, but they’re still cheaper than most of the competition: according to the company, each Nest Wifi Pro covers up to 120 square meters.

It must be said that the Nest Wifi Pro is not a modem but a router: the first must be physically connected to the modem and any others will connect to him wirelessly. The devices are identical to each other, the one that commands is the one connected with the wire to the home modem. Identical and pleasing to the eye, that is a important detail for an object which, in order to function well, must be as little hidden as possible: in Italy you can only have white, it is glossy, a dozen centimeters high and with a single LED whose intensity it can be adjusted through the Home app (which is this).

How to set up the Google Nest Wifi Pro

The app is important because that’s where you go to install and as well as the adjustment of some parameters: connect the first Nest Wifi Pro to the modem, then to the current, click on Configure device and wait for it to be detected and start the wizard.

It’s all simple enough, though neither the app nor the Google Support page specify which modem port to connect the Nest Wifi Pro to. And the device doesn’t even realize it’s plugged into the wrong port: we’ve deliberately connected incorrectly (the right port is any of those LANs) and the procedure kept crashing because the connection was broken. Obviously. For inexperienced users, a message asking you to check your modem connection would be helpful.

There second part of the setupthe one dedicated to adding other network nodes, is even simpler: all wireless, with the help of the app, and in just a few minutes you can choose the name of your home network, establish a password and then navigate.

How the Google Nest Wifi Pro works

We placed the main Nest Wifi Pro at the entrance to the house and added another one in the sleeping area, precisely where the signal has always been weak or very weak, so much so that we often turn off the wifi and use the 5G smartphone network. And we noticed the improvements right away.

Measured with Speedtest, the browsing speed from the phone is 140-150 Mbps downloads and around 20 in uploads: these are values ​​compatible with our home subscription and above all they are constant throughout the homeno matter where you are. Those detected by the Home app do not differ much: 138 Mbps in download and just over 22 in uploads.

Others can also be done from the app things: configure a Wi-Fi Family to limit the time your children spend online (for example), set up a subnet for guests, give one device priority over the others for a certain period and also select activities favorite. Here there are only two options: Videoconferences or Games (which also includes Stadia, despite the fact that Stadia is now abandoned), while we would have expected at least a couple more items, such as Navigation and Streaming. Not bad, because honestly the purpose of the Nest Wifi Pro is not to be a product for geeks: the point is that it is easy to use and allows boost your home network without too many complications. Which is something he does very well.

The device, that is compatible with the Matter standard (things?)it doesn’t also work as a smart speaker, which the cheaper Nest Wifi router can do (which however does not support WiFi 6E), but it has two Ethernet ports that reach 1 Gbps each.

The guide

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by Dario D’Elia

October 19, 2022

What we liked

• simple to configure

• effective

• good technical equipment

• nice to be seen

What we didn’t like

@capoema