Google Nest Wifi Professional Evaluate: Wi-Fi 6E at a Cheap Worth

The Nest Wifi Professional is the most recent mesh router from Google. Consistent with the corporate’s penchant for simplicity, this mesh system is a breeze to arrange and straightforward to handle. However the “Professional” moniker appears ill-fitting contemplating the shortage of superior options and settings—it actually simply refers to Google’s adoption of Wi-Fi 6E. The newly opened 6-GHz band presents an expanse of untapped bandwidth, and you do not have to be a professional to take benefit.

After a month with the Nest Wifi Professional, I’m concurrently impressed and underwhelmed. Folks trying to improve to Wi-Fi 6E shall be sorely tempted by the pricing: Nest Wifi Professional prices $199 for a single router, $299 for 2, or $399 for 3. That’s comparatively reasonably priced for a tri-band mesh with 6-GHz help. The Nest Wifi Professional can be easy, simple, and dependable, but it surely feels barebones in comparison with different mesh techniques, and speeds are distinctly common.

Preserve It Easy, Foolish

{Photograph}: Google

The shiny, minimalist capsule design appears rather a lot like a large Pixel Buds case (the corporate’s wi-fi earbuds), and the routers are available in 4 colours: Snow, Fog, Linen, or Lemongrass. They’re small and unobtrusive sufficient to take a seat on cabinets and window sills and may match with any decor. I examined the three-pack in white (er, Snow).

All three models are similar, with two Gigabit Ethernet ports apiece. Every can cowl as much as 2,200 sq. toes and join as much as 100 gadgets. My three-pack got here with a single 6.5-foot Ethernet cable, and organising was so simple as plugging it into my modem and scanning the QR code on the underside of every unit. Once you add routers (Google calls them factors), you get a sign of the suitability of your chosen spot. I added one to the lounge in the back of the home and one other upstairs. I needed to transfer the latter barely earlier than it turned inexperienced and instructed me, “Nice connection.”

The Nest Wifi Professional is Google’s first Wi-Fi 6E router, and it’s a tri-band system, so the acquainted 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands are joined by the 6-GHz band. As we go up by way of the bands, the potential velocity will increase, however the vary drops, so 6 GHz presents the quickest speeds however the shortest vary. (Our Purchase a Router information goes into extra element.)

The Nest Wifi Professional makes use of the 6-GHz band for backhaul, which is how the routers and factors ship visitors backwards and forwards. As I’ve famous with different Wi-Fi 6E techniques, the 6-GHz band is short-range and doesn’t penetrate by way of partitions and different obstacles very effectively, so your routers will work greatest with a line of sight or by way of a single wall or ceiling. To get pleasure from these doubtlessly excessive 6-GHz speeds, you want gadgets that help Wi-Fi 6E, and there aren’t many in the mean time. Nevertheless, shifting the backhaul onto the 6-GHz band leaves the 5-GHz and a pair of.4-GHz bands free on your gadgets. A wired backhaul, if you happen to can run Ethernet cables across the residence, will present the most effective efficiency. 

Efficiency and protection have been rock strong in my testing. My house is round 1,600 sq. toes, and the Nest Wifi Professional gives a powerful Wi-Fi sign all over the place, together with my yard. Our household of 4 is often gaming, video calling, and streaming, with everybody on-line concurrently, and now we have but to expertise any lag, buffering, or glitches in a few weeks of testing. Downloading a 30-GB recreation took quarter-hour.