Google Nest Wifi review: Simple fix for speedy internet

Given that Google’s entire business takes place online, you’d think the Californian company would be best placed to ensure you get rock-solid Wi-Fi in every room of your house.

And that assumption would be correct.

Unfortunately, what the search giant knows about online connectivity, it lacks in coherent branding.

Yes, Google Nest Wifi is actually the successor to the Google Wifi system announced back in October 2016. Google has decided to rename its mesh network system under the Google Nest banner, which is supposed to unify all of the firm’s smart home hardware efforts (something that has been a long time coming, given that the Mountain View-based company first bought Nest for $3.2billion back in January 2014). For our money, we preferred the simplicity of the Google Wifi name, but it’s a small nitpick.

We’ve paired a three-node Google Nest Wifi kit with your BT broadband connection to test this mesh Wi-Fi system – the overall speed, whether it could extend our internet into every room, and whether it could withstand the strain of working from home, online multiplayer games, and streaming Ultra HD boxsets and movies on Sky Glass and Sky Stream boxes.

Our in-depth review has everything you need to know.

In the majority of circumstances, Google Nest Wifi won’t replace the router that you’ve been sent from your broadband provider (BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Plusnet, etc) but will need to be plugged into it via ethernet. For best results, you’ll want to disable the Wi-Fi from the free router sent from your broadband supplier, but connecting the Google Nest Wifi directly into the fibre cable that snakes into your home from the street outside won’t work.

If you live in a small home – like a bungalow or a flat – a single Nest Wifi hub wired into your router might be enough. Google says that a single Nest Wifi node can cover 120m2 with strong Wi-Fi. If you live in an older building with thicker, brick partitioning walls then wireless signals will be stopped in their tracks much sooner than newer builds with stud walls.

Not only does this save you buying any Google Nest Mini speakers for some rooms in your house, but it also means you’re more inclined to place the nodes out in the open (and not squirrelled away behind a bookcase) which will help boost your Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, this new Google Assistant-centric redesign comes at the expense of the ethernet ports, so if you’re planning to wire-in hard drives, consoles, and more, in each room – you’d be better off with the Eero.

If you’ve already got a first-generation Google Wifi system (which did have ethernet ports on all of the extenders) and have moved into a new property, buying a few extra Google Nest Wifi nodes could be a perfect way to further boost your home broadband, while also adding some Google Assistant to new rooms. But if you’re looking to use ethernet to connect-up some of your gadgets to the internet, you might want to give the new Google Nest Wifi system a swerve in favour of its predecessor.

The abundance of gigabit-capable ethernet ports on each extender is something we praised in our Amazon Eero Pro 6E review.

But it’s not just the new marshmallow-like design, Google Assistant support, and an excised ethernet port that’s new with the Google Nest Wifi. The US internet company has also made some improvements beneath the bonnet compared to last iteration, the newly christened Google Nest Wifi promises 25 percent better coverage and twice the speed of the first-generation mesh system.

According to Google, homes up to 3,800 square-feet and 200 connected devices should be fine with the three-pack, which is what we’ve been testing. Of course, if you’re renting a small studio flat but still want the clever features that Google enables with its Wi-Fi system, you might get along perfectly fine with a single hub plugged into your router. Likewise, if you’ve got more room – or more than 200 connected devices blinking away in your home – you’re welcome to keep adding extra nodes as and when you need them.

Of course, with any of these products, there are some privacy concerns.

Google already knows enough about us all, does it really need to handle all of our home internet traffic as well?

While there are a flurry of settings during the set-up process designed to stop Google from siphoning off all interesting tidbits from your web browsing history, it’s unclear exactly how much the company will be able to learn from handling everything that takes place on your Wi-Fi. Of course, those who are really concerned should check out the best VPN services, which encrypt all of your web traffic to prevent third-parties from keeping tabs on you.

It’s important to remember that if you use Google Chrome (as the vast majority of people do) or start your browsing with a Google search (like literally all of us do) then the US company won’t actually be learning anything new about you when you fit out your home with a few Google Nest Wifi nodes.

The only difference will be that you will be able to get rock-solid Wi-Fi anywhere in the house.

Since Google Nest Wifi nodes double up as Google Nest smart speakers, you will be bringing quite a few far-field microphone arrays into your home. If that’s something you don’t feel comfortable with, some of the alternative mesh Wi-Fi systems from Amazon, like the Eero 6, might be worth a look.

As we mentioned, one of the biggest changes this time around is the addition of the Google Assistant to the Wi-Fi extenders that you place around your home to boost your broadband signal to every room. The speaker inside the node is comparable to the Google Nest Mini, so don’t expect to be able to DJ your next housewarming with the extenders… but it’s perfectly fine to listen to the radio, or quietly play a Spotify playlist in the background.

If you’ve got a few connected home gadgets – Wi-Fi enabled lightbulbs, Sonos speakers, security cameras – it’s incredibly handy to have the talkative AI assistant on-hand to turn things off, dim lights, and more. Of course, the Wi-Fi extenders can handle all the same questions and queries you’d ask the Google Assistant in your phone, too.

So enquiries about your calendar appointments, general knowledge questions, updates on the latest headlines and weather, as well as ordering taxis, takeaways, and queuing-up the next episode of your new favourite box set on any Chromecast with Google TV dongles plugged into your TV all work.

You’ll also be able to use Google Assistant to beam voice messages to other Assistant-powered devices in your home, including Google Nest Wifi nodes – so you can summon the kids to dinner, or ask whether a loved one wants a tea or coffee in the next round without shouting up the stairs. Unlike other Google-branded connected speakers, you’ll also be able to ask your Nest Wi-Fi extenders to run a quick speed test, pause your home broadband – for a single device, or group of devices. That could be handy if you’re a parent looking to cut-off children post-watershed remotely.

Connecting a web of wireless network extenders that blanket your home in Wi-Fi might sound complicated, but Google makes the whole thing incredibly easy.

Setting up an entirely new Wi-Fi network, passwords, and a host of extenders that sit in different rooms around the house is handled by the Google Home app, which is available on iOS and Android.

Unfortunately, there’s not a web app version yet, so you won’t be able to check remotely from a computer.

If you’re not familiar with the Google Home app, it’s absolutely brilliant and miles better than Apple’s Home app and Amazon Alexa app. Everything is grouped by room, so you can see any smart lightbulbs, doorbells, vacuum cleaners, or speakers in each part of the house – and interact with them from the same panel.

Tapping the Wi-Fi button at the top of the app lets you check your latest download and upload speeds, as well as a list of all devices currently connected to your wireless network. This lets you pause the internet on a single device, or prioritise the connection on one gadget above all the others. The latter is a lifesaver if you’re trying to stream a nail-biting thriller on the downstairs TV, while the children are sapping away all your precious bandwidth watching inane YouTube clips.

You can also create a separate Guest Network with a different password when people visit, or if a neighbour needs to temporarily use your Wi-Fi while their broadband is broken. It’s a handy feature – and a cinch to set up within the app.

Adding additional Google Nest Wifi points is a painless process, with the Google Home app only needing a quick scan of the QR code printed on the bottom of the device to sort all the complicated stuff in the background.

As you connect devices around your home to the network, these will appear in the Google Home app too. This lets you track the amount of data being downloaded by each – handy if you’re not paying for an unlimited broadband package and need to keep an eye on your usage.

All of these metrics can be viewed live, or checked after the fact over the last seven days, or month.

Google has a dedicated Google Wifi app that offers a few advanced features that you won’t find in Google Home. These will be added over time, which should simplify things further as you won’t need to jump between apps for certain tasks – like renaming a new device that’s just joined your network, for example. For the time being, that’s the only knock on an otherwise incredibly straightforward experience, despite the complexity of some of the things you’re asking your router to do.

Struggling to connect to Wi-Fi in certain parts of your home? Want tighter controls over the amount of time that children can spend connected to the internet? Need a Google Assistant smart speaker to control smart home gadgets in more rooms?

Google Nest Wifi can solve all of these issues. The clever mesh Wi-Fi kit seamlessly extends your Wi-Fi signal throughout the house, so you’ll be able to answer video calls from any room without missing every other word and stream music in the garden without resorting to 4G.

This comprehensive Wi-Fi system is also a great way to keep your broadband provider honest, as the Google Home app performs daily speed checks so you can make sure you’re always getting the internet speeds you’re paying for – even when you’re not home.

Of course, many of the features available with Google Nest Wifi – like the ability to create a second, temporary Wi-Fi network with its own password for guests or neighbours in need – are likely already possible with your current kit. However, the process is unlikely to be anywhere near as simple as the two taps it takes within the Google Home app. L

ikewise, for pausing internet connections for specific devices or groups of gadgets owned by the same person, like a child who has been grounded.

Spending money on a mesh Wi-Fi kit to supercharge your wireless connection might not be the most exciting way to spend your monthly salary …but if you’re looking to install smart lightbulbs, a video doorbell, Wi-Fi enabled thermostat, Sonos speakers, or other any smart home kit around the home, but are worried about how your unreliable Wi-Fi will hold-up with the strain (and distances covered), Google Nest Wifi should be your first purchase before upgrading anything else.