Google Nest Wifi Professional evaluate
It has been a good outdated whereas since Google final dipped into the world of mesh programs, with the brand new Nest Wifi Professional representing a reasonably important improve to the old-gen mannequin launched method again in 2019.
Good speaker assist by Google Assistant is gone for this era, however on the record of added options is an extended overdue improve from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6E. And because of this, this seems to be one of many extra inexpensive methods to achieve entry to 6Ghz networking.
However how does this triple-pack carry out in testing? We carried out a month-long take a look at of Google’s newest mesh Wi-Fi effort in our three-bedroom home as a way to discover out.
Design and setup
It is truthful to say that Google understood the design project with the Nest Wifi Professional. The look is clear and unobtrusive in just about any room, and, actually, if it weren’t for the throngs of cords popping out the rear, it’d really be comparatively ornament-like.
Whether or not you choose up the system as a single unit or add on one or two nodes, every gadget is similar. One will act as the principle router, although, in fact, which frees the opposite stations to be dotted round your own home.
In typical Google style, setup is tremendous easy – particularly when you’re already totally embedded in Google House and have all of your Rooms and Teams arrange. You may get clear indications relating to connection energy after scanning the station’s QR code and inserting it, and, as soon as that is accomplished, you possibly can largely neglect about them.
They every characteristic an LED mild to point out the community standing, however the expertise is essentially pushed by the app following set up. It is about as breezy as any system we have arrange, so a great begin if the concept of ‘putting in’ mesh feels formidable to you.
On the rear of every, in the meantime, is the place you may discover the port setup, which contains an influence socket sitting between a pair of Ethernet ports. The plus aspect is that that is an enchancment on the singular port current on the unique Google Nest Wifi, however the unhealthy information right here is that they are solely Gigabit ports.
It is quick sufficient normally, in fact, nevertheless it does additionally really feel like an odd omission from Google to forego 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet altogether – particularly when choices just like the Eero Professional 6E are round, in addition to top-of-the-line fashions just like the Netgear Orbi RBKE963 that stretch to a ten Gigabit Ethernet port.
Nest Wifi Professional additionally is not backward appropriate with any of the older Nest Wifi stations, both, which implies legacy customers hoping to avoid wasting money will really need to utterly change their complete system. Not wholly sudden, however one other potential perk that is missed out on right here.
Options and sensible residence assist
If the design and setup sit on the essential finish of the spectrum, it is a theme that continues in the case of the options and total efficiency.
We usually fairly just like the interface of the Google House app, with issues saved comparatively neat, tidy and intuitive. Given it represents the one portal for system management, although, we predict it is missing some depth. You get some good necessities, like port forwarding, visitor community options and the flexibility to prioritize gadgets for particular durations of time, however that is roughly the extent of your powers.
For these with youngsters, there’s really additionally the Household Security possibility that means that you can set particular person gadget schedules and limit sure content material through Google SafeSearch’s database – although that is restricted to only ‘on’ or ‘off’.
Then there are some fancy little graphs exhibiting you issues like utilization, and a built-in pace take a look at operate. In the end, although, none of those are particularly distinctive or helpful.
We expect anyone searching a super-simple mesh system will most likely be advantageous with the above, however anyone wanting to achieve true management over their residence community will doubtless be dissatisfied.
Our largest gripe, for instance, is the very fact you possibly can’t break up the community into three totally different SSIDs, with the whole lot blanketed underneath one title and parceling out gadgets alongside the trio of bands.
This limitation is not distinctive to Google – loads of different mesh programs additionally do not supply this – nevertheless it does nonetheless current some traditional points, resembling connecting sensible residence devices to the two.4Ghz band.
Once more, this is not one thing we’ve not encountered earlier than. However contemplating it is a system that is grounded within the sensible residence, it nonetheless feels totally weird to have tons of gadgets – even Google ones – floating round in unconnected chaos.
On this sense, it is a minimum of a aid that the Nest Wifi Professional is about up (considerably) for the way forward for the sensible residence, providing the flexibility to behave as a Matter controller and a Thread border router, just like the Google Nest Hub Max pictured with it above. Naturally, we’ve not been capable of take a look at this out, nevertheless it’s one of many solely future-proofed bonuses right here.
Sadly, it is simply tied up in a bundle that additionally includes a distinct lack of community safety features, as effectively – or, certainly, extra superior issues like dynamic DNS or VPN community connections.
Efficiency
Sadly, the overall efficiency of the Nest Wifi Professional would not do a lot to salvage the constraints of the design and options, both.
On paper, the very fact it affords the newest customary of Wi-Fi ought to see it maintain its personal, however we discovered the 6Ghz band fairly exhausting to attempt to kick into gear. And with out that possibility to separate bands, in fact, you are left attempting to maneuver appropriate shopper gadgets to play good with it (i.e. forgetting the networking and later reconnecting).
There is no possibility for seeing or choosing channel widths inside the app when you’re within the UK, and this ends in not having the ability to particularly goal the 160Mhz mode that may unlock the 6Ghz band, as you appear to have the ability to do within the US. As a substitute, then, you are usually restricted to 5Ghz.
The higher information is that we did not actually endure any community dropouts, and speeds had been fairly constant every time we sporadically examined. The issue, although, is that the speeds simply aren’t overly spectacular.
They had been very similar to rival choices (and the standard charge from our Wi-Fi 5 Virgin Media Hub 4) when inside the identical room because the router – working roughly across the 500Mbps mark – however issues had been slightly off when upstairs, with this dropping to round 240Mbps the place we would normally count on nearer to 300Mbps. Within the loft bed room, regardless of this being the place one of many nodes was positioned, the story was comparable.
Value and competitors
Analyzing the value of the Nest Wifi Professional is an fascinating one. It may very well be an excellent deal for you, with the $199.99 / £190 single-unit possibility representing excellent worth for a Wi-Fi 6E router – a minimum of on paper.
When you take the extra doubtless route and go for the three-pack, that also solely extends to $399.99 / £379.99. The one actual like-for-like possibility is the $350 / £350 TP-Hyperlink Deco XE75, which we’re but to check, however even that comes as only a pair.
The issue, actually, as we have illustrated above, is that you simply’re not gaining a great portion of the advantages of different programs. And although the value is comparatively low, you could not even reliably obtain the large promoting level – entry to 6Ghz – when you encounter the identical issues we did.
We have waited a very long time for Google to supply an replace to the getting older Nest Wifi, however this ‘Professional’ mannequin largely fails to reside as much as expectations. Regardless of the superbly clear design, intuitive setup and up-to-date sensible residence options, the speeds are solely common and there seems to be a definite drawback with connecting to the 6Ghz band. We nonetheless suppose this might characterize a stable starter equipment for these within the US – and it’ll get extra enticing as Matter develops – nevertheless it’s laborious to get away from the very fact there are higher mesh programs on the market.
- Fairly, clear design
- Matter assist
- Generally is a Thread border router
- Tremendous easy to arrange
- Speeds aren’t vastly spectacular
- Scarce 6Ghz
- No backward compatibility
- Google Assistant axed