Google Nest Wifi Mesh WiFi System Review

1. Introduction2. Google Nest Wifi3. Google Nest Wifi Administration Interface4. Google Nest Wifi Analysis5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

The Google Nest Wifi doesn't offer the same level of WiFi coverage as NETGEAR's Orbi Voice. Nor is the sound quality in the same league. But it's also quite a bit cheaper, and if you have other devices in the Google Home / Nest ecosystem, it does make sense as a way to combine your need for a smart speaker with the greater coverage of a mesh system. You can add further speakers for £129, which is £100 cheaper than an Orbi Voice on its own.

But the mesh abilities are far inferior to the NETGEAR Orbi Voice, or many mesh-only options out there. You also get far fewer router features – fewer wired Ethernet ports, no USB for storage or printer sharing, and no software options for setting up services like port forwarding if you want to host a game from a local machine to the Internet. So this is very much a system for sharing general Internet-connected WiFi and providing Google Home Assistant features.

Your purchasing decision therefore depends on how much you want Google Home Assistant features along with your mesh WiFi, although the best standalone routers will offer similar 802.11ac range and performance.

The Google Nest Wifi only costs about the same as a decent router, so if you're starting from scratch then it's reasonable value. But if you already have a router that provides adequate home coverage, adding a regular Google Home to that setup will be cheaper.

The Google Nest Wifi is available from Google for £239.

Pros:

• Google Home and mesh WiFi in one package.
• Reasonable mono audio quality and power.
• Very simple smartphone app setup routine.
• Decent (but not quick) 802.11n coverage.
• Great value for WiFi mesh and Google Home.

Cons:

• 802.11ac performance behind most mesh systems.
• Only one extra Ethernet LAN port on router.
• Limited router software features.
• No USB port for printer / storage sharing.

KitGuru Says: The Google Nest Wifi combines Google Home with mesh WiFi in a compact and unobtrusive form, although it lacks performance at range and features compared to the best mesh systems.

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