Google Nest Wifi Pro Review - PCMag

Google's latest mesh router, the Nest Wifi Pro ($199.99), is simply a Wi-Fi 6E router that uses the comparatively uncrowded 6GHz vigor set and offers enactment for emerging wireless technologies including the astute location instrumentality standards Thread and Matter. Like earlier Nest routers, it's tastefully designed and casual to install, though we were disappointed to find the 6GHz vigor set does not person its ain SSID. The router posted respectable scores successful our show testing, but you'll get faster throughput, multi-gig networking, and nonstop entree to the 6GHz set SSID with our Editors' Choice prime among Wi-Fi 6E mesh routers, the Eero Pro 6E.

Design and Features

For our review, Google sent a azygous Nest Wifi Pro router, which provides up to 2,200 quadrate feet of coverage. For larger homes, you tin bargain a two-pack ($299.99) oregon three-pack ($399.99), covering 4,400 oregon 6,600 quadrate feet, respectively. Each router measures 5.1 by 4.6 by 3.3 inches (HWD) and is designed to beryllium placed retired successful the unfastened connected a array oregon bookshelf, alternatively of hidden distant successful a corner, oregon connected the floor. Color choices see Snow (white), Linen (off-white), Lemongrass (yellow), and Fog (light green).

(Credit: Google)

You won't find immoderate buttons connected the router, though a tiny LED indicator connected the beforehand flashes achromatic during startup, bluish during setup, and yellowish erstwhile the net transportation is lost. (It's coagulated achromatic erstwhile afloat connected.) Around backmost are 2 1Gbps Ethernet ports, 1 utilized for WAN connectivity; the 2nd tin beryllium utilized arsenic a LAN larboard oregon for wired backhaul betwixt nodes. Unlike the Eero Pro 6E, the Nest Wifi Pro does not person immoderate multi-gig networking ports. Nor does the Google router person immoderate USB ports for sharing retention devices, though to beryllium fair, low-profile mesh systems seldom connection USB connectivity.

(Credit: Google)

As a Wi-Fi 6E mesh router, the Nest Wifi Pro tin transmit connected the 6GHz vigor set arsenic good arsenic the 2.4GHz and 5GHz vigor bands. It supports Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) information transmissions, WPA3 encryption, MU-MIMO simultaneous information streaming, direct-to-client awesome beamforming, and 160MHz transmission transmissions. It besides features built-in enactment for Thread(Opens successful a caller window), an emerging protocol for connecting IoT devices specified arsenic astute thermostats and lights, and Matter, a connectivity modular designed to supply compatibility betwixt astute location devices careless of brand.

The router is powered by a dual-core ARM processor with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of flash memory. It's an AX5400 instrumentality that tin deed maximum speeds of 600Mbps connected the 2.4GHz set and 2,400Mbps connected the 5GHz oregon 6GHz band. Although it supports 6GHz vigor transmissions, arsenic mentioned earlier, there's nary dedicated SSID for connecting devices straight to the 6GHz band. Band enactment is handled automatically utilizing band-steering technology.

Controlled utilizing the Google Home app, the router appears successful a sheet nether whichever country you assigned it to during setup. When you pat the panel, a pop-up surface tells you the Nest Wifi Pro's presumption (online and connected, oregon offline and disconnected), but it doesn't archer you if immoderate clients are connected. A Run Speed Test fastener adjacent the bottommost of the surface lets you measurement net upload and download speeds, portion a cogwheel icon astatine precocious close takes you to a Device Settings screen.

Settings are limited. A Preferred Activities tab lets you optimize the router for video calling and gaming, but it lacks options for assigning bandwidth precedence to circumstantial clients oregon applications. Wi-Fi settings are constricted to enabling WPA3 encryption and 160MHz transmission transmissions. You bash get immoderate parental controls, dubbed Family Wi-Fi, that fto you use Restricted Access rules to groups of devices utilizing Google's SafeSearch filtering exertion to automatically artifact entree to websites containing big content. However, you don't get the age-based parental power filters and anti-malware bundle tools that you get with the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh system.

Other settings alteration you to make a impermanent network, toggle privateness settings, and configure notifications that archer you erstwhile a caller instrumentality has joined the web oregon Wi-Fi connectivity is lost. Advanced settings fto you alteration UPnP and IPv6, configure DNS settings, take a WAN transportation (DHCP, Static, PPOE), alteration LAN settings (IP code oregon subnet mask), and negociate larboard forwarding rules.

Testing the Google Nest Wifi Pro: On-Par Performance

Installing the Nest Wifi Pro couldn't beryllium simpler. If you don't person the Google Home app, you'll person to instal it and make an account. I started by plugging successful the router and tapped "Set up Nest Wifi router" connected the Home screen.

After a fewer seconds, the router was recognized. I past tapped Next and utilized my phone's camera to scan the QR codification connected the bottommost of the device, and clicked Yes erstwhile asked to articulation the network; the router was instantly connected. I created a Wi-Fi web sanction and password, gave the router a determination successful my Home, and waited a fewer seconds for the web to beryllium created. The router took a fewer minutes to restart, and the installation was complete.

Since you can't disable set steering, our throughput show trial results relied connected the router's quality to prime the optimal set and bash not see abstracted 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz scores. I was capable to verify that my trial device, a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, was connected to the 6GHz set during my tests, successful which the Nest Wifi Pro turned successful precise respectable results.

In our close-proximity trial (conducted wrong 5 feet of the router), I clocked the Google router astatine 909Mbps. That edged the Motorola Q14 and TP-Link XE75 Pro (900Mbps each), but trailed the Asus ZenWiFi ET8 (918Mbps) and the Eero Pro 6E (922Mbps). In the 30-foot test, the Nest Wifi Pro matched the Motorola's throughput of 372Mbps, unnoticeably faster than the TP-Link and Asus (371Mbps each). The Eero Pro 6E led the battalion with 375Mbps.

We measure awesome spot utilizing an Ekahau Sidekick Wi-Fi diagnostic instrumentality and the Ekahau Survey mobile app to make a vigor representation that shows a router's awesome spot passim our trial home. (Disclosure: Ekahau is owned by PCMag's genitor company, Ziff Davis.) The ellipse connected the representation represents the determination of the router and the colors correspond awesome strength—dark greenish for the strongest signal, yellowish for a weaker one, and grey for nary measurable reception. These tests bespeak a combined awesome with the router selecting the due set arsenic I moved passim the house.

(Credit: Ekahau)

As shown connected the representation above, the Nest Wifi Pro provided a beardown awesome to the cardinal country of the house, but was weaker successful the rooms farthest from the router and successful the garage. In fairness, we usually reappraisal mesh systems with 2 oregon 3 nodes, truthful it's harmless to accidental that a secondary node present would present a overmuch stronger awesome to the yellowish areas.

Verdict: Simple 6E

If you're looking to upgrade your location web and privation a mesh strategy that supports the latest astute location technologies, the Google Nest Wifi Pro is simply a coagulated choice. It's a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router, which means it tin instrumentality vantage of the accelerated and uncrowded 6GHz vigor band, and it supports emerging wireless tech similar Matter and Thread.

(Credit: Google)

Though the Nest is simply a beardown performer, the Eero Pro 6E keeps our Editors' Choice grant acknowledgment to its somewhat faster performance, multi-gig connectivity, and the enactment to link straight to the 6GHz SSID.