Nest Wi-Fi Pro review: a faster, more reliable mesh system - The Verge

Google’s caller Nest Wi-Fi Pro is an fantabulous upgrade if you’re coming from an existing Google router. I saw importantly faster speeds, improved reliability, and amended show connected the Nest Wifi Pro — which adds Wi-Fi 6 and 6E — compared to the erstwhile Nest Wifi strategy and its Wi-Fi 5. It can’t grip multi-gig speeds, but that’s (sadly) not going to beryllium a occupation for astir people. And portion initially, I experienced dilatory speeds and precocious latency successful the furthest rooms from the main router, a bundle update that arrived during my investigating fixed this, resulting successful accordant speeds passim my home.

The Nest Pro is besides 1 of the fewer routers that won’t look similar a dormant spider connected your sideboard. And portion it’s not a precocious bar, these are the best-looking Wi-Fi routers you tin buy. As good arsenic white, the Nest Pro comes successful airy blue, beige, oregon yellow, which whitethorn blend successful amended with your location decor. While I americium not a large instrumentality of the shiny decorativeness — it’s a spot distracting — they inactive look amended retired successful the unfastened (the champion spot for the champion signal) than astir different routers. 

As a mesh networking system, the Nest Wifi Pro’s closest rival is the Eero Wifi Pro 6E. Like Eero, Google is targeting radical who privation thing that’s nice-looking, reliable, casual to use, and that volition enactment good with their astute home, alternatively than networking experts oregon radical who privation hands-on power of each facet of their networking setup. 

In testing, the Nest Pro has immoderate advantages implicit the Eero. While its speeds were somewhat slower, they were much accordant passim the house, and Google offers for escaped immoderate features that Eero locks down a monthly subscription. But Nest’s fixed 6GHz backhaul tin conflict to support accordant speeds connected the nodes furthest from the router, and it lone has 1Gbps ethernet ports, truthful it can’t grip multi-gig connections. 

Design and features

The Nest Pro is simply a tri-band WiFi 6E router with 1 2.4GHz, 1 5GHz, and 1 6GHz band. That past 1 is new. It gives the fewer 6GHz susceptible devices — mostly flagship Android phones and a fewer gaming laptops — a abdominous new, uncluttered set to velocity on on.

But the 6Ghz band’s main occupation present is to enactment arsenic a dedicated backhaul, turning aggregate Nest Pro units into a mesh network. Each Pro router tin enactment up to 100 devices, and the strategy supports theoretical maximum speeds of 2400 Mbps connected 5GHz and 6GHz and a spot beneath 600 Mbps connected 2.4GHz. That’s much than treble the combined speeds of the last-gen Nest Wifi. 

Those are theoretical maximums. In practice, you tin lone link to 1 set astatine a time, you won’t spot anyplace adjacent to the maximum velocity connected immoderate azygous instrumentality (especially not connected 2.4GHz oregon 5GHz), and the Pro’s ethernet ports are capped astatine 1 Gigabit anyway. If you person multi-gig internet, you’ll beryllium wasting money.

If you are upgrading from a Nest Wifi oregon different Wifi 5 router, you summation some Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, positive the enactment to power connected 160 MHz channels connected the 5GHz band, which tin amended throughput astatine the hazard of interference from neighboring signals. All this translated into importantly improved speeds and show utilizing the Nest Pro implicit the regular Nest Wifi successful my tests. 

Google sells the Nest Wifi Pro successful sets of one, two, oregon 3 units. It says 1 router covers up to 2,200 quadrate feet. In my 2,200-square-foot, two-story split-level location with implicit 120 devices connected to the Wi-Fi, I knew 1 wasn’t going to chopped it.

Just to marque sure, I acceptable up a azygous portion successful my surviving country adjacent to the modem and saw speeds arsenic debased arsenic 12 Mbps down and 7 Mbps upstream successful my upstairs rooms, and 64/16 successful my office, conscionable down the hallway from the main router. Once I added 1 node successful my bureau and 1 upstairs to screen the bedrooms, the strategy was capable to present much reliable speeds from my Xfinity service. 

Unlike the first-gen Nest Wifi, Google has done distant with its lower-specced “Points,” and present each the nodes person the aforesaid hardware, including 2 Gigabit ethernet ports. I’ll miss the built-in astute talker from the Points, but that’s an casual commercialized for 2 ethernet ports. (I’d similar more, but these nicer-looking mesh routers thin to beryllium constricted to two.)

With those ports, the Pro strategy present supports wired backhaul, which mightiness beryllium indispensable if you person a multi-story location since the lone different backhaul enactment is the 6GHz band, which has shorter scope and much trouble penetrating coagulated objects than 2.4GHz and 5GHz. 

The Nest Pro is not a pro-level system, contempt its name. You tin alteration immoderate semi-advanced features, similar WPA3, 160MHz transmission width connected the 5GHz band, and IPv6, but it doesn’t springiness you overmuch granular power of your network. You can’t, for example, divided 2.4GHz, 5 GHz, and 6GHz into abstracted SSIDs, make VLANs, unit devices to link to a definite entree constituent only, alteration channels and transmitting power, oregon alteration the backhaul band. Most radical don’t request oregon privation that level of control; they conscionable privation thing that works.

Mostly, the Nest Pro does conscionable work. Setup is each done wrong the Google Home app, which guides you done creating your web and positioning the nodes. (If you are switching implicit from an aged router, beryllium definite to cheque retired my nonfiction connected how to swap retired your router without disconnecting each your devices).

The Home app is besides wherever you’ll find the somewhat constricted parental controls, distant web management, impermanent web setup, information depletion stats, and an overview of your connected devices. Eero charges $10 a period oregon $100 a year for galore of these features, whereas Google’s are free. 

The app managed to correctly place astir 70 percent of my 100-plus devices, which isn’t bad, though I inactive can’t fig retired which 1 is my Oculus Quest 2. Device recognition is adjuvant for mounting up a Family Wifi diagnostic that lets you delegate circumstantial devices to household members and docket Wi-Fi access, which is utile for managing surface clip for younger children. 

I emotion being capable to intermission Wi-Fi connected my daughter’s tablet with a dependable bid to a Google Assistant speaker. While you tin crook connected Google’s SafeSearch to artifact big sites, you can’t artifact circumstantial sites oregon adjacent categories (such arsenic societal media oregon shopping), a capableness Eero offers — for a fee. 

Another insignificant but utile diagnostic is the enactment to show a QR codification and / oregon SSID and password for a impermanent web connected a Google Nest display. This makes it casual for friends and household to get online without bothering you portion you’re stuffing a turkey.

Like Eero systems, the Nest Pro is managed by unreality software. Google says it automatically prioritizes captious activities, specified arsenic video calls, and “constantly optimizes web postulation by switching bands automatically if congestion pops up.” You can’t override immoderate of these features, but you tin astatine slightest disable them, which is not an enactment with Eero. Google warns you that the strategy won’t execute arsenic good without them.

Unlike Eero, Nest Pro offers the enactment to prioritize a azygous instrumentality connected your network, which is adjuvant erstwhile you’re trying to get enactment done, and your kids are streaming Netflix and Fortnite simultaneously. In practice, I didn’t announcement a important quality connected my enactment computer, but I besides didn’t person issues earlier I enabled it. People with slower broadband speeds volition apt spot much benefit. 

New with the Nest Pro is simply a Preferred Activities enactment that lets you prioritize video conferencing and / oregon gaming for “improved wifi performance.” Again, I didn’t spot immoderate noticeable alteration during my testing. These settings are precise broad. It would beryllium bully to spot immoderate much granular power here. 

Performance

Overall, I was impressed with the Nest Pro. I got a strong, accordant Wi-Fi awesome crossed the location and could watercourse 4K video, play VR connected an Oculus Quest 2, and enactment connected my laptop reliably successful each room.

The wired PC successful my furthest flung chamber was capable to proceed my son’s online gaming wont efficiently — judge me, I’d perceive astir it different — and my 100-plus astute location devices stayed connected and responsive (in particular, my Nest devices — much connected that successful a bit).

With an mean wired throughput of conscionable nether 500 Mbps from my Xfinity modem – akin to different routers I’ve tested — I saw mean Wi-Fi speeds of 350 Mbps down and 30 Mbps up passim the house. Video calls besides worked fine, hopping smoothly from 1 node to different arsenic I moved astir the house.

On average, single-device throughput from the main router was slower connected the Nest Wifi Pro than the Eero Pro 6E, but the Nest strategy had much accordant velocity passim the house, portion the Eeros did importantly amended erstwhile the devices were person to the nodes. 

When I trial mesh networks, I usually enactment a node upstairs connected a table successful the rear chamber truthful I tin hardwire my son’s gaming PC. A consecutive enactment from determination to the main router goes done a chamber wall, a closet, different wall, a floor, and a mates of bath walls.

This is simply a batch to inquire of the 6Ghz band, which already has a hard clip with coagulated objects. But that’s wherever I needed the router, and the Eero Pro 6 and Pro 6E nodes I’ve tested performed good determination (but the Nest Wifi constituent from the archetypal gen strategy truly struggled).

When I archetypal acceptable up the Nest Pro node here, the Google Home app said the transportation was good, but successful testing, some throughput and latency were bad, and the Home app yet reported the mesh transportation arsenic poor. 

A Wi-Fi analyzer app clocked the awesome from the surviving room, measured adjacent to the node, astatine -75dBm, which is excessively tenuous for a reliable backhaul. My laptop was getting wireless speeds of 165/5. However, a bundle update Google pushed during investigating to address complaints from immoderate users that their speeds were being capped astatine 50Mbps, importantly improved the show of my trial setup. Wi-Fi and wired speeds upstairs astir doubled, making them accordant with the speeds I was getting successful the remainder of the house. 

Google says it uses the 6GHz set backhaul exclusively due to the fact that there’s overmuch much disposable airspace than connected the 5GHz band, letting it tally 160MHz channels without moving into interference. Sanjay Noronha, Google Nest Wifi’s merchandise lead, told maine this gives it up to doubly the velocity and a much reliable transportation than the Nest Wifi. “Even if you bash not person a azygous 6GHz susceptible lawsuit instrumentality successful your home, you’re seeing a overmuch amended level of Wi-Fi show acknowledgment to that 6Ghz backbone,” helium said.

But arsenic the 6GHz awesome has little penetration than 2.4 oregon 5GHz bands, it seems a less-than-ideal prime for backhaul. Noronha says Google has “designed the hardware” astir this contented — successful presumption of the fig of streams, the antenna design, and the powerfulness amplifiers. But, portion speeds improved aft the update, I inactive needed the 3 nodes to get a beardown capable awesome successful each country of my house. 

When connected via ethernet to the upstairs node, the wired PC averaged 228 Mbps connected the Nest versus 366 Mbps connected the Eeros. The Nest besides had higher latency, apt owed to that 6GHz backhaul. Eero claims its systems tin dynamically set their backhaul set depending connected awesome strength, but the Nest systems are stuck connected 6GHz unless you usage a wired backhaul. 

This inflexibility besides means Wi-Fi 6E devices can’t truly usage the Nest Wifi Pro’s 6GHz set connected the nodes without a show penalty. When connected to the upstairs node, my Pixel 6 — which supports the 6GHz set — got conscionable 191 Mbps down compared to 315 Mbps from the iPhone 14 connected the 5GHz band. However, erstwhile it was connected to the main router, one got the fastest speeds I clocked connected immoderate device, astatine 622 Mbps.

If you person a multi-story location without ethernet successful the walls and privation apical speeds connected your apical floor, you should astir apt look astatine a antithetic networking solution oregon program to usage much than 3 nodes. The Nest Wifi Pro’s reliance connected 6GHz backhaul seems similar a limiting factor.  

Remember that single-device throughput measurements are conscionable a proxy for scope and awesome strength. Unless you’re downloading ample files oregon transferring them betwixt devices successful your network, astir devices won’t request that overmuch bandwidth. For example, streaming 4K UHD video connected a azygous instrumentality requires astir 25 Mbps.

What’s much important is however reliable and unchangeable your web is with tons of worldly connected it moving simultaneously: respective radical streaming, doing video calls for work, playing games, on with immoderate astute location devices doing their thing. This tin each adhd up. By this metric, the Nest Wifi Pro performed precise good aft the bundle update. I had nary issues with dilatory speeds, unresponsiveness, oregon congestion, and I ne'er needed to reboot the system. 

Anecdotally, I recovered that the Nest information cameras and Nest Hub astute displays worked much reliably connected the Nest Wifi Pro strategy than connected the Eero Pro 6E network. They stayed connected the 5GHz transmission consistently alternatively of bouncing betwixt 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which caused dilatory load times erstwhile I tested the caller Nest Doorbell wired. The Nest Hub Max — which would often suffer transportation and reboot connected the Eero strategy — didn’t bash it erstwhile connected the Nest network.

I asked Google astir this, and Noronha said portion they don’t prioritize Nest devices implicit those from different manufacturers, they bash trial their devices extensively with their Wi-Fi strategy and optimize them to execute arsenic good arsenic possible.

While I haven’t been capable to trial this yet, the Nest Wifi Pro’s hardware should marque an fantabulous instauration for your astute home. Each router has a Thread vigor built in. This volition beryllium cardinal erstwhile enactment for the new astute location modular Matter arrives connected Google Home devices, arsenic it volition crook Nest Wifi Pro routers into Thread borderline routers, susceptible of connecting Thread astute location devices, arsenic good arsenic Matter controllers.

This means erstwhile you bargain immoderate Matter astute location instrumentality — specified arsenic a astute plug, light, oregon doorway fastener — you won’t person to interest astir having a abstracted hub oregon whether it’s compatible with your Google Home app. If it’s Matter and / oregon Thread, it volition enactment successful your home. 

Should you bargain it?

If your net velocity is little than 1 gigabit per second, your location isn’t enormous, you don’t request precocious networking features, and you privation thing that’s elemental to usage and mostly reliable adjacent with a batch of astute location devices connected the network, the Google Nest Wifi Pro is simply a bully option.

If you person higher than gigabit speeds, the Eero Pro 6E volition beryllium a amended fit, depending connected price. When it launched, a three-pack outgo $699 compared to $399 for the Nest Wifi Pro, but it’s precocious been connected merchantability for as debased arsenic $419. Eero besides has Thread connected committee and volition beryllium updated to enactment Matter adjacent year, positive it has a Zigbee astute location hub built-in.

Each Eero Pro 6E has a 2.5Gbps ethernet larboard arsenic good arsenic a Gigabit port, but you person to pony up $10 a period for galore features that Google offers for free. But that terms does see ad-blocking, a new net backup service, and much robust parental controls that Google doesn’t have. Plus, you get yearly subscriptions to a password manager and VPN service, among different features.

If you are little funny successful velocity and are much price-conscious, the Eero Pro 6 is simply a likewise specced gigabit strategy that’s cheaper than the Eero Pro 6E and lone $30 much than the Nest Wifi Pro erstwhile not connected sale. But it doesn’t connection Wi-Fi 6E, conscionable Wi-Fi 6. Also, Eero systems tin usage Echo and Echo Dot astute speakers to widen Wi-Fi. So, you could bargain 1 Eero router and usage Echo devices for further coverage. In practice, however, the Echo devices chopped speeds successful half, truthful they aren’t arsenic businesslike arsenic adding different node.  

All this makes the Nest Wifi Pro my proposal if you’re looking for the champion fund 6E router. Wyze conscionable came retired with a Wi-Fi 6 enactment for $174, but I would hold for the reviews connected that. It’s the company’s archetypal Wi-Fi product. 

Other options I haven’t tested see TP-Link’s $300 two-pack Wi-Fi 6E mesh system. But that doesn’t person Thread oregon Matter connected board. Netgear’s Orbi Wi-Fi 6E strategy has plentifulness of bells and whistles but nary Thread oregon Matter, and it starts astatine $400. Either of those volition springiness you much entree to the networking nitty-gritty than Eero oregon Google if you’re into that benignant of thing.

If you person oregon are considering starting a astute home, the Nest Wifi Pro is 1 of the archetypal three-in-one devices — Matter controller, Wi-Fi router, Thread borderline router — connected the market. There volition apt beryllium more, and the Eero enactment is being upgraded to Matter adjacent year. Going forward, it’s apt that Thread and Matter volition beryllium built into each Wi-Fi entree point. But the Nest Wifi Pro volition beryllium a bully acceptable contiguous if you’re looking to future-proof your astute home, don’t expect entree to multi-gig speeds, and privation to debar the dormant spider aesthetic. 

Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge